Pong business bouncing for alumni

Tom Schmidt and Matt Brady, who graduated in 2000, created Bing Bong Inc., which sells twenty-pound beer pong tables.

Re-rackin', fillin' up and chuggin' down.

After graduating from Penn State in 2000, friends Tom Schmidt and Matt Brady found it hard to leave their favorite drinking game behind -- so they decided to change career paths and start a company that could be lucrative and support their love of beer pong.

About a year ago, the alumni started Bing Bong Inc., a company that manufactures and sells eight-foot, twenty-pound, collapsible, sturdy tables nationwide. So far, the company has sold over 200 tables, each costing about $150.

"Everyone involved in Bing Bong loved their time at college and definitely view those days as the most fun times of their lives," Schmidt said. "We all just want to be college kids again and Bing Bong is a direct result of that."

Both Brady, who graduated with a degree in business logistics, and Schmidt, who graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, quit their jobs in March 2004 to try to create a successful business that would take the game of beer pong to another level.

Despite the doubts of others, Brady and Schmidt say they are confident they made the right career decision. Schmidt said he was restless while at his former jobs at NASA and as a product manager for Lucent Technologies.

"My career at NASA wasn't for me," he said. "My personality wasn't fit for that, and I've always wanted to start my own business."

Brady and Schmidt said that they continue to have no regrets about leaving their jobs in hopes of pursuing their own business venture.

"The lessons I've learned in the past year are unbelievable. ... It's taking what you've learned and putting it to use," Brady said.

Fittingly, Brady said the idea for Bing Bong Inc. was born at a party.

"I came up with the idea about a year ago when a friend of mine was having a birthday party," he said. "They just didn't have enough room for a table in their apartment to play beer pong."

Lee Eschliman, creative director for Bing Bong Inc., said the nature of his beer-pong table business is twofold.

"It's a real game and a real sport," he said. "People take it seriously, but it can be a party too."

Penn State students had varied reactions to the idea of purchasing a table made by Bing Bong Inc.

Ryan Dinger (junior-supply chain and information systems) said he would prefer a homemade table instead of the costly table sold by Schmidt and Brady.

"I wouldn't be a pioneer to use their table," he said. "I see their business as being hard to take off."

Chas Taverna (junior-international politics) said he had never thought of buying a beer pong table, but if students did not feel like making their own, it was not a bad idea.

"[Beer Pong is] a fun social activity. ... It's a little more fun than just sitting around drinking beers," he said.

Both Schmidt and Brady agree that Bing Bong Inc. still has a long way to go, but they are optimistic about the future of their new company.

"We always thought beer pong was the center of attention and a great social lubricant to meet and interact with people," Brady said.

"I want to prove to myself that this idea is worth venturing into," he added.

from http://www.collegian.psu.edu