2/10/2024 0 Comments Tower hobbies vs horizon hobbiesTake all the gaming concepts, but fly/drive RC. RH: Do you remember any ideas that you pitched but never made it into production?ĮM: Well, one that I thought had great potential but never happened was having RC air, water, and ground stations and vehicles that shot electronically, with points/scores captured via your cellphone. This all-carbon-fiber airplane spans 37 inches but flies fast. The four who started Horizon Hobby (L-R): Eric, who worked in marketing Janet Ottmers, sales Rick Stephens, CEO and Debra Love, information technology and sales. But the energy, the teamwork, made it the most fun time of my life. I worked six days a week-didn’t take a lunch for the first two years. With three distribution branches, we grew from nothing to $50 million in sales in just five years. In the ’80s, a newsletter was progressive, which helped us sell to a national market. It was a matter of conveying the attributes in New Horizons newsletter. That meant I’d buy a product, a line, and already know why it ought to sell. RH: What was a typical day at the office like for you?ĮM: Early on, when Horizon was small, I was involved with growing the company-responsible for both purchasing and marketing, a unique position. And by and large, the aircraft were straighter, stronger, and more affordable than most people could build on their own.Įric was lucky that the late Bob Violett took him under his wing and taught him professional-level building, finishing, and setup philosophies. With BNF, a consumer could get a quality plane and be in the air in minutes. Of course, that went one more step when our developers created BNF (Bind-N-Fly). So, if we were going to compete as an industry, we had to have time-saving options.īalsa kits were losing popularity, and the faster that the industry created quality ARFs, the faster they sold. Unlike in the ’40s and ’50s, there were a lot more ways to spend leisure time-think electronic games. RH: How did the model aircraft market change while you worked there?ĮM: It was easy to see that most consumers, especially beginners, had less time to invest in building. Fortunately, cars were very hot, which helped fuel our fast-paced growth. Hobbico had the lead lines like Great Planes and O.S., so Horizon pursued cars in its early years-we were about 90% cars by 1990. In 1985, there weren’t many lines of airplanes available to us. RH: What types of aircraft were offered when the company was formed?ĮM: We were a pure distributor, meaning we sold only product lines like Goldberg, Royal, K&B, Sullivan, Du-Bro-lines everyone had (there were over 50 distributors when we started). The market wanted us to succeed, I think. While Hobbico held all the cards-the lines, the financing, etc.-we were small and nimble, which we turned into a strength. In the big picture, Horizon was there to offer hobby shops and suppliers an alternative to Hobbico. The culture at Hobbico was “restrictive,” so going with him … was stimulating. Our president, Rick Stephens, was out, and when he called and asked if I’d like to be part of a new competing company, I jumped ship. Rachelle Haughn: What led you to help found Horizon Hobby?Įric Meyers: In the 1984 merger … only one president would survive. As it turned out, his “high-risk, entrepreneurial adventure” was the right call. Eric left Hobbico and helped form a new company called Horizon Hobby (). After Great Planes Model Distributors and Tower Hobbies merged, he was given the opportunity to be his own boss. In 1984, Eric Meyers decided that it was time for a change of pace. We look forward to helping you enjoy your hobby to the fullest for a long time to come, with excellence in service, selection, and support that has been over 50 years in the making.As seen in the Fall 2020 issue of Park Pilot Tower Hobbies would like to thank you for your continued support. When Horizon Hobby took ownership of Tower Hobbies in 2018, we were able to bring you an unprecedented lineup of best-selling brands - becoming a one-stop shop for items from Axial®, ARRMA®, E-flite®, Losi®, Spektrum®, RealFlight® and many, many more of the finest, most popular hobby manufacturers. Most importantly, we’ve always remained committed to a "customer comes first" approach in everything we do. We launched our award-winning website in 1995, right on the cutting edge of online marketing. Though it might seem quaint now, we were the first in the industry to provide our customers with toll-free “800” phone order lines. Throughout our long and unique history, Tower Hobbies has strived to make your shopping experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.
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