BSN Sports, a Varsity Brands company and the nation’s largest direct marketer and distributor of sporting goods to the school and league markets, announced it has acquired Gulf Coast Athletic Supply, Inc. (GCAS), based in Sugar Land, TX. GCAS, which has served team customers since 1990, is a leading distributor of team apparel and equipment in the south coast region of Texas, including the Greater Houston market.
“We are thrilled to welcome Beau & Josh Blackard and their talented team to the BSN Sports family,” said Terry Babilla, BSN’s president. “GCAS will contribute a talented group of team Sports professionals to our growing organization and, just as importantly, their culture of stellar customer service and a ‘customer first’ commitment is a perfect fit with our approach to the team Sports and community marketplaces. Together with our 800+ sales professionals nationwide, this combination contributes to our incomparable one-stop shop and we look forward to a bright future together.”
Ron Blackard, President of GCAS, said, “Joining forces with BSN Sports represents a rare opportunity to rapidly expand services and new product lines to our customer base of the past 27 years. I am also confident that BSN’s excellent track record of creating expanded opportunities for employees will benefit our own team, and we are excited to join BSN Sports and help shape the future of team Sports in Texas.”
Babilla concluded: “The GCAS acquisition builds on BSN’s notable growth over the past year, which includes the addition of over 200 sales professionals in key markets such as Alabama, Georgia, Washington, Utah, Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Oregon, Idaho and California. We will continue to seek out partners that share our values and possess a passion for building lifelong customer relationships.”
