Impressions - May 2021 - 37

SCOREBOARD SPORTS AT A GLANCE
C OMPAN Y N AME: Scoreboard Sports
ADDRESS: 509 West 2600 South, Bountiful, UT 84010
FOUN DED: 1991
DEC ORATION METHODS OFFERED: Screen printing, embroidery,
spot sublimation, heat printing
WEBSITE: scoreboardsports.com

Scoreboard Sports' client base
consists mostly of club sports like
soccer, volleyball and wrestling.

servicing his clients is, first and foremost,
planning, especially in today's climate.
The past year has been littered with
supply-chain challenges, from a pandemic that put a stranglehold on economies
worldwide, to dock dilemmas in California
and a cargo ship that recently was stuck
in the Suez Canal.
" It is something to see just how fragile our supply-chain system is, " Macklyn
says. " There are so many factors involved.
You have sports clubs that never know
how many players will try out and how
many players will migrate. COVID made
2020 very difficult. Like everyone else
in our space, we were impacted by the
obvious reduction in teams buying at all
different levels. "
Some of Scoreboard Sports' business
continued as leagues in Utah weren't completely shut down on the club level, with
high-school sports affected differently depending on the sport. Generally, Macklyn
says purchasing was down overall, but his
business was not impacted as drastically
as some of its other customers.
To help right the ship, Scoreboard
Sports did what it does best - change
when change is warranted. " We absolutely pivoted our business, " Macklyn says.
" We began to look at different sports and

groups flourishing during this time, like
golf and running groups.The training and
workout industry was still strong, so we
focused more of our attention there.And
obviously, some businesses and corporations were successful, so we were able to
take advantage of that, as well. "
Masking Up
Like scores of other companies in industries across the country, the Scoreboard
Sports team seized the opportunities that
presented themselves. Take the slew of
pandemic-related protocols; with people everywhere urged to practice social
distancing, mask mandates opened the
door to an untapped opportunity.
" We were able to take advantage of the
whole mask-decoration piece, " Macklyn
says. " We offer screen printing, embroidery
spot sublimation and heat-press digital
printing. Screen printing continues to be
the most consistent.And with sublimation
not as strong as it used to be, we do not
offer allover sublimation. But I still feel
like that is a consistently strong player. "
In addition, embroidery in the corporate
world remains a viable option, which is a
welcome relief as the decoration method
isn't as prevalent as it once was in team

sports. Macklyn says technological advancements continue to provide a number
of new opportunities.
" Personalization is always going to be
key, " Macklyn says. " People not only like
to identify their product, but also like to
be identified by it. I don't see that ever
really changing.What I do think changes
is how they want to be identified. "
Macklyn says sublimation continues to
be a process with a lot of upside, especially
when it comes to 100% polyester and
high-polyester blends. " The fact that the
heat has to be so high and the pressure has
to be relatively high often will cause the
polyester to change in look. Therefore,
you can actually see markings from the
heat press where the application takes
place. Some customers do not like that,
so we shy away from spot sublimation as
much as we used to due to that issue. "
In the end, the key to success amid the
constant changes comes down to education.
The companies that continue to educate
themselves on industry trends, customer
needs and market adjustments will thrive.
" You have to make sure to align your
business and your customers with companies and brands that are dependable
- true partners that not only have their
interests in mind, but you and your customers' [interests] as well, " Macklyn says.
" There is a lot to be aware of, a lot that
is happening. It's your job as an industry
expert to show your customers what's
available.That's one of the value propositions you have to present them. If you can
do that, it can be a differentiator between
you and your competition. " 
Michael J. Pallerino is an award-winning writer
who has written for a number of national consumer and trade publications. For more information
or to comment on this article, email Michael at
mpallerino@gmail.com.
MAY 2021

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http://www.scoreboardsports.com

Impressions - May 2021

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