Foxwood Gobbles Up Its Share of Market

Foxwood Sports keeps getting bigger.

r

Founded in October 2008, Foxwood Sports entered direct competition with Game On — another Fayetteville-based company — in the high-school schedule product market. Foxwood has since purchased two smaller companies and struck deals with both the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and Learfield Sports.

r

While the partnership with Learfield opened the door for Foxwood to handle seven college programs, and potentially dozens more, the five-year agreement with the NIAAA provided major clout with thousands of high schools nationwide. Per the deal, Foxwoods produces and distributes the NIAAA’s quarterly magazine, and is distinguished as its first choice when it comes to a schedule product program.

r

Foxwood president Tatum Owenby credited the company’s “Big 10” for much of its success.

r

“If our company wasn’t based on those beliefs and values, we wouldn’t have gotten that partnership,” Owenby said of the NIAAA deal.

r

Foxwood had just seven employees in December, but now boasts a staff of about 40 in its Fayetteville office. Foxwod absorbed about 10 additional employees when it acquired Championship Sports Marketing of Arkadelphia in June.

r

“It’s not beyond what I envisioned,” Owenby said of his company’s growth. “There was an opening in the market and I believe there was an opportunity for someone to come in on several different levels to fill that void.”

r

The void was created largely due to the demise of Athletic World Advertising, from which sprouted Game On. AWA once was the world’s largest sports schedule poster company.

r

Owenby, who played football at Arkansas, said Foxwood aimed from the get-go to “change the landscape of customer service and product development” within the industry. That means in addition to posters, schedule cards and magnets, Foxwood is currently testing some online components that would further boost schools in their branding efforts.

r