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From a science fair pitching machine to pickleballs made in South Carolina
Brothers Jason and Brantley Jones are taking the family ball business their father helped build in 1990 onto the pickleball court, making balls at home in Columbia with some recycled plastic in the mix while most of the market is made overseas.
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Jason & David, the early days
Jason & Brantley, today
1990Stee-Rike 3 founded in Columbia, South Carolina
35+Years making plastic sports balls
20%Recycled plastic in every Easy Rally 40 ball
2Brothers, Jason and Brantley, running the family shop
Columbia, S.C. · AMP American-Made Pickleballs, a brand of family-owned Stee-Rike 3 Inc., is bringing more than 35 years of plastic ball manufacturing to one of the fastest-growing sports in America. Run by brothers Jason and Brantley Jones, AMP makes its Easy Rally 40 outdoor pickleballs in Columbia, in the same family shop that has turned out plastic baseball training balls since 1990, and every ball contains 20% recycled plastic.
David Jones with some of the first Stee-Rike 3 orders.
Chapter 01
It started with a science fair
The story begins with a kid trying to help his little brother. Jason Jones was tired of throwing endless batting practice to Brantley in the backyard, so he built a pitching machine for the science fair. The first version used surplus tubes and an old vacuum cleaner, and the balls barely dribbled out. Then he hooked the pipe up to the family leaf blower. It worked.
Brantley's average.320→.547
Their father, David Jones, saw something bigger than a science project and went into business with his son. In 1990 the family founded Stee-Rike 3 and began making plastic baseball and softball training balls, the backyard staple most people grew up calling wiffle balls.
We built this company the same way you build a hitter: one rep at a time.The Jones family, Stee-Rike 3
Batting stands and training balls from the Stee-Rike 3 line.
Chapter 02
A family factory
Brantley became the company's first and toughest product tester, and his feedback shaped how the balls were designed. David brought the manufacturing know-how that turned a family idea into a Columbia factory shipping training balls to players, coaches and teams across the country.
Instead of selling the idea to a big sporting goods company, the family designed and patented its own mold and built a blow molding operation in South Carolina. The Stee-Rike 3 pitching machine went on to be sold in about 2,000 stores, including Wal-Mart stores nationwide, and the money from it helped put Jason through the University of South Carolina.
For more than three decades, the Jones family kept making them the same way: close to home, with some recycled plastic in the mix, and with Brantley always around to test the balls and make sure every product delivered.
Brothers Jason and Brantley Jones.
Chapter 03
Two brothers take the handoff
Today the boy who built the pitching machine and the brother who made sure every ball could take a hit run the company together. Jason and Brantley took over day-to-day operations of Stee-Rike 3 and still lean on their father's manufacturing experience as they grow the business beyond the baseball diamond.
Brantley is new to pickleball, but he is already hooked, both on the game and on the technical side of building a better ball. A pickleball is, at heart, a plastic ball with holes in it, which is exactly what the Jones family has made for decades. Launching AMP was the natural next step.
These days Brantley is the one experimenting with the formula, chasing the best bounce and feel we can get. I bring the design and the business side. We each cover what the other doesn't, and that's how you end up with a great ball.Jason Jones, co-owner, Stee-Rike 3 and AMP Pickleballs
Chapter 04
Made close to home, not overseas
The vast majority of pickleball equipment sold in the United States is imported, much of it from factories in China and Vietnam. AMP takes a different path: its balls are manufactured right here in Columbia, South Carolina. Making balls at home lets the brothers watch quality up close, respond quickly to players and keep manufacturing in their community.
Most pickleballs
- Made overseas, mostly in China and Vietnam
- Long supply chains and shipping
- Made by companies you'll never meet
AMP Easy Rally 40
- Made in Columbia, South Carolina
- 20% recycled plastic in every ball
- One-year guarantee against cracking
- Made by a family that has molded balls since 1990
Almost every pickleball you can buy was made on the other side of the world. Ours are made right here in Columbia, in the same shop where we've been making balls since we were kids. We think players care about that.Brantley Jones, co-owner, Stee-Rike 3 and AMP Pickleballs
Chapter 05
Made with some recycled plastic
Sustainability was part of the family business long before pickleball. Stee-Rike 3's training balls are made using some recycled plastic, and AMP carries that forward: every Easy Rally 40 contains 20% recycled plastic, cutting waste without giving up the durability players expect from an outdoor ball.
The result is a ball designed for a consistent bounce, a balanced feel at every skill level, high visibility on the court and toughness backed by a one-year guarantee against cracking.
Shop Easy Rally 40Chapter 06
Beyond the ball: paddles and bags
With the Easy Rally 40 on courts, AMP is building out everything a player needs to get in the game. The lineup now includes paddles for every level, Beginner, Intermediate and Pro, along with a quilted crossbody sling bag and ready-to-play sets that pair a paddle, a bag and a pack of Easy Rally 40 balls.
Some AMP paddles are made in the USA, including a USA-made version of the Beginner paddle, and others are imported, as are AMP's bags. Every piece is held to the same standard the family has always held its own balls to.
See the full lineup
PaddlesBeginner, Intermediate and Pro. Some made in the USA, some imported.
Paddle setsA paddle, a sling bag and a pack of Easy Rally 40 balls.
BagsA quilted crossbody sling that carries paddles and balls. Imported.
BallsEasy Rally 40, made in Columbia, S.C., with 20% recycled plastic.
Our story, year by year
1990
Jason builds a pitching machine for the science fair to help Brantley. Dad David sees a business, and Stee-Rike 3 is born.
The years that followed
The family grows Stee-Rike 3 into a trusted maker of baseball and softball training balls, made using some recycled plastic.
Next generation
Jason and Brantley take over running the company, with David's know-how still close at hand.
Today
The brothers launch AMP American-Made Pickleballs, starting with the Easy Rally 40 ball and growing into paddles and bags.
In the news
The story, from the archives
Long before pickleball, newspapers were telling the story of the kid who turned a leaf blower into a family business.
The Associated Press“Machine pitches some big money: Tired arm leads to paying way through college”How a ninth-grader's pitching machine, built from plastic tubes and a leaf blower, ended up in about 2,000 stores.Read the clipping →
Plastics News“Aching arm inspires inventor”The family skipped licensing the idea and built its own blow molding company in South Carolina instead.Read the clipping →
Media resources
Press image kit
Photos, product shots and logos for editorial use in coverage of AMP Pickleballs and Stee-Rike 3. Please credit “Courtesy of AMP Pickleballs.” Need something else, or a larger file? Email info@amppickleball.us.
Download PR image kit (.zip)
13.6 MB · photos, product shots, clippings and vector logos
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About AMP Pickleballs and Stee-Rike 3
AMP American-Made Pickleballs is a brand of Stee-Rike 3 Inc., a family-owned manufacturer founded in 1990 in Columbia, South Carolina. Stee-Rike 3 makes plastic baseball and softball training balls using some recycled plastic, and AMP brings that experience to pickleball with the Easy Rally 40 outdoor ball, made in Columbia, along with a growing lineup of paddles, paddle sets and bags. AMP products are sold at amppickleball.us and through major online retailers.
Stee-Rike 3 Inc., 3527 N. Main St., Columbia, SC 29203
Media contact
Jason Jones
AMP Pickleballs / Stee-Rike 3 Inc.
Photos and interviews available on request.
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