DJ, a few years back, there were two major wholesale companies, PMI and NPS.
Both of them had charismatic owners, NPS had Gino Postorivo and PMI had Jeff Perlmutter and Dave Freeman.
These guys had been involved in paintball since year dot and had been fierce competitors as they grew up to dominate the world paintball market both in wholesale hardware but also paint production once PMI had acquired RP Scherer in about 2000 I think.
Along came a big ass money co and bought both of them so as to combine and create a paintball behemoth with but one reason to exist, to dominate the world paintball market ... and they have.
They are huge, and they are also hungry .... they always seem to be in acquisition mode whereby they will buy any company they think will further their ambitions as is evidenced in their recent purchases of smaller paint production companies.
They have their European operation over here in the UK in Colchester that's run by Jackie Sosta, wife of John; both of them extremely well known and liked by everyone.
John works for Kee also but Jackie wears the trousers, his trousers
It certainly is a success story for the Sostas and also for Kee, they have manged to create huge growth in the European marketplace which is testament to the way Jackie has run things since taking over.
Billy Ceranski, head of world sales, was actually one of the world's best players [he was certainly the hairiest player I had ever seen], I was lucky enough to play alongside him on Aftershock when the team were in their heyday winning 6 world cups, an achievement that I believe is still unmatched.
Billy started in sales and has worked his way to the top with a combination of experience and smart thinking ... he has paintball running through his blood like a lot of us.
That's a quick run down of what's what and who's who ....
