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Company Manifesto / CEO BIo
PBPro..The Proven Brand...built by players for players.
Baseball was, is and will always be an important part of our lives. The PBPro focuses on these four distinct areas:
Baseball is a way of life for those who embrace the intricacies of the game. Passion is the energy that allows you to develop your skills and reach your goals. Whether it’s building a glove, fielding a ground ball or swinging a bat passion is imperative to get through the many ups and downs of baseball and ultimately reach your potential.
Our goal is to make the best baseball gloves in the world. Quality is more important to us than quantity. Our gloves are designed by players and we produce gloves for the select few, the workers, the dreamers. At The Proven Brand we strive to craft product which assists you in reaching your goals and dreams!
It’s not just about selling gloves. At PBPro working with good teammates who play, played and know the game drives us to build magnificent product. The grit, the sweat, the determination. The Proven Brand gloves are built by players for players.
We must persevere in life if we are to accomplish great things. Goals are attained not only by strength, but by perseverance. There will be obstacles, there will be doubters, but keep grinding and there are no limits.
PlayersBrandPro Founder and CEO Dick Grapenthin played baseball in the major leagues, coached at the collegiate level, and has spent his life dedicated to his passion for the game. Dick's involvement in baseball and the leather industry began as a young boy growing up in rural Northwest Iowa. Dick began his baseball career at Mesa Community College prior to playing collegiately at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. After graduating, Dick played professionally for ten years including parts of three years in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos. Following his professional career, Dick served as pitching coach at Clemson University 1990-1991 helping guide Clemson to the 1991 Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA College World Series in Omaha Nebraska. In October 2016 Dick was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Upon leaving the playing field Dick opted to get into the business side of the game earning an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in 1993. Dick has worked with Easton, Mizuno and Louisville Slugger prior to starting his own baseball oriented business. In 2005, Grapenthin was named Vice President and General Manager of the Mizuno Diamond Division and was responsible for all product lines and categories including Baseball, Fastpitch Softball, Slow-pitch Softball, and Volleyball. In fall 2017 the Proven Brand was officially launched starting yet another chapter in a baseball journey.