Teall Sports & Entertainment Creates Dyehard Fan Supply – a
National Platform for Event Merchandising and E-Commerce
Team Retail Solutions Becomes Part of Dyehard Fan Supply
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (DECEMBER 18, 2017) —Teall Sports & Entertainment, a private equity company based in Winston-Salem, NC; Atlanta, GA; and San Francisco, CA, has created Dyehard Fan Supply, an event and retail merchandise marketing and e-commerce company. In conjunction with establishing the company, Dyehard Fan Supply has acquired Team Retail Solutions, a North Carolina company.
Dyehard will offer an expansive network of best-in-class merchandise companies that will produce the finest quality merchandise for sports, music and entertainment events nationwide and in some international locations. Among Dyehard’s first major events was executing a significant, long-term partnership renewal with Tough Mudder, one of the fastest-growing sports in America, along with signing a new partnership deal with the 2017 Music City Bowl in Nashville, in addition to a number of other college sports programs and events.
Teall Sports & Entertainment Chairman Ben C. Sutton, Jr., widely recognized as one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs and business leaders in the sports and entertainment industry, said Dyehard will fill an event industry void.
“Establishing Dyehard as one of our Teall Investment portfolio businesses is truly breaking new ground on a national level,” Sutton said. “With the creation of Dyehard, we are consolidating a number of strong regional merchandise companies from all over America and integrating them into a singular, highly competitive national platform that is uber-focused on customer service and the customer experience.”
“There is virtually no sport or live entertainment venue or medium in the world that isn’t facing declining ticket sales, attendance and ‘through the event’ participation. We have a strategy for effectuating serious, real and lasting change in the game day experience at Teall Sports & Entertainment. You’ll see that play out in a number of the portfolio companies we roll out over the next couple of years, and I believe Dyehard will quickly emerge as a trusted partner for many teams, artists and events across the U.S.”
In recent weeks, Teall announced the acquisition of millennial-centered agency Riddle & Bloom, a specialized “Ideas and Access” agency that helps its clients market to the growing demographic of Next Generation consumers, and Sunshine Beverages, a “better-for-you” energy beverage. Earlier this year, Teall announced the acquisition of a significant interest in Alabama-based Tailgate Guys, which provides turnkey hospitality packages to fans. Since Teall invested in Tailgate Guys about nine months ago, that company has experienced meteoric growth, nearly quadrupling in size and expecting to more than double in size again by 2018.
“We’re pleased to add Dyehard to Teall’s rapidly growing family of investments. The company and leadership team are a perfect complement for a number of our company’s other investments,” Sutton added. “Dyehard will soon work in tandem with Tailgate Guys and Riddle & Bloom to make the event experience more seamless for organizers and a more enduring and enhanced experience for those who attend.”
Rex Hough, who serves as Teall Sports & Entertainment’ senior vice president of business development, will expand his role to become CEO of the newly created Dyehard Fan Supply. Hough has served in leadership capacities in college athletics for the last 27 years with a record of developing deep relationships, driving sales, building high performance teams, and creating new growth verticals.
“We talked to a wide range of sports, music and other entertainment event leaders across America and discovered there was a need for in-depth merchandise knowledge, turn-key production, more and higher quality offerings, and great customer service at major events—all from a single national partner,” Hough said. “Dyehard will be a coast-to-coast merchandising partner for sporting events including college and professional sports teams, tennis and golf tournaments, bowl games, music concerts and festivals, races and even Broadway musicals.”
“Dyehard will focus on customer service and will offer the best in-person interaction at events,” he added. “With that in mind, we plan to soon announce the acquisition of several additional companies to build on the solid foundation we’ve already established with this first acquisition.”
Sutton founded ISP Sports in Winston-Salem in 1992. After rapidly becoming the market leader in collegiate sports marketing, broadcast, publishing, sponsorship services, ticketing and stadium seating, ISP Sports merged into IMG College in 2010. Sutton, who became chairman and president of IMG College in 2010 and had served as chairman emeritus since September 2015, left IMG College late last year to focus his efforts on Teall Sports & Entertainment.
About Ben C. Sutton, Jr.
The founder of ISP Sports and former Chairman and President of IMG College, Ben Sutton was recently inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and is a member of the boards of the United States Olympic Committee, Ronald Reagan Presidential, National Football, and Naismith Basketball foundations. He also serves as a director with the Wyndham PGA Championship, the Falk School of Sports Management at Syracuse University, and at Wake Forest University, his alma mater. Sutton has received numerous awards including the Wake Forest University Distinguished Alumni Award, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine (highest civilian honor in North Carolina), induction into the NACMA hall of fame, as well as being named one of the top or most powerful sports executives in America by numerous publications.
About Teall Sports & Entertainment
Teall Sports & Entertainment is a privately-held set of investments in innovative, high growth potential lifestyle brands and services. The company’s leadership has extensive experience in sports, media, marketing and entertainment, and the group provides its operating companies deep expertise in a number of disciplines: corporate strategy, organizational management, culture and training, financial strategy, employee operations, recruiting, and expert legal diligence.
Teall Sports & Entertainment is led by Ben C. Sutton, Jr. and an executive management team that built and expanded four national market-leading businesses in the college sports space: IMG College Media, IMG Seating, IMG College Licensing and IMG Ticketing. Teall invests in complementary organizations that can strategically work together to realize greater value, sharing in expertise, thought leadership and networks.
For more information, please visit TeallCapital.com.