Dragon Seats™, the leading manufacturer and provider of patented heated and cooling sports benches, is proud to announce its acquisition of Athletic Recovery Zone, LLC (“ARZ”), a Florida-based manufacturer and provider of state-of-the-art air conditioning and heating sports bench technology. The acquisition significantly enhances Dragon Seats’ ability to provide best-in-class sideline solutions and service to the NFL via its Member Clubs, NCAA Football sidelines, various other sports, numerous lifestyle applications, and multiple marketing partners.
ARZ and Dragon Seats have a combined 50 years of experience in designing, manufacturing, and innovating best-in-class heated and cooling temperature-controlled sports benches to meet the needs of athletes and sidelines at the highest levels. The acquisition combines the two leading companies in this space who together are trusted by some of the most prominent collegiate athletic programs and the vast majority of the 32 NFL Member Clubs, among many other clients. Brian Cothren, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ARZ, will join Dragon Seats as Executive Vice President, along with the full ARZ staff.
“I cannot say enough about Brian Cothren and the ARZ team for their work in developing an exceptional air-conditioned sports bench and the trusted sideline and game day service they provide to their customers,” says Frank Floyd, Founder and CEO of Dragon Seats. “Brian’s passion and commitment to innovation make ARZ the perfect partner for Dragon Seats moving forward as we continue our mission to deliver unmatched player safety and comfort to sidelines and athletes everywhere.”
“We are thrilled to join Dragon Seats and see it as a natural fit when you look at how the two businesses complement each other to meet the needs of our market,” says Cothren. “The Dragon Seats team has excelled not only in building out its climate-controlled bench technology and roster of clients, but also more recently by tapping into the ever-evolving sports marketing space. This group identified the value in the tv-visible space our benches create for sponsorship in college football, and it feels like they have just scratched the surface on that front with the likes of Learfield, Stanley Black & Decker, DeWalt, and other brands. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish together.”
Dragon Seats and ARZ had a significant presence throughout the College Football Playoff and Bowl Game Schedule and will be supporting most NFL Member Clubs throughout the NFL Playoffs. ARZ’s roster of clients it supports includes NFL Member Clubs Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as SEC powerhouses Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn, among others, and PGA Tour events. Over time, Dragon Seats and ARZ will work to bring their best-in-class technologies under one uniform, sleek bench design.
“This is a very exciting day for Dragon Seats,” remarked Franklin Floyd, COO of Dragon Seats. “The addition of ARZ adds a sideline visionary to our team in Brian Cothren, unlocks enormous value in College Football, particularly the Southeastern Conference, and broadens our opportunity to market one of the most tv-visible, endemic sideline assets across the game of football. This merger also widens Dragon Seats’ geographic reach across the southern region, and further advances uniformity across sidelines while maximizing player safety in all-weather conditions.”
Beyond supporting athletes, Dragon Seats offers customized team and corporate partner branding solutions. The Company has worked closely with leading sponsorship analytics companies such as IEG to help quantify the tv-visible exposure Dragon Seats offers to third-party brands, as well as leading sports marketing and multimedia rights companies like Learfield to market its unique platform to the likes of Stanley Black & Decker’s DeWalt brand, among others across college football. Dragon Seats is poised to continue its momentum with third-party sponsor branding and technology integration as it expands into new conferences and stadiums.
Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP served as the legal adviser to Dragon Seats. Glazier, Glazier & Dietrich, P.A. served as legal adviser to ARZ. Heritage Capital Group, Inc. served as the exclusive financial advisor to ARZ. The pending transaction has unanimously been approved by the Board of Directors and Shareholders of each company and is expected to close in January of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal are confidential.
To learn more about Dragon Seats visit: dragonseats.com
About Dragon Seats™:
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Bourne Creations Inc. dba “Dragon Seats™” provides climate-controlled benches and sideline solutions to the majority of NFL Member Clubs, dozens of Power-5 college football programs, baseball dugouts, and lifestyle spaces. The Company has a 25-year track record maximizing safety, comfort, and performance to athletes in all-weather conditions, helping it become the #1 Bench in Sports. To learn more click here: www.dragonseats.com.
