Generally when Commack-native Charles Galiano gets excited about something, he pursues it relentlessly until it has come to fruition.
He wanted to play professional baseball and was drafted (twice) by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Commack HS and the Milwaukee Brewers out of Fordham University. Following his playing career, he was passionate about helping amateur catchers that were hungry to improve so he founded Seven Tool Catching which has since turned into a staple of the Long Island baseball community and has been sold out each year.
Next was C25 Training Products, which has helped revolutionize how catchers train – with a variety of weighted baseballs to help catchers improve both their framing and blocking. This has since been implemented by dozens of colleges and professional teams across the country.
His latest idea, came to him earlier this year. Galiano stated that as the owner of C25, he was exposed to the ins-and-outs of the international business world and “was deeply disturbed”.
“I was disturbed to learn how reliant we are on foreign countries -many adversaries to the United States – for the things we need and use every day in this country.”
That hits close to home when you are a lifelong baseball fan and grow up loving the great American pastime as he does.
“I look out on a baseball field at any given time and see baseballs, bats, gloves, jerseys, hats, etc that say ‘Made in (every other country but America). As a proud American and serial entrepreneur, I am disgusted and saddened that we have gotten to this place. I believe this country should play its National Pastime without any other country saying we can. This country deserves to have a “Made in America” on every tag when you look into a baseball field/facility. This game is OUR National Pastime and nobody else’s.”
Not many people are aware but every baseball is hand-stitched. There is no machine that is capable of stitching a baseball’s seams. It takes roughly 30 minutes of labor to stitch a baseball – roughly 15 minutes to manufacture/spin a pill to a complete core and 15 minutes to hand sew it.
AMBC’s goal is to domestically manufacture any and all necessary equipment to play the great game of baseball.
“Namely, we are bringing the manufacturing of baseballs back to America for the first time in over two decades. With baseball being America’s pastime, we take extra pride in the “Made in America” printed on all our products. We stand strong in believing that we should have any and all capabilities to play our National Pastime without any other country saying we can. We are capable, we are strong, and we will stand to be the domestic manufacturing backbone for the great game of baseball.”
Many people don’t realize that a baseball’s core, everything except the leather, gets better/more compacts they hit used more. However, torn and worn baseballs typically get thrown out and disposed of.
Until now…
AMBC will become the first and only company in America to recycle and manufacture the cores of baseball.
If you are wondering how this process will work, well it’s simple.
- Collect torn/worn baseballs.
- Strip the baseballs of the outside cover leather.
- Stamp the core with “AMBC” so they can track how many times that cover has come through the AMBC, and they can keep track of their positive environmental footprint.
- Press out fresh leather covers from their high-quality, durable full grain leather hide.
- Re-sew the baseball by hand.
- Print logo/customization on the baseball.
- Use and repeat.
While there is no doubting that through Galiano’s perseverance he will make his vision become a reality, this is no simple task in general.
For starters, baseball making is an art and serious quality control measures must be taken. Adding to those challenges is that the hostile and cornered leather tannery market landscape in America. And it goes without saying that the high American labor rates.
So what’s the next step?
For the time being, AMBC will exclusively be serving BEAST Training facility in Huntington, NY (where they are located). A full pro shop is open and available to customers at this location. The AMBC will have the customization shop open as of November 8, and shelves are expected to be full with products by December 1. Whatever the AMBC makes, they will sell online and in their pro shop. The pro shop will offer the following; glove/repair restringing, full embroidery customization services, wood/metal bat laser customization, glove steaming/break in, personal player/figurine 3D print and baseball customization.
If they don’t make it, they will set you up with some of the best brands in the shop. The next phase will consist of scaling the operation and recycling/re-manufacturing baseballs for every facility and program in America for a more self-sustainable future.
If you’d like to know more, email team@AmericanMadeBaseballCo.com or cal 631-900-AMBC
