Backyard Bats, a custom wood baseball bat manufacturer, was founded in 2004 across the Detroit River in Windsor by John and Paul LaMantia, but moved to Washington Township with Paul and Ryan LaPensee at the helm.
The company was relaunched in 2024 with a $5,000 grant from the Velocity Accelerator Program, based in Sterling Heights.
Most recently, Backyard Bats had what it called a successful tour of spring training facilities in Florida, securing orders from six major league and minor league teams.
With the help of the Velocity program, Backyard Bats is navigating business challenges like growing manufacturing capacity and expanding into e-commerce.
“We’re incredibly grateful for time spent working with our mentors at Velocity,” says Ryan LaPensee, current co-owner of Backyard Bats. “Building a business that allows us to pursue our passion for baseball and create top-quality custom equipment for players is a dream come true. While we’re experts in crafting bats and evaluating hitters’ needs, we’re not experts in growing manufacturing capacity, raising funds, or e-commerce.”
Velocity Executive Director Paula Macpherson says, “We are so excited for Backyard Bats, and to see them grow as they take their business to the big leagues. Not only are they dedicated to their craft producing top-quality baseball equipment, but they give back to our small business community at Velocity by co-hosting events and sharing their experiences.”
- Name: Backyard Bats
- Address: 121 Shafer Drive, Romeo
- Emails: ryan@backyardbats.com, paul@backyardbats.com
- Website: backyardbats.com
- Phone Number: 586-216-5535
- Category: Retail
- Founded: 2024
- Founders: Paul LaMantia and Ryan LaPensee
- Number of Employees: 8
- Most Recent Annual Revenue: $100K
- Video Link: Visit here
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