Jimmy Baseball has taken to the gridiron.
Jim Edmonds, the former St. Louis Cardinals slugger, lately has found himself carrying around a football helmet. It’s part of his efforts to boost sales for Carlsbad, California-based Light Helmets, a football helmet maker that counts Edmonds as an investor and owner.
Light Helmets sells helmets it says typically weigh between 3 pounds and 4 pounds and are approximately 40% lighter on average of those of its competitors. It says it uses materials and technology that help reduce weight and improve player safety. Edmonds was part of an investor group, led by Light Helmets CEO Nick Esayian, that in 2018 acquired Light Helmets, purchasing the assets of what was then known as SG Helmets. The new ownership soon rebranded the company as it put a focus on redesigning its helmets to improve consumer appeal.
“It really needed to be changed and revamped,” said Edmonds, who lives in St. Louis and is a Cardinals television broadcaster.
Six years later, Light Helmets has ambitious sales growth targets, seeking $20 million in sales this year as it aims to broaden its market share across the amateur and professional football ranks.
Light Helmets got its start as SG Helmets, founded by the late Bill Simpson, a former race car driver and founder of racing equipment company Simpson Performance Products. Simpson launched SG Helmets to incorporate headgear technology used in auto racing into football helmets, Esayian said. Materials used to make Light Helmets’ products have been adopted by the auto racing industry and the military for their headwear, Esayian said. Light Helmets said its materials and helmet weight “reduces the amount of force sustained by a player in certain impacts, thus reducing the possibility of injury.” Less weight also cuts back on neck, head and shoulder stain, the company said.
Lights Helmets says its helmet shells and interior lining are made with materials designed to better absorb the force that comes with football tackles and hits. Its helmets’ interior includes so-called “armor foam” that Light Helmets says initially was created by NASA and is “engineered to absorb impact rather than simply redirecting it.” The firm says its armor foam is made with polypropylene, closed cell foam and that its helmet shells include a "proprietary composite shell" Light Helmets says differs from polycarbonate shells used by competitors.
Inside Light Helmets’ growth plan
Light Helmets’ new ownership moved quickly to revamp the business after acquiring its assets in 2018, but they soon ran into a block: the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus “really stunk” as it hampered the company’s commercial relaunch, Esayian said. Light Helmets now expects 2024 to be a major growth year as the firm seeks to broaden its sales in both the youth and professional markets.
Light Helmets' competitors include Riddell, Schutt Sports and Vicis. Riddell in 2022 claimed to have market share of more than 70% for the NFL, collegiate and high school football, according to a news report.
Light Helmets has increased retail distribution, with its helmets for sale at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Scheels. That gives greater access to the youth market, Esayian said. Light Helmets’ youth helmets retail at around $300 to start, which Esayian said he believes is “fairly priced” in a youth market that includes helmets ranging from $100 to $800 across all brands. Its high school helmets are around $500 and its professional helmets are sold for about $1,000.
Light Helmets this year is putting a focus on its National Football League roster of users. It says its Gladiator ATK helmet has been named a “recommended helmet” for NFL use and that 16 NFL teams have bought the helmet for players to wear. The Gladiator ATK model ranked second in annual helmet safety rankings Virginia Tech conducts, testing helmets from a range of manufacturers. Esayian said he expects 100 to 150 NFL players to be wearing his company’s helmet at the start of the 2024 NFL season. He said it will help gain it more exposure at the professional and collegiate level, while also boosting youth sales as kids will see players wearing Light Helmets on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
“You got to make it cool for kids to wear it,” he said.
Light Helmets has had about $5 million in sales since May 2022 and hopes to achieve $20 million in sales this year, a figure Esayian said could triple in 2025. He said the company has raised $8.5 million and that its prior owners invested about $7.5 million in the firm. It is currently raising a $10 million funding round to aid with expansion.
Light Helmets could expand its product line in the future, as it has a hockey helmet in development. It’s also eying the construction helmet market for growth and could branch into apparel, Esayian said. In addition to football helmets, it sells soft headgear used for flag football and soccer.
Edmonds said he was introduced to Light Helmets through Joe Hegener, an uncle who previously was CEO of TD Securities. Edmonds said he was immediately sold on the venture.
“I loved it right away,” said Edmonds, who declined to share his specific ownership stake in the firm.
Edmonds has immersed himself in trying to grow the brand, being a key ambassador as it aims to achieve its sales goals. Edmonds, for example, brought a helmet with him to a speech he gave earlier this month at a banquet for Arkansas State University’s baseball team, meeting with the school’s football equipment manager during his visit there. He said that meeting has led to connections with other collegiate programs.
While Edmonds’ connections in the sports industry can help boost sales at the professional and collegiate level, the former center fielder he was most drawn to Light Helmets because of the impact it could have with youth.
“If I had a child right now that was playing football, he’d be wearing one of these helmets,” Edmonds said.
