new notables Glowing Sales


A sports company has been driving sales with its line of glow-in-the-dark golf balls. Now Nitelite Sports is teeing up its latest set of products to score big in the specialty retail market. Vanessa Geneva Ahern


It was many years ago, in 1982, but Corky Newcomb clearly remembers when tennis star Bobby Riggs helped promote his company’s glow-in-the-dark tennis balls. Newcomb, the founder and president of Nitelite Sports, followed the success of the lit tennis balls by introducing glow-in-the-dark golf balls. It was a turning point for the Wolfeboro, NH-based company. Newcomb says Nitelite Sports sold millions of the golf balls over the next 25 years. Previously, golf courses had never made money at night—but they now saw that potential in the new golf balls. For example, The Marriott Hotel chain realized it “could increase food, beverage, cart and green fees by having tournaments at night,” says Newcomb. Shortly afterwards, the Hilton and Hyatt Hotel chains joined in. Nitelite was a successful exporter as well, exporting


products to 84 different countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, and even Swaziland. In 1991 Nitelite was awarded the “New Hampshire Exporter of the Year” award by then Governor Judd Gregg.


New opportunity Recently, Newcomb came across an article in a travel magazine that stated that a significant portion of the American public had cut back on vacations. Newcomb says the idea for a mini-vacation—or break in the backyard—was a result of this article. The Nitelites Family Fun pack, Newcomb says, is designed to give all families an active getaway from pressing everyday routines. The pack includes a curve ball, football, glow-and-throw


UFO frisbee, and a 24-pack of 8-inch light sticks. A light stick can usually give 5-6 good hours of light and can be re-ordered. Nitelite Sports products range in price from $5-$30. Newcomb says that getting the family together for a round


of nighttime touch football or a Frisbee contest is a great way to beat boredom and keep kids active.


Another home run Eager to be a part of the thriving autograph sports memorabilia


industry, Nitelite Sports will also launch its Talking Autograph 50 Specialty Retail Report n Winter 2011


Baseball this spring. The baseball is a Rawlings official major league baseball with space for a photograph. It also has an embedded microphone to record and play a favorite player’s voice.


Nitelite Sports recently reached out to a thousand current


and former major leaguers about being part of the Talking Autograph Baseball team. Newcomb is excited about the responses he is getting from players who are interested in participating.


Specialty retail match Newcomb says that both the family fun packs and the talking baseballs would be a great fit for the specialty retail market. “We are approaching the kiosk mall market because we thought it would be a great demonstration product, when people see it. It has a high impulse consumer market mass appeal,” Newcomb says. The company has completed work on a DVD that shows


kids between the ages of 10-18 playing with the different products. The DVD, which highlights the Family Fun Pack, is a great way for consumers to see the glow-in-the-dark products in action, Newcomb says. Newcomb adds that Nitelite Sports also welcomes inquiries


from kiosk retailers who already sell novelty toys or sports products with strong impulse appeal. Their products have many potentially successful interfaces with existing specialty retail operations.


For more information, please visit nitelitesports.com or talkingautographbaseballs.com.


Vanessa Geneva Ahern is a NY-based freelance writer who covers business, health, travel, and wellness. She has written for various trade and consumer magazines including National Jeweler, SELF, and Fit Pregnancy. For more information, please visit girlgumption.com.


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