More Production at the Plate
When your clients are Major League Baseball stars, your product had better be good. Quality, in fact, is what draws so many MLB hitters to Carolina Clubs’ bats.
“We have always stressed the importance of quality control,” said company President Kevin Lane. “That applies to the whole process – right from standing timber all the way through to the finished bat.”
Over just two decades, Carolina Clubs has grown to offer an assortment of pro-model maple and ash wood bats. In addition, the company’s wooden bat master craftsmen can custom-make over 200 models for individual baseball players – Hall of Famers Tony Gwynn, Roberto Alomar and Rickey Henderson among them – with special requests.
Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, Carolina Clubs placed its production facility in Montgomery County because of its access to the bats’ key ingredient. As part of its quest for quality, family-owned and operated Carolina Clubs has long harvested timber from upstate New York.
They actually walk the wood lots and select trees that meet specific criteria. Large quantities of logs are also purchased through a network of local farmers, landowners and independent loggers.
So when the opportunity arose for building a new production facility, Montgomery County had to be among the leading candidates. The Montgomery County Business Development Center went to bat for Carolina Clubs and knocked it out of the park.
“Their presence was key in our decision to relocate,” Lane recalled. “Not only did they help us connect with local vendors who could meet our needs, but their positive attitude, and their true desire to attract other small businesses to the area, made us feel that this was the right move.”
The move paid immediate benefits. “The first noticeable benefit was the dramatic reduction in operating and production costs,” Lane said. “With our entire manufacturing process now located at one facility, our production capability has increased sustainability. Shipping from a more central location has also helped.”
Lane himself has enjoyed living in Montgomery County. “I really appreciate the ideals of a small-town community,” he noted.
Small communities and big-league bats are part of the great legacy that makes Montgomery County “Made of Something Stronger.” #DevelopingStronger