dib:

Tell me about Verdero’s current product mix.

JM:

When people ask about Verdero, I tell them we are a sporting goods company that specializes in baseball related equipment and apparel.  We started out making baseball bats, but now our line includes baseball equipment, bags, and an array of apparel products such as baseball shirts, batting gloves, and shoes.  Over time, we would like to develop similar lines for other sports.

dib:

One of the things I remember most about your early product line is the positive messages on T-shirts and other apparel.   You developed those messages to counter the negative messages kids in your neighborhood were wearing at the time.  Are you still incorporating positive messages on your products?

JM:

Yes, we are.  Originally, I came up with the messages, but not anymore.  I rely on my staff to come up with ideas and it’s a joint decision. I have to say, I’m not out in the streets that much these days.  In addition to running Verdero, I now have a son; so, a great deal of my time is committed.  That’s one of the reasons why I enjoy the tournaments.  It gives me the chance to get out and talk with the kids.  It gives me a sense of what’s going on.

The thing that I enjoy the most is seeing how the kids respond to the tournament field at Fordham University.  When I hear kids say that they don’t let people like them on the campus, I tell them that I went to Fordham.  I tell them that I grew up under the same conditions they now face; and if I made it to Fordham, then why can’t they?  The exchanges are a great way for me to find out what’s on the kids’ minds.  What they like and don’t; and that information influences everything from the products and messages we develop to how we run the tournaments, and even the events we participate in as a company.

dib:

In our last interview, you talked about your manufacturing plant in Jamestown, New York where your bats are made.  Do you still have that facility and how is it doing?

JM:

Yes, we still have our presence Upstate; but as we look to the future, we’re considering the possibility of bringing some of our manufacturing to the Bronx, particularly with the help of the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC).

dib:

That would be quite a development!

JM:

Yeah!  It would be tremendous for us.  From a business perspective, it would put everything in one location.  My VP of Sales, Duke Covone, wouldn’t have to travel as much; and it would be a tremendous story for the Bronx.  Just imagine bats being manufactured in the hometown of the Yankees.  Our location is just ten minutes from Yankee Stadium and ten minutes from City Field.  It would be great to have a Major League ballplayer come to our facility to pick up his bat; and great, too, to have the community come to our facility to see bats being made.  The idea is still in the formative stages, but Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the BOEDC have been very supportive of us.  They would like to see us be part of a greater jobs creation effort.  The Bronx has one of the worst unemployment rates in the state and I would like to help change that. 

dib:

Hearing you talk about the BOEDC’s support for your company takes me back to the early support you received from Major League Baseball.  How is your relationship with the League today?

JM:

I still call Wendy Lewis [MLB’s Senior Vice President for Diversity and Strategic Partners] my godmother.  She’s been tremendous and one of our main supporters within Major League Baseball.  The Diverse Business Partners program has helped open doors to all of the clubs and it has given us a lot of credibility.  When you have that kind of support, it’s hard to go wrong!

Click here for more of the Medina interview.