The Hartford Sales Group recently celebrated its 40th anniversary as an independent sales agency in the performance sports and sporting goods markets. The team celebrated at The Ranch in Laguna Beach, CA.

The company, founded in October 1984 by Larry Hartford, cut its teeth on new brands launching in the active outdoor market or nascent brands that needed representation to pioneer their sales efforts in California.

After securing the first brand for his portfolio, Hartford, working with former Brooks colleague Denis Ryan, launched the Lotto Italia brand on the West Coast and headed to the Anaheim NSGA Show to secure additional brands to add to the company’s portfolio.

“The first year or two were crazy as we built from scratch,” said Hartford. “My brother Jim joined me and another rep, Kelly Black, to pitch brands at the show. Back then, it was the Wild West where you could meet in a 10×20 booth with company founders of brands that later became nine-figure companies.

Hartford started his footwear and apparel sales career ten years prior, representing Tred2, Brooks, and many others. He founded the sales agency in Northern California and moved to Southern California after his brother moved inside with one of the agency’s top brands.

“Those early days were all about exponential growth,” said Hartford. “In our first year of business, we added Hind Performance Apparel, the real founder of Lycra Sport Tights and the Animal Short, for just five counties in the Bay Area. Within a few years, we traveled to five states for the brand and added new reps from run specialty stores. At the same time, Lotto got hot in the urban markets, pushing us to expand the Hartford sales team even further.”

 

Hartford Sales Group – The Early Years

From Left to Right: Stan Ross, Jim Hartford, Ron McGoogan, Larry Hartford, Jim Howard, Nick Muntean

Fast-forward forty years, and the agency is still a family-owned business. Hartford’s son-in-law, Kevin Long, works with the founder to create the next generation of sales agencies for the new retail market.

Hartford Sales Group, headquartered in Laguna Niguel, CA, services the outdoor specialty, run specialty, big box,, and e-commerce retail segments in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii.

Images courtesy Hartford Sales Group. Lead Image (from left to right): Keith Krueger, Darius Bastani, Kevin Long, Larry Hartford, Mark Blesius, and Kyle Bezanson.\