FinTrade Sherpa, Inc.

FinTrade Sherpa, Inc. manufactures and distributes in-line roller skates, ice skates, ice hockey sticks and equipment, and related accessory products. The company was incorporated in Minnesota in May 1986. FinTrade Sherpa, Inc. operates through wholly owned subsidiaries: Hespeler Hockey Company, a Nova Scotia, Canada unlimited liability company, Hespeler Hockey Holding, Inc., a Minnesota company, and First Team Sports GmbH, an Austrian company. In February 2001, the company decided to close its European office and legally dissolve First Team Sports GmbH to reduce costs. The company operates in a single industry segment: the manufacture (through independent contract manufacturers) and distribution of sporting and athletic goods. Its principal products are in-line roller skates and ice hockey sticks. These products are marketed under the ULTRAWHEELS®, SKATE ATTACK®, and HESPELER® brand names. FinTrade Sherpa, Inc. also supplies in-line roller skates under various third-party labels. UltraWheels brand skates are sold to specialty and chain sporting goods dealers. Skate Attack products are produced for the mass merchant market. The Hespeler brand is marketed primarily to specialty and sporting goods chain store customers. The company's in-line roller skates feature a boot made of soft mesh and leather with internal supports or molded plastic, a frame either integrated with the boot or riveted to its bottom, and high-density polyurethane wheels mounted on ball bearings.