Co-Line teams up with sporting goods powerhouse Escalade

After several months of deliberations, Dale Brand announced at a company-wide meeting on Monday, Sept. 28, that Goalsetter Systems, Inc. was teaming up with Escalade Sports to become a powerhouse in the sporting goods industry. Effective Sept. 30, 2015, the stock of Goalsetter was sold to Escalade Sports. A long-term manufacturing agreement has been secured for Co-Line to continue manufacturing the Made-in-the-USA Goalsetter brand, just as it has for the past 24 years. “Co-Line is very excited about this transaction with Escalade Sports,” Dale Brand said. “They will be excellent stewards of the Goalsetter brand, and we will be able to focus on our core business and what we do best – exceptional quality metal fabrication. We look forward to the ongoing relationship with Escalade and the opportunity to continue to build Goalsetter products here at our Iowa-based facility.” The north building warehouse was a flurry of activity on Tuesday, Sept. 29, as five semi loads of Goalsetter finished goods inventory was moved out to Escalade's Evansville, IN, warehouse. Special thanks to Co-Liners Roger Van Hal, Cory Tice, Matt Walker, and several others who took part in the warehouse clean-out or assisted behind the scenes from carrying boxes from the tool room crow’s nest, to cleaning out closets, to many long and extra hours on the accounting side of things as well. It was a total team effort. “We are pleased to announce the addition of Goalsetter to the Escalade Sports family of sports equipment brands,” said Robert J. Keller, president and CEO of Escalade, Inc. “This acquisition will help support the aggressive market strategy we have implemented to strengthen our leadership of the residential in-ground basketball category through brand-building and product innovation. The acquisition of Goalsetter allows us to provide better service to our specialty channel customers and compete more broadly in the sporting goods channel. Additionally, our partnership with Co-Line Manufacturing will enable us to work with a proven supplier to increase our supply chain flexibility and increase our speed to market.” Co-Line has also secured a distributor agreement with Escalade to sell Goalsetter hoops and other Escalade products in the Midwest as well as online. All sales and marketing staff associated with Goalsetter will move into different roles within Co-Line.