07/25/2014
Su***de Guys The Rebirth
The Su***de Guys have been absent from the paintball world and many of you want to know what happened, where did they go and why. Well I am going to cover that in this article which chronicles the rise and fall of the owner, JC Leabo. But do not second guess his rise back to the top of his game as he is not one that will ever fail because he will never give up his dream of seeing the Su***de Guys be recognized everywhere in the world of paintball.
A little background on JC Leabo is in order. JC grew up in Highland, Illinois where the population is right around 9,000 people. Highland began as a Swiss settlement and derived its name from German immigrants due to Highland being a sister city of Sursee in Switzerland. A small town of only 6.4 square miles but close enough to the city to give you that suburb feel. He eventually settled in Panama City Beach after parting ways with the United States Air Force after being a active duty member for just short of 11 years. JC served Honorably as a Security Forces Craftsman, which included a tour of duty in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (May 21, 2001 – August 24, 2001), Iraq (March 12, 2003 – August 21, 2003), Afghanistan (October 4, 2004 – March 23, 2005) and Qatar (March 6, 2006 – September 13, 2006).
With a keen eye for marketing, Su***de Guys founder, JC Leabo made his mark in the paintball industry using professional models and creating promotional imagery to market teams and the gear of companies like Planet Eclipse, Empire, Angel Paintball Sports and Paintball Sports Magazine. JC left the military to continue this vision with the proposal to create an exclusive Pl***oy branded line of custom paintball equipment, gear, and clothing to be sold in the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom, with additional distribution arrangements servicing all of Europe, Japan, Mexico, South America and much of the Middle East. Just imagine, if you will, little Pl***oy Bunnies on your gear and the hotness that would be the off field clothing. A great idea in this writers opinion.
On April 28 of 2010 after putting everything he had into marketing this deal, both financially and mentally, JC received a letter that informed him the proposal which had passed the general board was vetoed at the top level. Pl***oy tends to stray away from any weapons based promotions is the low down that was given to JC.
As I am sure many of you will understand this hurt. It all but wiped out every little bit of capital he had put back into the Su***de Guys, a set back that would crush many companies. But he is not one to just give up and throw in the towel. JC enlisted in the United States Army Reserve on June 29, 2010 but eventually lost his home to foreclosure and had to file bankruptcy not long after. This is still not enough to crush the spirit of this man.
So the Su***de Guys brand is still alive, the group and the ideals that are part of the organization are still there. This is a rebuilding process that can and will succeed with the help and support of you.
p://www.catshackreports.com/2012/01/suicide-guys-the-rebirth/
The Su***de Guys have been absent from the paintball world and many of you want to know what happened, where did they go and why.
