Lynchburg Business

BecoBall: The Newest Game in Town

Issue: July 2010 by Hilary Sutton in Business Profiles, Inside The Magazine

BecoBall may not be a term you’re familiar with yet but that will soon change if Nate Hagerty has anything to do with it. As the game’s inventor, his vision is that, in the future, people will not only know the term, but will also know how to play the game. Growing up in Central Virginia, Hagerty and his father, Chuck, loved the American pastime of tailgating at sporting events. As a Virginia Tech alumnus and passionate Hokies fan, Hagerty was well-versed in the goings-on of tailgating parties and games. The idea that eventually became BecoBall started in the summer of 2007 when Hagerty was transporting another tailgate-style game to the beach. 

“The game was quite large and it took up the entire back seat of my car,” Hagerty remembered. “The game, although sizeable and inconvenient, was a huge hit on the beach with my friends and other random beachgoers. With that game’s shortcomings in mind and my love for tailgating and all things outdoors, I decided to create my own lawn game.”

BecoBall (pronounced bee-koh-bawl) is named for Hagerty’s home county of Bedford, and from the start, it was a family affair. With nothing more than an idea, Hagerty enlisted the help of his father. With Chuck’s extensive set of business skills and knowledge, coupled with his son’s Virginia Tech mechanical engineering degree, BecoBall was born.

So, why create another lawn game? Simply put, Hagerty says he saw that the games already in existence could be better.

“First, we wanted to simplify the scoring and regulate the rules,” he said. “Second, we wanted to make the game durable. Third, we wanted a game that was universally challenging and fun for a wide variety of ages. Fourth, we knew that the game should be easy to transport and store. And lastly, but certainly not the least of our goals, was to create a game that looked fantastic.”

According to Becoball.com, after a year of research and development, and constant critiquing, the official BecoBall game was born: a standardized (tournament capable), strong (polystyrene frames, durable 600D polyester pouches and long-lasting crochet “Hacky Sack” balls), lightweight (approximately 12 pounds), compact (fits easily into the back seat or trunk), attractive (customized color schemes and a sharp logo) and more challenging ball toss game.

“Today’s BecoBall game is just like the old Cornhole game and several of the new competitors’ games, such as Ladder Golf, Baggo™, and Tailgate Toss™. The only difference is that BecoBall is better looking, easier to carry around and store, easier to keep score and a whole heck of a lot more fun,” Hagerty explained.

Now, Hagerty says that those who have played it call BecoBall the perfect lawn game for tailgate parties, backyard get-togethers, campsites, the beach, in the family room and the list goes on and on.

As far as marketing is concerned, right now BecoBall is largely dependent on its website to promote the game. The newly redesigned BecoBall.com is polished, user-friendly and full of detailed product information. Hagerty has also promoted BecoBall by giving away many sets of the game, believing that every set is like a small billboard promoting the product. To first introduce consumers to BecoBall, Hagerty and his team set up booths all over the East Coast, from Massachusetts to Florida and as far west as Texas at NASCAR races, camping and RV shows, football games, wine festivals, home and craft shows and several other events. BecoBall also opened its first retail store in Wyndhurst in mid-May. Here, customers can buy BecoBall at a deeply discounted price without the cost of shipping. The retail shop is currently open with limited hours: Friday 6 to 9 p.m. BecoBall also utilizes social media on Facebook and Twitter. By connecting through these Internet outlets, customers can receive promotional codes and discounts on the product.

BecoBall’s target audience is the 18- to 40-year-old age bracket but the game has also proven to be useful in developing hand-eye coordination among children, according to Hagerty. He says that BecoBall can also be used to help children learn to count and add. For each throw, a player must add 0, 1, 2 or 5 points to the existing score. Easy to transport and safe to play indoors, BecoBall has already been purchased by several local schools.

Hagerty has high hopes for the future of BecoBall. As the economy slowly ascends, he expects more consumers to purchase entertainment items. Confident in his product and the family-run management of the company, Hagerty expects BecoBall to be the premier party game of the future—the game that got its start as a simple idea from a guy toting a game to the beach for fun.