Gameday Sports started with personal passion

by Kris Ann Hegle

SBJ Contributing Writer

Loren Cook II could have stayed and worked for his father at the Loren Cook Co., one of the largest manufacturers of commercial fans and industrial blowers in the world. But what would be the sport in that?

Instead, he decided to strike out on his own and start a business that captured his interest in sports.

Cook and his wife, Elaine Cook, and partner Wayne Wilson and his wife, Vivi Wilson, own Gameday Sports, a retail store that sells licensed sports apparel such as jerseys and hats. Gameday Sports also sells a variety of flags, pennants, mugs, and other sports items.

Gameday Sports was founded on Jan. 1 of this year, and Cook hasn't missed an opportunity to promote the business. He can be heard on KWTO AM 560 radio every Friday at 6:30 p.m. as he hosts "Gameday with LC2," a local sports talk show.

Evening commuters also tune into KWTO Sports Talk to hear the Gameday sports trivia question each weekday between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. If a listener answers the trivia question correctly, he or she wins a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap.

Cook and Wilson also pay attention to the little things, such as sticking bumper stickers in each customer's bag along with a few temporary tattoos that bear the store's logo.

Gameday Sports combines Cook's passion for and knowledge of sports with Wilson's talent for and knowledge of logos and graphic design.

Wilson owns Promoter Advertising Products, which specializes in putting logos on more than half a million items.

Wilson said Promoter Advertising Products often refers customers to Gameday Sports and vice versa. Promoter Advertising is located just behind Gameday Sports, which gives Wilson hands-on access to both businesses.

Unlike a retail chain, most of Gameday Sports' inventory selection consists of Missouri sports teams, such as the St. Louis Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gameday Sports provides much of the inventory that can be found in the gift shop at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which is located just east of Springfield on Highway 60.

Merchandise from Gameday Sports also can be found at the Ozark Mountain Ducks' gift shop in Ozark. According to Cook, Gameday Sports is one of the largest licensed distributors of Ozark Mountain Ducks baseball sportswear.

Gameday Sports also produces licensed merchandise with the logos for many area sports teams, including local universities such as Southwest Missouri State University.

Cook said focusing the store's inventory on Missouri sports teams and local sports teams has helped fill a niche in Springfield's sports apparel market.

Although the store's inventory reflects this, customers can still find sportswear of many national teams.

If a customer can't find a football jersey or other item bearing the logo of their favorite team, Gameday Sports staff will order the item.

"We not only provide our customers with products they can't find elsewhere, we give them service they can't find elsewhere," Cook said.

"We have good relationships with our customers, which has been key to building our business," he added.

Cook said he plans to return to work at the Cook Co. someday. For now he's focused on turning Gameday Sports into a thriving, well-established business. He and Wilson are still working to promote the business, and they host two "fan jams" for store patrons each year.

Cook also said he and Wilson plan to move Gameday Sports once the business is more established.

The store is located next to Hastings Bookstore on South Campbell and is a little hard to see from the street.

Cook and Wilson said they believe a move will increase the number of drive-by customers who come to Gameday Sports.

Although the store is tucked away, Cook and Wilson intend to keep the Gameday Sports name in front of the public.

The two are currently building a cybershop on the Internet, which will enable the company to sell merchandise to Missouri sports fans who live outside the state.