SLIDE SHOW

Nike at the Masters

Want to know what those Nike players will be playing this week at the Masters? Take an early four-day peek provided by Nike in this slide show.


FEATURE

Pima Direct — not just another golf shirt company

By Janice Ferguson
GPA Correspondent

Typically a cocktail napkin is used to absorb condensation on a drinking glass. Occasionally the same napkin is also used to get the phone number from the “what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this” — pre-dating the Blackberry, of course. And then, once in a while, the napkin serves as a note pad for brainstorming and doodling ideas, eventually paving the way for a real-life business plan.





Such was the case for Pima Direct — a custom branding men’s golf shirt company started in 2003. Before you say, “ah, great, another golf shirt company,” take into consideration that Pima Direct was started by four business veterans — from the golf, finance, apparel and global sourcing industries — who felt there was a niche in the market, and knew better than anybody, there’s also a saturation level.

Managing partner Mark Killeen has a well-established history in the apparel business, having worked for companies like Hathaway, Jack Nicklaus, Izod, and Nautica,

“We formed Pima Direct knowing the last thing the golf business needed was another shirt company,” Killeen said.

What the industry does need, according to Killeen and his partners, is the following:

  • A company that can execute on high margin, high quality, and fashionably relevant product taking into account golf shop margins continue to decline.
  • A company whose product can offer greater value to the consumer that is more discerning and demanding of quality and price than ever before.
  • A company that can help the golf retailer compete in today’s market, including the internet.

    Sounds like a tall order. So how has Pima Direct managed to make its napkin idea work?

    “Our company was built from scratch,” Killeen said. “We work lean and mean — no big trade show booths, no PGA sponsorships, no fancy office building — we firmly believe that trimming costs in these areas allows us to pass those savings on to our customers.”

    There’s also this little thing that has to do with inventory management called PMA, which is an acronym for Professionally Merchandised Assortment. With the exception of Pima Direct’s in-stock program, all products are sold as PMA’s — a 36-unit assortment consisting of six units per color/pattern and offered in a pre set size scale.

    The company spends a great deal of time selecting just the right combination of colors, fabrics, and models to insure product can be presented in the best way possible, making it very easy to display.

    Don’t shy away from this concept quite yet — it may be a bit different and untraditional, but all you need to do is crunch the numbers and the benefits, especially the financial ones, and it will become crystal clear.

    “A PMA is a presentation in a box,” said Killeen. “You open our carton and find the perfect combination of garments. Simply set each stack of six shirts on a display table and you are in business. A better presentation leads directly to better sell thru.

    “PMA’s allow us to better manage our inventory by eliminating the pick and pack process which is often the largest cost to a typical apparel company. This is another way we pass savings on to our customers enabling them to buy at unprecedented margins and offering the highest value possible to the consumer.”

    Now you’re wondering how can a company possibly save me so much money and make the merchandising job easier, and still produce a quality product?

    Seeing and feeling a Pima Direct shirt would make a believer, but since the internet doesn’t afford us feel ‘o vision yet, knowing the products are made with Supima, internationally acknowledged as the world’s finest cottons, should convince you.

    Supima is grown in the Western and Southwestern United States and accounts for only 0.5 percent of the entire worldwide cotton production. Supima cotton is recognized for its high quality, exceptional softness of hand, and natural luster.

    The fiber properties, especially the length and strength, set Supima apart from other cottons. Supima is known as an ELS (Extra Long Staple) cotton, meaning the fiber is extraordinarily long which allows the cotton to be spun into finer and smoother yarns. The additional strength allows the fibers to be spun with less twist, resulting in a softer feeling yet more durable final product, and each has a Supima hang tag to prove it.

    Pima Direct also promotes its collection called Nanobon — a new natural fiber manufactured using bamboo charcoal. With the increased demands for the latest and greatest in performance wear, Nanobon offers a soft, cool, quick drying garment that is made with an eco-friendly, renewable resource.

    “We feel that we’ve truly built a better shirt with Nanobon bamboo charcoal,” Killeen said, “and the color schemes work with the Supima line so that’s an added bonus of efficiency when it comes to merchandising your golf shop.”

    In addition to the Supima and Nanobon shirts, there is also a line of SofTec quick dry tops, a collection of performance outerwear, a grouping of wrinkle free twill shorts, the customer branding on-site embroidery service, and ownership/management of the Smith & Tweed label, all round out the Pima Direct operation.

    There is no shortage of satisfied customer testimonials ranging from Fuzzy Zoeller to Princeville Resort, The Four Seasons, Torrey Pines and countless others. When meeting Mark Killeen, it’s easy to understand how he adds another element of testament to Pima Direct’s unique position in the golf apparel industry. His passion, business acumen, and commitment show proudly in all facets of the company’s core values and vision.

    “In building a career as both a retailer and vendor over the past 20 years, I have been gifted to have met and worked with some of our industry’s best,” said Killeen. “To me, a daily focus has been to learn from the best and find ways to execute on that learning. To improve, you must consider doing something different.”

    Killeen frequently repeats a quote from Donald Trump as part of his mantra — “Good ideas are BS — execution is the key!”

    They may share the same business philosophy, but thankfully, not the same barber.

    For information go to www.pimadirect.com or call 510.618.1200.



    		•
    ©2008 Golf Press Association.

    The Apparel Wire is an opt-in only newsletter. If you feel you have receieved
    The Apparel Wire in error, please follow this link to opt-out:
    http://www.apparelwire.com/unsubscribe.php?email=###email###