Bell Buckle Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: BLLB) has completed a merger with Jump Start Sports, a leading provider of youth sports programs in the United States.
Jump Start Sports was founded in 2002 in Hudson, Ohio by Rick Hart, who left his profession as an advertising executive to pursue his desire of changing children's lives through sports. Jump Start Sports collaborates with schools and community rec departments to provide summer camps, preschool sports programs, recreational sports leagues, and after-school enrichment programs generating $2M in revenue. Jump Start Sports programs have demonstrated in the last few years that this is a must-have for families with children, and the demand for these services have grown in recent years where other industries are falling behind.
The merger with Bell Buckle Holdings will allow Jump Start Sports to accelerate its growth through franchising. iFranchise Group has been retained to develop franchises for Jump Start Sports, including implementation, sales and marketing of its franchise program. Using Bell Buckle CEO Robert Cleggs experience, Jump Start Sports will also begin offering programs in science and STEM, an addition to their business line that will meet the growing demand for after-school activities in these areas.
Franchise development has already begun and is expected to be completed in 6-8 months, at which time franchises will be offered for sale to qualified parties across the country. With Jump Start Sports already established in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina, there are opportunities to rapidly expand the current businesses through franchising, accelerating growth throughout the country. Expected revenues from new franchise locations are expected to begin as early as Q2 2023.
Bell Buckle has hired Andy Beilfuss, a Quarles & Brady partner as counsel for the franchise launch. Andy is a national chair of the firm's Franchise & Distribution industry team and an attorney with extensive experience assisting franchise corporations in achieving their business and legal objectives. He's also the founder and chair of the International Franchise Association's Wisconsin Franchised Business Network.
Rick Hart, Jump Start Sports founder, will continue to run the company on a day-to-day basis and has joined the Board of Directors of Bell Buckle Holdings.
The merger was completed as an all-stock transaction, utilizing a class of restricted preferred shares. This will ensure that current Jump Start Sports stakeholders continue to have an interest in the success of the combined companies and that their success is aligned with the success of Bell Buckle and its shareholders.
