When the quarterbacks, running backs and linebackers hit the gridiron this month, it’s not just the plays you want to watch: Take a look at the players’ equipment.
Emblazoned on their helmets, just above the player’s brow, is the word “Riddell” and the company that makes those helmets is located in Elyria.
After a bone-crunching tackle, when jerseys are askew, take a look at their shoulder pads. Yep, those are made right here, too.
Riddell Inc. doesn’t just armor the pros, though. The same helmets that protect the big boys also protect your little one’s noggin in peewee football all the way through high school and college.
Most people are surprised when they find out that all 339,981 Riddell football helmets manufactured in 2006 were made right on Sugar Lane, a small, industrial cul-de-sac in southeast Elyria, just east of Ohio Route 57. An estimated 387,000 football helmets will be produced there in 2007.
“We manufacture all helmets for competitive play,” says Ray Cromwell, Riddell’s vice president of operations. “We have the most technologically superior helmets and pads on the market.”
Riddell’s history in Elyria dates back to its predecessor, All-American Sports. Founded in 1945, All-American was in the business of reconditioning sports equipment. Riddell, now owned by New York- and Los Angeles-based investor Fenway Partners Inc., acquired the Elyria-based All-American Sports in 1994.
In 2000, the company moved from its Taylor Street facility to Sugar Lane. Nearly five years later, Riddell planned an expansion to bring its manufacturing plant here. And in 2005, Riddell closed its Chicago manufacturing plant to relocate to Elyria.
The $2.5 million expansion at Sugar Lane expanded the facility to 150,000 square feet and added 80 jobs. More than 300 employees now work at Riddell in Elyria.
“Riddell is such a major presence in Elyria,” says Elyria Mayor Bill Grace. “They are a very good employer in our community and have been very successful for many years.”
The company’s biggest source of revenue is the youth and high school programs.
“With only about 30 professional teams, the pros are a very small percentage of what we do,” Cromwell says.
Still, about 80 percent of the helmets worn in the National Football League are Riddell helmets, making it the official helmet of the NFL. More than 50 percent of the helmets at the college and high school levels are Riddell.
“In the NFL, it’s up to the individual player what brand of helmet he wants to wear — it’s typically what he got comfortable wearing coming up,” Cromwell says.
Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Charlie Frye sports a traditional Riddell helmet, while Browns’ running back Reuben Droughns wears Riddell’s Revolution helmet, which it introduced in 2002 and is now a top seller.
While the pros can choose which helmet to wear, at the college level, the team typically wears the same type of helmet, while high school players wear whatever the athletic director purchases.
The Ohio State University Buckeyes exclusively wear Riddell helmets, as does most of the Big Ten Conference. Only Penn State players wear a competitor’s brand.
Each year, 2.5 million football helmets are in use at all levels of play: youth, junior high, freshmen, junior varsity, varsity, college and professional.
The average life of a football helmet is seven to eight years at the high school level and some college divisions. Division I and professional football helmets have a life-span of three to five years.
But Riddell isn’t only about football. The company produces athletic equipment for every sport imaginable and even has a clothing line, which is a small part of the business, Cromwell says.
Despite football season lasting just five months, Riddell’s Elyria plant is busy year-round with only seven weeks of down time from September through early October. But the Elyria office is busy during that time collecting payments and preparing for the next season — about 120,000 orders are processed in Elyria.
“With every account we’re dealing with, we provide the best service, athletic equipment and support to athletic programs so athletes are protected when they play,” Cromwell says.
The company’s corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, but from a functional standpoint, the business is run out of Elyria, Cromwell says.
From customer support and invoicing to manufacturing and refurbishing, the Elyria plant does it all. Riddell also has refurbishing plants in Texas, California, Pennsylvania and Alabama. Of the 865,000 helmets restored annually, about 320,000 are done in Elyria. About 60,000 shoulder pads are refurbished here as well.
Across the country, Riddell employs about 700 workers, including 250 sales representatives, who adhere to Riddell’s unique sales approach of going directly to the customer for new equipment and reconditioning.
“In the football business, equipment is pretty expensive,” Cromwell says. “It requires extensive maintenance. We discovered by going directly to the customer that we could offer better service, better pricing and a better product.”
Mayor Grace says it’s fun to see Riddell’s name on football helmets every Saturday and Sunday and know that they were made in his hometown, although few people watching the game outside of Lorain County may know Riddell is located in Elyria.
“Riddell is an all around great company to have in our community and we’re very proud of them being here,” says Grace, adding that the company not only provides job opportunities to the community, but Riddell is an income generator for the city.
Riddell is glad to be here as well. “Elyria is a good location,” Cromwell says. “It’s the center of the country for us. All-American’s expertise in reconditioning made it a natural place to do new products.”
(editorial@westshoremag.com)