Worth's - Softball Magazine

It’sA Celebration!Worth’s storied history in sporting goods started focus on producing baseballs and softballs in its early years, a newin 1912 with product innovation and savvy businessacumen, setting the standard the brand and expanded product categories to meet the needs of the expansivemanagement team began to open the company to global marketscontinues to employ today during its centennial celebration. player market in the diamond sports.George Sharp Lannom, Jr. purchased a tannery in Tullahoma, Charles Parish’s son, John, led the Worth brand and business expansionwith new operations in Latin America and new product exten-Tennessee, with designs on establishing the Lannom ManufacturingCompany as the leader in tanned leather for harnesses, sions in baseball bats in 1970. Under his stewardship, the companyhorse collars and other equine transportation-centric products. continued to expand its product portfolio, diversify its capabilities, andWith the rise of automobiles – and subsequent decline of popularityand market demand for harnesses and collars Lannom and most fi nancially sound manufacturers in the sporting goodsemploy new technological innovations to become one of the largestoriginally built his company on – Lannom quickly shifted his industry.business and manufacturing focus on growth markets for his But the true power of the Worth brand as it celebrates its 100thfi rm leather tannery, specifi cally, the sports of baseball and Anniversary in 2012 is in its alloy bats. Starting with the revolutionarysoftball.SuperCell EST (Exterior Shell Technology) bat in the 1990s, Worth’sMired in what is now referred to as the “Dead Ball Era,”brand power centers on the offensive side of fastpitch softball, slowpitchsoftball and youth baseball.baseball struggled to address the ballooning cost of purchasingquality baseballs, and the eventual overuse of game balls. By Hitters know that Worth outperforms the competition in key offensivethe end of some games, the original baseball used for the fi rst metrics (power, feel and consistency), and the next-generation Worthpitch would still be in play, complete with grass stains, dirt and bat is their symbol of at-the-plate greatness.mud splotches, and scores of tobacco juice, sweat and spit from Worth’s legit power and performance is personifi ed in fastpitch softballits nine-inning game.by the University of Oklahoma and its NCAA record-setting 102 homeCouple this with the constant and high-impact contact aruns in 2012. In slowpitch, Resmondo/Worth belted more than 750baseball endures – off the bat, hard ground balls, blistering home runs in 2011 and are on pace to surpass that number in 2012.line drives and ricocheted shots off the outfi eld wall – and the Worth empowers you to maximize your on-fi eld performance andbaseballs of this era simply turned into lumpy, misshapen orbs potential with cutting-edge products designed to provide instant gratification. The brand’s commitment to technological innovation spansof leather and stitches at the end of every game.To address the apparent need in these increasingly popular across all brand names and product lines, from bats ready for immediateaction right out of the wrapper to game-ready naturally broken-insports and recreational activities, Lannom started manufacturingbaseballs and softballs under the “Worth” brand. Charles E. gloves.Parish, who joined Lannom in 1930 as a salesman and eventuallymarried Lannom’s daughter, Martha, years later, became opment, Worth is legit power and legit performance for players of allAs it begins its second century of sporting goods expertise and devel-454 LEGITwidely known as “The Baron of Baseballs” as he built Worth into skill levels. So take your best swing and do some damage.one of the world’s largest manufacturers of baseballs.IS MADE WITH PRIDEWhile Worth’s focus and business successes continued toIN THE U.S.A.©2012 Worth Sports, a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE : JAH) • worthsports.comPage 4 • www.batwars.com • www.softballmag.com Softball Magazine Issue 3, 2012 • Page 5GREG CONNELLAll-World Men’s Major World Series.787 OBP, 119 HR, 357 RBI

1919 • Company begins production offootballs & basketballs.1952 • Worth producesfirst Mickey Mantleautographed baseball.1912 • George SharpLannom, Jr. purchasestannery in Tullahoma, TNand establishes LannomManufacturing Company.1921 • “Worth” adopted asbaseball trademark.1938 • Worthpatents firstBob Fellerautographedbaseball.1941 • Worth opens firstforeign ball factory tooffset WWII shortages.1948 • Worth producesfirst raised seam softball.1913 • Major products: Horsecollars and harnesses.1920 • Companybegins production ofbaseballs.1927 • Football andbasketball productiondiscontinued. Baseballand softballproduction exceeds1,000 per day.1939 • Company’sbaseball productionreaches 7,000 perday.1943 • Withmaterials in shortsupply duringWorld War II,Worth produceseconomical lineof baseballs fromsugar cane, cocoafiber.1953 • Worth, Inc.founder G.S. Lannomdies, leaving thecompany with 10manufacturingdivisions operated byhis 3rd and 4thgenerationdescendents.Page 6 • www.batwars.com • www.softballmag.com Softball Magazine Issue 3, 2012 • Page 7

1975 • Worth develops and produces firstpoly-core softball, the “Red Dot” and “BlueDot.” Patents issued in 1977.1981 • Worth promotes use of asmaller 11” size softball for girls andwomen’s slowpitch play, which becomesofficial ball in most leagues by 1984.1969 • Company beginsproduction of woodbats.1972 • Worthproduces firstone-piece designaluminum bat. Worthproduces firstofficial Little Leaguealuminum bat.1977 • Worth introduceswhat becomes the modernday batting glove style, aheavy cabrettaleather witha golf glovefit, the“Doc Joc.”1983 • Worth introduces the“Hot Dot,” the liveliest softball onthe market.1974 • Worthproduces firstofficial NCAACollegiate aluminumbaseball bat, the“Tennessee Thumper.”1980 • Worth developssoftball performancestandards that areadopted by the majorsoftball associations.1982 • Worth develops laser batspeed timer and measures batspeeds of 50 major leaguersduring spring training.1970 • Worth becomesfirst major sportinggoods manufacturer tobegin production ofaluminum bats.1984 • Consumer Product SafetyCommission identifies ball impact as theleading cause of injury in youth baseballand softball1985 • Little Leagueapproves first ReducedInjury Factor (RIF)baseball, the RIF-5.Page 8 • www.batwars.com • www.softballmag.com Softball Magazine Issue 3, 2012 • Page 9

1989 • Worth RIF baseballs and softballs arefirst to meet standard. Worth coins the term“trampoline effect” to describe the enhancedperformance of its first CU31 alloy softballbat, the “Powercell.”1997 • Introduction of SupercellExterior Shell Technology (EST) Bat.Worth introduces the first evercryogenically treated bat tothe industry.2002 • EST is #1selling softballbat technologyavailable.1986 • Worth introduces firstRIF softball. Worth producesfirst prototype Titanium ballbats with 10% increase in hitdistance.1995 • Worth introduces the firstC405 alloy softball bat, setting thesoftball industry standard.1999 • Introduction of Powder ShellTechnology (PST) Bat.1988 • Kirk Gibson hits famousplay-off series game winninghome run with Worth promodel wood bat.Jose Canseco sets 40-40-40record while using Worthpro-wood bat for entire season.1991 • Due to response anddemand for Worth’s “Powercell”softball bat and other bat models,Worth opens up astate-of-the-art batmanufacturing facility.1992 • Worth introduces newdesign fastpitch softball, the“K-Master,” with 120 stitches,compared to 88 stitches on mostsoftballs, which results in increasedpitched ball speed and rotation.2000 • Three of the nation’s top 5colleges sign with Worth:#1 ranked University of Oklahoma#3 ranked University of Arizona#5 ranked University of Washington1998 • Introduction of CopperheadACX Adult Baseball Bat -Piezoelectronics Bat. Introduction ofSupercell VT-Variable WallTechnology Softball Bat. Worthbuilds the largest cryogenic facilityin the Sporting Goods Industry.2001 • Introduction ofDimension Technology (3DX)Bat. New Kevlar Technology forbatting glove-superior grip andbat control even when wet!New Hot Seam raised seam onRed Dot fastpitch softballsproduces no soft spots andlonger durability.Page 10 • www.batwars.com • www.softballmag.com Softball Magazine Issue 3, 2012 • Page 11

2003 • Wicked Compositeintroduced, enhanced withDynamic Response System.Worth acquired by K2 andadds resources of Rawlingsand other K2 companies toenhance brand and productcapabilities.2005 • Worth recognized as theOfficial Ball of NCAA Softball.First 100% composite Worth bat(Mayhem) hits the market.Worth reaches 1million playersin baseball,fastpitch andsoftball usinggrass rootsfleet of vansand trailers ina single year.2007 • University of Arizona uses Worth equipmentexclusively to win the 2007 Women’s College WorldSeries. Worth’s parent company, K2 Inc, is purchasedby Jarden Corporation. Worth launches thewhite Liberty helmet line. Worth launches the first3-piece bat design, the Mutant, with a compositehandle, aluminum collar, and composite barrel.2011 • Worthintroduces 454composite bat linewith patentpending 454extendedsweetspottechnology.2004 • Worth invests over $1 milliondollars in new manufacturing methodsfor bats, and introduces WhiplashTechnology to make bats lighter andflex more in taper. Olympics held andWorth well represented with GoldMedalists Stacey Nuveman, LeahO’Brien Amico and Michele Smithbringing home the gold.2008 • Worth introduces the Titan bat linewith Patented 5.4L Technology. Worth LibertyAdvanced fielder’s gloves are worn by MLBstars Alex Rios and Bobby Abreu.2012 • Worth Celebrates100 Years!2006 • University of Arizona usesWorth equipment exclusively to winthe 2006 Women’s College WorldSeries. Worth uses M75 Compositein the new Mayhem line of bats.Page 12 • www.batwars.com • www.softballmag.com Softball Magazine Issue 3, 2012 • Page 13