If Jim Mann has his way, Schenectady will be as well known among Major League Baseball players as Beaverton, Ore.
Mann’s company, 3N2, is currently making inroads in professional baseball with its shoes and wristbands. Among its growing list of sponsored players are Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks and San Diego Padres’ prospect Kennard Jones, as well as Capital District natives Casper Wells (Oneonta Tigers) and Chris Salamida (Tri City ValleyCats).
I think we’ll be adding more people next year, and we may be adding more major leaguers next year, said Mann. `Not necessarily at the same level as Rickie Weeks, but definitely some more major leaguers.`
Mann, a Colonie native, started 3N2 (named after a full count on a batter in baseball) five years ago after leaving Beaverton’s primary employer, Nike. Within two years, the company manufactured its first baseball shoe, and two years later it had its first sponsored Major League Baseball player in Weeks.
`A lot of work and a lot of luck` helped Mann land Weeks, he said. `Paul Barbour, who is our promotional guy, lives down in Louisiana. He knows Roger Cador, who’s the baseball coach at Southern University, where Rickie played college ball. We talked about having Southern wear our shoes, and coach Cador said, ‘Why not get Rickie to wear your shoes?’ So it was through coach Cador that we got Rickie.`
Landing Weeks proved to be a turning point for 3N2’s reputation. Now, Mann said he can enter any major league locker room and talk to players about wearing his gear, whereas he had been shut out before because larger companies such as Nike, Reebok and addidas held exclusive rights.
`That helped us legitimize ourselves in the baseball world,` he said.
Mann used to be part of the professional sports merchandise machine when he worked for Nike from 1989 through 1999 as a shoe designer. But he grew tired of living and working overseas in Nike’s Asia quadrant, so he returned to his Capital District roots by opening 3N2 in Schenectady with a friend, Jamey Storvick.
`It’s nice to be able to come back to your hometown, and Schenectady is going through a huge rebuild,` said Mann. `Metroplex, who we rent this building from, has been a big part of that rebuild.`
The company has a family feel to it. Mann’s mother works as a receptionist, and his three children ` two sons and a daughter ` help out when they’re not in school.
`They’re always in here helping with cleaning or maybe boxing the shoes during our busy season (January through March),` he said.
Mann’s goal was to develop a line of shoes specific to a baseball player’s individual needs, such as the position they play in the field and what type of surface (artificial or natural turf) they play on. He also wanted to create shoes that were lightweight and ready to be used out of the box.
`The nice thing about them is that you don’t have to break them in,` Mann said.
Having worked for Nike and having played amateur baseball himself, Mann knew that a shoe created by a company specifically geared toward baseball would have an advantage over one created by a company that makes shoes for a variety of sports.
`I wasn’t in the marketing (of the shoes), but it’s all stuff that you learn by osmosis and just listening,` Mann said. `Nike is the best company to learn from.`
Mann isn’t solely focused on outfitting professional baseball players, either. His company has developed baseball shoes for amateur players ranging in age from Little League through the collegiate ranks. 3N2 also outfitted the 2004 United States women’s baseball team that played in the world championships, members of the Long Haul Bombers traveling softball team and the 2003 Russian team that played in the Little League World Series. More recently, 3N2 was the official shoe company for the Sony PlayStation All-American high school baseball game in New Mexico.
`We figured if we could do this for big leaguers, we could also do this for the Little Leaguers,` Mann said.
The company has also been working with area Little Leagues to help players who need shoes and other gear. 3N2 has helped leagues in Albany, Schenectady and Mechanicville, and Mann said he wants to do more.
`Our big focus next year is the local communities. We want to help out with all the Little Leagues and Babe Ruth leagues,` he said.
3N2 will have extra capital to work with as it grows. An investment group led by Les Trachtman is merging with Mann’s company to give 3N2 a financial boost.
`They’ll keep the financial end going forward, and we’ll keep the shoe end going forward,` Mann said.
And as more 3N2-sponsored players reach the major leagues, Mann envisions a time when his company’s name is as well known in baseball circles as Nike.
`We want to be the premier baseball company. That’s the first thing,` he said. `After that, who knows? There’s endless possibilities.“