Two local companies prosper by serving student swimmers and volleyball players.

Do you have any idea how demoralizing my job is? Interviewing shamelessly inventive entrepreneurs who are busily meeting needs I didn't even know existed? Volleyball "pitching machines," for instance. Or swimwear that helps kids swim faster. Doug Campbell, 38, is an example. With the help of his brother, Jeff, 41, he started Airborne Athletics Inc. to develop an air-powered machine that lofts volleyballs on predetermined trajectories and at varying speeds to give players repetitive practice on passing, spiking and other skills. In four years, the Belle Plaine company has built sales of its "pitching machine" to $600,000 while collecting plaudits from some of the stars in the volleyball firmament. Or consider Roger Schanus, 48, a CPA with exceedingly well-honed listening skills. When a client who owned a chain of swimming schools got to talking about all the moms who were racing off to Target stores to replace swim gear left at home by forgetful offspring, Schanus, 48, knew exactly what to do. He teamed up with the swim-school owner and started Pure Blue Swim Shop Inc., a Minnetonka retail and catalog business that in four years has grown to about $1 million in annual sales. And now, with the introduction of a proprietary line of swimwear, goggles and other gear designed specifically for kids, Schanus is projecting that sales will double this year. Let's begin with the Campbells and their AirCAT Team machine, which University of Minnesota women's volleyball coach Mike Hebert said "has definitely carved out an important niche in the delivery of high-tech coaching aids for the sport of volleyball." The inspiration for the AirCAT developed after Doug got interested in competitive volleyball a dozen years ago, joined a recreational league and discovered that "I really sucked at it." For a while, he persuaded his wife to set balls for his practice sessions, but she quickly tired of that chore.
Inspired by punch press So he asked Jeff, who has a background in mechanical design, to develop a machine he could use for practice. Whereupon a bit of serendipity intervened. Jeff, who worked for a welding company, was running a punch press powered by air pressure one day in 1995 and was struck by the smooth, instantaneous response of the tool. Voila! He bought a stack of air cylinders and compressors, disappeared into his garage and emerged months later with the AirCAT. The device, which sells for $3,695, includes a digital timer to launch balls at preset intervals and a handheld control to let coaches stop the machine to offer instructions. An optical sensor automatically feeds balls into the machine from an attached rack and an electronically controlled valve changes the speed of the launch. The turn of a knob allows the launcher to be aimed up or down for spiking, passing or digging drills. The machine has received endorsements from the prominent likes of Toshi Yoshida, coach of the U.S. women's national team, and Doug Beal, coach of the U.S. men's team. Said Yoshida: "Every program in the country could benefit" from the AirCAT." The Campbells, who had run the business part time out of Jeff's garage until 2000, raised $225,000 from private investors last year. The cash allowed them to begin expanding the product line, which now includes a smaller version of the AirCAT designed for individual training and priced at $1,195. They also added a portable net system that catches and collects spiked balls and sells for $1,195. Then there's the Dr. Dish, a basketball training system that uses a net to funnel balls into an air-driven machine and automatically returns them to the shooter. The machine will be introduced in March and will sell for $4,250.
Ready for a change After 20 years as a CPA, Schanus had grown weary of his coat-and-tie regimen and the 18-hour days required during tax season. So he was ready for a change when the opportunity came in 1998 to start Pure Blue with Jon Foss, who owns four year-around swimming schools in the metro area. With retail shops located in three of Foss' facilities, the company started out in conventional enough fashion, offering name-brand swimwear made by TYR, Speedo and Nike. That business grew to about $350,000 by the end of 2002. But that wasn't even close to the kind of growth Schanus had in mind. So he assembled a 60-page catalog four years ago and started marketing to high schools, colleges and municipalities in the Midwest. The upshot: Catalog sales added another $500,000 in 2002. Odds are, however, that his latest venture will surpass these enterprises. That's the Kids Gear line, which Pure Blue introduced in mid-2002 after lengthy surveys of swim instructors and parents. "Swimwear for children is pretty much designed by people with fashion or competitive swimming in mind, rather than comfort and utility for the kids," Schanus said. So the Pure Blue folks offer boys suits that end above the knees, rather than falling below the knees to create excessive drag. And girls suits are made with thicker straps in the middle of the back to keep them in place, rather than thin, straight-over-the-shoulder straps that tend to fall down and impede swimming. The line also includes skin-tight suits for toddlers to seal in swim diapers, which Pure Blue also offers. The Kids Gear line was an instant hit: In July the National Swim School Association endorsed the design as its official swimsuit, invited Schanus to address its national conferences and allowed its name to be included in the company's catalog. In six months, sales topped $150,000. Now, with a retail shop scheduled to open in a Kansas City swimming school and 20 other schools agreeing to install wall displays of the Kids Gear line, Schanus is projecting 2003 sales of at least $2 million. .
Dick Youngblood can be reached at 612-673-4439 or at yblood@startribune.com.

Airborne Athletics Inc. . Business: Manufactures equipment used to mechanize ball-returns in volleyball practice. Similar machine will be introduced soon for basketball. - Founded: 1996 - Headquarters: Belle Plaine - Executives: Co-founders Doug and Jeff Campbell - 2002 revenue: Estimated $600,000 - Quote: The company "has definitely carved out an important niche in the delivery of high-tech coaching aids for the sport of volleyball." - University of Minnesota women's volleyball coach Mike Hebert. .
Pure Blue Swim Shop Inc. . - Business: Markets swim gear at shops associated with swim schools and with a catalog - Founded: 1998 - Headquarters: Minnetonka - Executive: Roger Schanus, co-founder and CEO - 2002 revenue: Estimated $1.1 million - Quote: "Swim wear for children is pretty much designed by people with fashion or competitive swimming in mind, rather than comfort and utility for the kids." - Roger Schanus