Hillerich & Bradsby Co.

What Hillerich & Bradsby Co. does

Hillerich & Bradsby Co. is a privately held, fifth-generation family-owned corporation headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1884, the company operates two principal businesses under the umbrella of the original J.F. Hillerich woodworking shop: (1) the manufacture of Louisville Slugger wooden baseball bats, and (2) the operation of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and adjacent Big Bat Bourbon experience at 800 West Main Street. Wilson Sporting Goods acquired the Louisville Slugger brand in 2015, but H&B retains ownership of the museum, factory, and bat production facility and manufactures Louisville Slugger bats exclusively for Wilson under a long-running supply arrangement. The Hillerich family retains control under President and CEO John A. Hillerich IV.

H&B's core product is the wooden baseball bat, produced at scale using a combination of traditional hand-turning techniques and modern CNC precision machining. Roughly 1.8 million bats are manufactured annually (approximately 3,000 full-sized units per day, peaking at 5,000 per day during MLB Spring Training), drawn from a wood mix of maple (75%), birch (20%), and ash (5%) sourced both from the company's own 6,500 acres of timberland in Pennsylvania and New York and from third-party lumber suppliers. The product portfolio spans over 8,000 historical bat model variations, with approximately 300 currently active SKUs. The company also owns the Bionic Gloves brand and produces the Silver Slugger Team Award trophies and Living Legend Award rings, extending its tie-in to professional baseball beyond bat supply.

Commercially, H&B operates a diversified, location-centric business model. Revenue streams include museum admission and factory tours (~$16-$24 per ticket), premium private tours (All-Star Experience, Sweet Spot Experience), customized bat retail via an on-site store and e-commerce site, a corporate bat program (custom-branded bats for gifting and recognition), event venue rentals (The Skybox, museum atrium, Big Bat Bourbon spaces at $2,100-$3,500 per booking), bourbon blending experiences, group tour and educational field trip packages, and bundled partner tickets with the Kentucky Derby Museum, Belle of Louisville, Louisville Bats, and Frazier History Museum. Since opening at its current location in 1996, the museum has attracted over 7 million visitors and currently runs roughly 12,000 tours per year. Customers span tourists, baseball enthusiasts, MLB players, corporate clients, event planners, and school groups.

Name

Hillerich & Bradsby Co.

Legal name

Hillerich & Bradsby Co.

Website

https://sluggermuseum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Founded in 1884 and headquartered in Louisville, Hillerich & Bradsby Co. is a fifth-generation family-owned manufacturer of Louisville Slugger wooden baseball bats (now produced exclusively for Wilson Sporting Goods) and operator of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and adjacent Big Bat Bourbon experience, serving tourists, baseball fans, professional players, corporate clients, event planners, and school groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Goods Manufacturing

NAICS

Sawmills and Wood Preservation (32111), Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing (321912)

SIC

Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAA)

Keywords

• Wooden baseball bats
• Bat manufacturing
• Sports museum
• Custom engraved bats
• Event venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Ticket sales for museum access and factory tours. Admission prices range from free for children 5 and under to $24 for adults.
2. Gift Shop Sales: Retail sales of personalized bats, apparel, accessories, collectibles, and memorabilia through both on-site store and e-commerce platform.
3. Event Venue Rentals: Rental revenue from The Skybox, museum atrium, and Big Bat Bourbon spaces for corporate events, weddings, and private functions.
4. Corporate Bat Program: Custom branded bats sold to businesses for corporate gifts, employee recognition, anniversaries, and commemorative purposes.
5. Bourbon Experience: Revenue from Big Bat Bourbon custom bourbon blending experience and bottle sales, including $35 per person blending classes.
6. Premium Tours: Enhanced tour experiences including the All-Star Experience (2.5-hour private tour) and Sweet Spot Experience, with exclusive perks and keepsakes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hillerich & Bradsby Co. manufactures Louisville Slugger wooden baseball bats (approximately 1.8 million bats annually) using maple, birch, and ash wood from its Pennsylvania and New York timberlands. The company also operates the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville, Kentucky, offering factory tours, premium experiences, custom bat personalization, corporate bat programs, and event venue rentals, along with the sister attraction Big Bat Bourbon.

Product overview

Hillerich & Bradsby Co. operates a diversified portfolio centered on baseball bat manufacturing and experiential tourism. The company produces approximately 1.8 million Louisville Slugger bats annually using maple (75%), birch (20%), and ash (5%) wood from timberlands in Pennsylvania and New York. The core portfolio combines the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory visitor attraction (with factory tours, Bat Vault, and exhibits), premium tour experiences (All-Star Experience and Sweet Spot Experience), personalized bat products (custom, mini, youth, corporate), and sister attraction Big Bat Bourbon. Event venues include The Skybox, Museum & Atrium, and Big Bat Bourbon space. The company also holds related brands including Bionic Gloves and manages the Silver Slugger Team Awards and Living Legend Award programs. Wilson Sporting Goods has owned the Louisville Slugger brand since 2015, while H&B continues to produce the bats under license.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Bat Bourbon: A bourbon blending experience attraction located next door to the museum where visitors can craft their own custom bourbon recipe
• Bionic Gloves

Products and services

• Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7 million visitors attracted since opening at current location in 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hunt Auctions, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Auction Company of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Handles appraisal and authentication inquiries for baseball memorabilia and vintage bats. Contact for questions about bat age and worth.
• Wilson Sporting GoodscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerWilson Sporting Goods acquired the Louisville Slugger brand from H&B in 2015. H&B continues to produce Louisville Slugger bats in Louisville, Kentucky exclusively for Wilson.
• Kentucky Derby MuseumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner attraction for Louisville Legends package offering combined tours of both museums at discounted bundled pricing.
• Belle of LouisvilleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistoric riverboat cruise partner for Bats & Boats package combining museum tours with Ohio River cruise experiences.
• Louisville BatsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMinor league baseball team partner for Double Play package combining museum tours with Louisville Bats games (seasonal availability).
• Frazier History MuseumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner attraction for Heroes & Hall of Famers package combining tours of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and Frazier History Museum.
• Big Bat BourboncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister attraction located adjacent to Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Downtown Louisville's top-rated bourbon attraction offering custom bourbon blending experiences. Co-marketed as Bourbon & Bats combined ticket package.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marucci Sports: Direct competitor in MLB-licensed wooden baseball bats. Founded by former MLB players, Marucci produces custom wood bats for professional players and competes head-to-head with Louisville Slugger for pro-grade bat contracts.
• Rawlings Sporting Goods: Major competitor in MLB-licensed baseball equipment including gloves, bats, and protective gear. Rawlings is the official MLB batting glove and base ball partner, directly overlapping with H&B's Bionic Gloves sub-brand and bat market.
• Easton (Bauer Hockey): Competitor in baseball and softball bats (aluminum and composite). Now under Bauer Hockey ownership, Easton competes in the non-wood bat space where H&B's wood bat franchise does not reach but where the broader bat market plays out.
• DeMarini Sports: Wilson-owned aluminum/composite bat brand competing directly in baseball and softball. While H&B focuses on wood, DeMarini competes for the same end-user (hitters) in adjacent material segments and through Wilson's brand portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Wilson Sporting Goods: Owns the Louisville Slugger brand since 2015 and is H&B's exclusive bat customer. Operates across baseball, football, basketball, tennis, and golf; broad incumbent sporting goods manufacturer. The relationship is simultaneously a partnership and a competitive dynamic given Wilson's DeMarini aluminum bat line.
• Mizuno USA: Global sporting goods incumbent offering baseball bats, gloves, apparel, and equipment. Mizuno produces both metal and wood bats, overlapping with H&B's bat manufacturing and Bionic Gloves categories at the multi-sport retailer level.
• Franklin Sports: Broad sporting goods manufacturer producing baseball/softball equipment, gloves, and accessories. Competes with H&B in the protective glove category (Bionic Gloves) and bat accessories at mass-market price points.

Regional players

• Kentucky Derby Museum: Louisville-based sports heritage tourism attraction and active H&B partner through the Louisville Legends ticket package. Comparable as a destination tourism attraction in the same geography but for horse racing rather than baseball; shares visitor demographic and partnership economics.

Others

• Louisville Bats (Triple-A Baseball): Minor league baseball team partnered with H&B via the Double Play package. Comparable as a baseball content/community asset in the same geography; not a direct competitor but a complementary channel for baseball fan engagement.
• Babe Ruth League: Youth baseball organization using wooden bats in older divisions (13-18). Comparable as a downstream channel for bat sales and brand engagement in the youth baseball segment where H&B's addressable market has been structurally pressured.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sluggermuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/sluggermuseum

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hillerich & Bradsby Co.