I'm supposed to be going down to Steve Baldwin in the next few weeks or so and I'll ask him what he thinks of Jonathan's [Hansel] guesstimates but knowing Steve as I do, he's just as likely to tell him to 'Fuhk off and mind his own business' which of course is an understandable response because as Pete [Onasilverbike] suggests, Johnathan doesn't know specific details when it comes to the Millennium's outgoings for these events.
I know some of the expenditures but not all and so I'll ask the relevant questions when I meet up with Steve but once again, he might tell me to ‘fuhk off’ which of course is a real possibility but will automatically result in his next meal being administered through a straw [JK].
There are however a few things hovering in the background that could well influence the fate of the Millennium in the next few years.
Firstly, Steve Baldwin and Laurent are the principal owners of the Millennium series and although they both have business interests elsewhere [Steve has [had] Gi Sports [And Manic] over here in Europe whereas Laurent owns the Sup Air manufacturing company] and as far as I know, neither company has any control or share in the Millennium Series - it is owned by both of them personally.
Now, I don’t think I’m breaking anyone’s confidences here by saying that Steve has sold his share in Gi Europe to Richmond Italia and has an agreement whereby he will remain in operational charge of Gi Europe for the next year or so.
However, this does not mean he automatically surrenders his interest in the MS, that’s to be negotiated independently if and when there is an interested party wishing to secure the MS.
I’ve heard whispers but it remains to be confirmed but we’ll know a few more details as and when.
That aside, it’s no secret that Richmond Italia, owner of Gi-Sports [US] has been in acquisition mode these past couple of years.
He’s purchased Tippmann for over $100 million and then a year or so ago, he bought Kee, another industry behemoth for well over another $100 million and so it’s safe to say that he puts his money where his mouth is.
More significantly, Richmond jointly owns the NXL which is the major tournament series Stateside and so it’s hardly heretical to suggest that Richmond could be interested in securing the MS, in fact, it makes perfect sense to me not least because it enables him to consolidate his diverse and manifold interests in the marketplace - I must state though, I know of no specific interest or offer to purchase the MS.
Industry Landscape
Never before has one man owned/controlled so much interest in both the industry marketplace and tournament series and so the natural question to ask is, 'Do these acquisitions cause a problem for the players and teams in the NXL and maybe the MS?
Well, I think, it all depends upon who's running the show and what he wants to do with it.
I’ve known Richmond for over 20 years and have a fair idea what he's about and in my opinion, I think he would want to take our sport in q direction that can only help us in the mid to long term and so I have no reservations concerning his influence in the tournament world - I've had a fair few conversations with him over the past couple of years, and his commercial plan of action is simple enough.
His acquisitions of Tippmann and Kee for his Gi stable of companies will prove pivotal to his business plan because his strategy is predicated upon the most basic of business formulas which goes something like, ‘The more you own in a specific marketplace, the greater the degree of control you can wield’, hardly rocket-science I know but it takes someone who has enough money, sufficient determination/commitment to push the plan through.
It's true to say that in the past ten years or so, certain products, primarily paint has been artificially suppressed due to far east concerns undercutting the European and American market.
And since paint has traditionally been a vehicle on which to sell other products, the artificially low price undercuts both paint sales and related other product sales.
Richmond's acquisition plan enables him to address this problem by having a greater degree of control by virtue of his industry presence.
The irony is, some of his competitors will benefit from this but I don't think that's a real problem anyway.
If and when the MS deal does happen, Richmond will want a seamless as possible changeover to his ownership, and with concerns like this, the new owner needs to ensure that it's ‘Business as Usual’ for all the teams/vendors across Europe.
To achieve that though, he has to get someone who is capable of managing such a transition, and is also a trusted individual - And in my head, there’s only one candidate, and he stands apart from all other prospects.
I think Ainsley has all the necessary management skills and business acumen to secure the position but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Now, this is all speculation on my part and I honestly don't know of any specific talks that anyone has had concerning the MS but I do know a little about how things tend to go in the paintball world.
There will be some interesting times ahead ....
