Paintball business no splash in the pan

When Larry Erickson's wife bought paintball guns and accessories for their family at Christmas a few years ago, little did Erickson know it was the beginning of a potentially fruitful business venture.

Erickson noticed that his family and friends quickly developed a passion for paintball, a game played between two groups whose objective is to "shoot" opponents with balls of paint.

There were some challenges, though.

One problem was that when guns and equipment needed to be repaired, there were no shops that had the resources to fix them.

Besides, there was only one retailer in the area that sold the commodity.

"Wal-Mart was the only place that sold paintball guns," he said.

"None of the sporting good stores sold them either."

Another issue was finding a suitable place to play.

There was no outdoor paintball park in the Reno-Sparks area, so fans had to resort to playing in remote areas.

Erickson soon began toying with the idea of starting his own business but admitted he "had no clue about paintball." Undeterred, Erickson began doing some research to find out more about the sport.

What he found was information on the Paintball Training Institute in Johnson City, Tenn.

Erickson soon enrolled in a two-month course where he learned the intricacies of the paintball business.

After receiving certification at PTI, Erickson went through the process of getting his business together.

He ran a home-based business for a while, where he mostly offered to repair equipment.

Meanwhile, he looked for a retail shop where he could sell, rent and fix equipment, accessories and related items.

Also, he wanted to find land to develop an outdoor paintball park so customers would have a place to play.

"I was looking for a retail space as cheap as we could find," Erickson said.

Erickson finally found a space to rent in a small shopping center in Lemmon Valley.

His landlord later leased Erickson land for a paintball park in the outskirts of the small community.

The park opened for business in September of last year.

The park was configured with six fields cordoned off by nylon nets and furnished with such objects like giant spools or pallets for bunkers.

Each field was arranged to appeal to different skill levels.

The business Desert Dawgs Paintball entertains a varied customer base ranging from paintball junkies to first-time participants while attracting birthday and bachelor party groups on a fairly regular basis.

Erickson said he would also like to attract area businesses and corporations to have group outings at the park.

Erickson said the main priority is safety.

Players, for example, are required to wear large safety helmets that cover their face and ears.

Erickson is optimistic about Desert Dawgs future, and with good reason.

"The park is where most of the revenue is going to be generated," Erickson said.

"It supported itself in its' first year."