Championship

What Championship does

Championship Billiards (legal entity Championship, LLC) is a vertically integrated manufacturer and full-line distributor of billiard table products, founded in 1963 as D & R Industries and headquartered in Bensenville, Illinois. The company operates two production facilities: the Silver Cup facility in Macon, Georgia, which produces cushion rubber and accessories, and the 540,000-square-foot Santiago Cloth Mill in Santiago, Mexico — a textile operation dating to 1888 and currently run by the Urrutia family in its fourth generation. Manufacturing relies on proprietary methods including Active Shearing Technology (a laser-based fabric finishing process), Vacuum Decating processes, and an exclusive billiard fabric formula; the company claims to sell more billiard fabric than all major competitors combined.

The company's product portfolio spans billiard fabrics, cushion rubber, chalk, table covers, components, shuffleboard products, accessories, and customizations, sold primarily through a distributor network that includes Jay Orner & Sons and Owensboro Billiards, supplemented by a Master Installer certification program that trains and certifies professional billiard table installers. The business model combines direct manufacturing of consumables and replacement parts with branded distribution into the billiard retailer and installer ecosystem across North America, with 2025 and 2026 product launches (Challenger Fabric, Championship Chalk Display, Silver Cup Premium Powder) extending the product line into new retail and accessory categories. The company is a closely held LLC with no public funding history and is currently navigating a leadership transition following the death of founder Dennis Ruber in May 2026.

Name

Championship

Legal name

Championship, LLC

Website

https://champbilliards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Championship Billiards is a 60-year-old private manufacturer and full-line distributor of billiard table products, including fabrics, cushion rubber, chalk, and accessories, sold through distributors and a certified installer network across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bensenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Championship Billiards manufactures and distributes premium billiard table fabrics (Championship Line, Couture, Challenger), cushion rubber (Tour Edition, Mercury, MBS Group), billiard chalk (Championship, National Tournament, Silver Cup), table covers, shuffleboard products, components, and accessories. Fabric manufacturing is conducted at the Santiago Mill in Mexico using proprietary Active Shearing Technology and Vacuum Decating Process. The company sells through certified installers, distributors, and direct sales channels to the billiard industry.

Product overview

Championship Billiards is a full-line distribution leader for billiard table products, operating as a premier manufacturer and supplier of billiard fabrics, cushions, chalk, table covers, and accessories. The company manufactures its Championship Line of fabrics at the Santiago Mill in Santiago, Mexico (a 540,000 square foot facility built in 1888, now owned by the Urrutia family in its 4th generation). The product portfolio includes: Fabrics (including Couture premium line and Challenger Fabric), Cushion Rubber (Tour Edition K66/K55, Mercury, MBS Group acquired lines, and various profile types including U-23, U-56, L-77), Chalk products (Championship Billiard Chalk, National Tournament Chalk, Silver Cup Chalk in multiple colors and pack sizes), Table Covers, Shuffleboard products, Accessories, Components, Repair services, Customizations, and Bobbleheads. The company acquired the MBS Group brands in April 2011 and sells more billiard fabric than all major competitors combined.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Championship Billiards Chalk: Standard billiard chalk product line available in multiple colors including black, blue, brite lime, brite orange, brite pink, brite white, brown, burgundy, championship blue, charcoal, copper, electric blue, green, navy, olive, pewter, plum, powder blue, purple, red, royal blue, spruce, tan, tournament green, and wine.
• National Tournament Chalk
• Silver Cup Billiard Chalk
• Silver Cup Premium Powder
• Challenger Fabric
• Santiago Cloth Mill
• MBS Group
• Tour Edition Cushions

Products and services

• Championship Billiard Fabrics Premium billiard table fabrics manufactured at Santiago Mill in Mexico, featuring active shearing and vacuum decating processes that produce smooth, hard playing surfaces resistant to pilling. Sold to billiard industry professionals, installers, and distributors.
• Couture Fabrics Premium couture fabric line for billiard tables, part of Championship's high-end fabric offering.
• Challenger Fabric New billiard fabric line introduced in April 2025, designed with enhanced playing characteristics to let player skill shine through.
• Tour Edition Cushions (K66 and K55 profiles)
• Mercury Cushions
• MBS Group Cushions MBS Group brand cushions including K-66/K-55, U-23 (product code 01-U2342), U-56 (product code 01-G15600), and L-77 (product code 01-G17772) profiles, inherited through the 2011 MBS Group acquisition.
• MBS Cushion Facings
• Championship Billiard Chalk
• National Tournament Chalk
• Silver Cup Billiard Chalk
• Cone Chalk
• Silver Cup Premium Powder
• Billiard Table Covers
• Shuffleboard Products
• Billiard Table Components
• Billiard Accessories
• Custom Bobbleheads
• Master Installer Certification Program
• Table Repair Services
• Customization Services

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MBS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2011In April 2011, Championship acquired the MBS Group brands, positioning themselves as Full-Line Distribution leaders in the billiard industry. This acquisition expanded their product portfolio and market presence.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Iszy Billiards: Billiard accessories and table component supplier operating in the same installer/distributor channel as Championship. Smaller and more focused than Championship but comparable in serving billiard industry professionals.
• Rasson: Chinese-origin manufacturer of billiard tables and accessories that has been gaining share in the U.S. professional and consumer billiard markets. Competes in adjacent billiard product categories and could pressure Championship's channel partners.
• Predator Products: Billiard cue and accessory brand focused on performance and professional play. Adjacent competitor in the billiard industry channel that uses similar distribution and installer networks as Championship.

Others

• Imperial International: Billiard accessories and game room products distributor that shares billiard industry retailers and installers with Championship. Comparable on distribution model rather than manufacturing.
• McDermott Cue: U.S. manufacturer of billiard cues and accessories serving the same billiard retail and professional installer channel as Championship. Comparable on go-to-market and customer base, though not in fabric manufacturing.

Direct peers

• Iwan Simonis: Belgian manufacturer of premium billiard cloth and one of Championship Billiards' primary direct competitors in the global billiard fabric market. Both compete head-to-head in worsted wool billiard cloth used on professional and home tables.
• Gorina: Spanish manufacturer of billiard cloth since 1933, selling direct billiard fabric products into the same end-market as Championship. Closely comparable on billiard fabric product and billiard industry customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Diamond Billiard Products: Manufacturer of professional-grade billiard tables and the official table of many U.S. pool tournaments. Operates in the same billiard industry channel ecosystem as Championship and is a key customer/competitor for premium billiard fabrics.
• Olhausen Billiards: U.S. manufacturer of billiard tables and a major purchaser of billiard fabric. Competes with Championship indirectly as a billiard industry customer/competitor at the finished-table level rather than the fabric level.
• Brunswick Billiards: One of the largest and oldest billiard equipment brands in the U.S., manufacturing billiard tables, cues, and accessories. Overlaps with Championship in serving the billiard industry customer base, but at much broader scale and with a wider product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/champbilliards
• Facebookfacebook.com/championshipcloth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/championship-billiards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Championship