Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Oct. 13 -- Gear for Sports, the Lenexa-based sports apparel company, has scored with its latest effort -- an exclusive on apparel and collectibles focusing on former Kansas City Royal George Brett and his induction this summer into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Gear produced several items highlighting Brett's career, including sportswear such as shirts, caps and jackets, and baseball cards.
'We sold a plaque of his perfect swing along with miniature bats and a limited-edition baseball card featuring John Martin's famous portrait of George,' said Frank Pikus, vice president of sales and marketing for Gear's resort and golf division. 'Then, on the back of the card, was a list of some of the highlights of his career.'
The apparel has a variety of motifs and colors featuring Brett, with royal blue being the most popular color. Some of the designs also have the words 'Fighting ALS,' calling attention to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Brett's work to raise funds to fight ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A portion of the proceeds from the apparel sales goes to ALS research.
'We were monitored totally by the Brett organization, and they approved everything,' said Sharon Liggett, Gear's retail store manager. The products, priced from $7, have been sold at Kauffman Stadium, the Gear store, Ferrel's Hallmark stores and other retail outlets.
'We also sold it at all of the George Brett celebrations, including the parade,' Pikus said.
And Gear says it has hit a home run with the project.
'The apparel met all of our expectations and our sales goals,' Pikus said, not giving exact figures.
Scott Henry, an independent sales representative for Gear in the Kansas City area, said sales of the Brett items 'were double what we projected.' Henry said about 80 percent of the sales were at Kauffman Stadium.
'This was the hottest product I've seen in my four years representing Gear,' Henry said. 'It ranks right up there with when Kansas makes the Final Four.'
The apparel deal grew from the association Brett, who is being mentioned as a candidate to be manager of the Colorado Rockies, has had with Gear for the last few years, Pikus said.
'We wanted to be a part of the celebration of George's induction into the Hall of Fame, and we served as a sponsor of the gala. So we approached him with the idea,' he said.
A lunch with Gear founder Bob Wolff got Brett involved with the company and led to its art department designing a logo for Brett.
'The next thing you know, we're down in the art department working up a logo with my sloppy B,' Brett said. 'So, from that, the next year they had me and my son, Jackson, playing baseball on the cover of their fall catalog.'
When Brett walked into Kauffman Stadium for the news conference about his selection to the Hall of Fame, the room was filled with people wearing Gear for Sports hats with 'Hall of Fame' on them.
'Gear made the hats up, and it was great,' Brett said. 'The next thing you know, we decided to do this, with a portion of the proceeds going to ALS.'
While Brett doesn't wear any of the Hall of Fame apparel Gear designed to recognize him, he has given some away to friends and associates. Brett has gotten a kick out of the whole thing.
'It's really weird to see someone walking down the street or on a golf course with your hat on,' Brett said.
While some of the apparel and other items remain on sale at the stadium and at the Gear store at 9550 Lackman Road, the company is not producing any more. Gear, however, is taking a swing at another Brett collector's item.
'We have an exclusive on a commemorative baseball bat and ball series that are exact replicas of George's Louisville slugger bat and Rawlings ball,' Pikus said. 'These come in a case and are signed.'
Customers may select the bat and ball that correspond to one of Brett's 3,154 career hits or by a particular date in his career.
'For example, if you buy hit No. 1, we include the story of that hit. We are also selling a collection for his postseason hits,' Pikus said.
The bat and ball set is priced at $500. A limited number of sets for hits with special significance cost between $750 and $10,000. The limited sets come with a handwritten letter from Brett. The Tandem Marketing Division of Gear is handling the sales of the bats through a special phone number -- 877-KCBRETT (877-522-7388). Pikus said about 50 units had been sold and would be shipped soon. Plans are in the works to team with area nonprofit organizations to help sell the bat and ball sets.
'We are trying to do something with organizations for them to sell the product, and then there would be a donation made to their organization,' Pikus said.
Brett said that the bat and ball set was Gear's idea and that he had been happy to be partners with the company on it and other projects.
'This has all kind of grown, and it's been a great relationship,' he said. 'I have a lot of respect for the company.'
Gear's Brett products appear to be another sign of continued growth for the 25-year-old company that today employs 850 persons. When Wolff founded the company in 1974 as Winning Ways, sales were $2.6 million. The company now has five divisions, and 1998 sales were reported to be more than $200 million. Wolff is chairman of the board and oversees long-term growth of the company. John Menghini serves as president.
The Brett signature bats and cards marked Gear's entrance into the collectibles market. Based on the brisk sales of all the Brett items, Pikus said, Gear could offer other collectibles.
'I think we might,' he said. 'Certainly on the apparel side, we might do more events. We'll see what we learn, and if there's an opportunity.'
(c) 1999, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
