photo by Kevin Cooper

New Bad Boy Enterprises CEO John Skrabo has big plans for developing new markets for the Natchez-based company’s line of all-electric 4x4s. Traditionally, Bad Boy Buggies have been sold predominantly to hunters who use the nearly silent machines to quickly get into the field without alerting nearby game.

New CEO ready to lead Bad Boy’s expansion

By Kevin Cooper (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, September 13, 2009

NATCHEZ — “They’ll never hear you coming” may be Bad Boy Buggies’ slogan, but the builder of silent, electric-powered 4x4s is starting to scream.

Bad Boy Enterprises, which designs, manufactures and markets the buggies from its Natchez headquarters, is poised for big growth says its new CEO John Skrabo.

“It’s a pretty exciting time for us,” Skrabo said, who was lured away from Realtree camo to lead Bad Boy in April. “We’ve got the highest performing vehicle in the market. (And) we have an incredible brand.”

And despite a national economic downturn, Skrabo said Bad Boy’s production is ramping up.

“We’ve got orders right now for more than $6 million worth of products,” he said, adding the company expects to achieve approximately $17 million in revenue in 2009.

That figure would be up from 2008, but not quite to the company’s peak in 2007 when sales reached well above $20 million.

A recent test marketing deal signed with national outdoors powerhouse Bass Pro Shops could also yield big things for Bad Boy, Skrabo said.

Bass Pro Shops are testing sales of Bad Boy Buggies in five markets: Denham Springs, La., Oklahoma City, Okla., Dallas, Knoxville, Tenn., and the flagship store in Springfield, Mo.

“If we have good sell-through, we’ll roll into another five stores,” Skrabo said, adding the Bass Pro deal was a great team effort, started by Bad Boy’s Jody Foster.

In addition to a new model, the XT featuring dramatic engineering improvements including independent suspension and disc brakes, the company is beginning to move into non-hunting markets.

Known throughout the hunting world for providing a top-notch, and, most important, silent way to get hunters more deeply into the woods, Bad Boy’s greatest growth potential may in fact depend on the tree hugger community.

“There’s been a lot of attention focused on eco-friendly, green vehicles,” Skrabo said, adding that federal and state tax credits for low-speed electric vehicles are making their soon-to-be released street-legal buggy a potential home run.

“We’re no longer going to be perceived as only a hunting company,” he said.

And the math makes sense, Skrabo said. He estimates the America has approximately 14 million hunters out of an approximate 350 million total population.

In the past few months, Bad Boy has been working on developing the non-hunting market, selling approximately 50 special vehicles to energy giant BP, which included solar cells to help extend battery life.

And, more recently, they’ve sold a couple of units to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for use by surveying crews.

“The MDOT folks got really interested in the product because it gets them places they couldn’t get to easily before,” said Dave Brower, Bad Boy executive vice president who focuses on engineering. “They just loved it.”

A street legal version, complete with turn signals, brake lights, seat belts and a horn, is in development and Skrabo said he hopes to see production continue to ramp up. The company is also about to offer buggies emblazoned with collegiate team colors, too.

“When I came here we had 21 employees,” Skrabo said. “Today we have nearly 60.

“I’ve talked to lots of businessmen and developers who say that we may be the fastest growing business in the state.”

Skrabo is quick to say the company’s success is attributable to one thing — its people.

“We have phenomenal people here,” he said. “People like Tony Smith. He and his dad built the very first Bad Boy Buggy.”

Skrabo can’t say enough about the team of people who work to make and market Bad Boy Buggies. And for good reason, he’s pumped about his new role.

“I left a premier job with a premier company to come to Bad Boy because I saw the great opportunity here,” he said.

Skrabo worked for Columbus, Ga.-based Realtree for several years in various positions, most recently as director of Realtree’s retail division.

Although Skrabo may be a new face for the company, he isn’t entirely new to Bad Boy, having first met early Bad Boy owners Joe Palermo and Bubba Kaiser back in 2003 when he was working at Realtree.

Their meeting at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show ultimately led to a licensing agreement that painted Bad Boy Buggies in Realtree camouflage.

Today, Bad Boy’s principal owners are Pat Burns and Johnny Dale, both Miss-Lou businessmen.

The buggies sell from between $7,000 and $13,000 and are sold through approximately 250 dealers in approximately 40 states.

For more information, visit badboybuggies.com.