WDP not for sale (yet) but Owen Ronayne leaving!

I just read this article over at 68Caliber.Com and didn't believe the rumor until now! Check it out....

Over the past few weeks 68Caliber.Com has become aware of several rumors concerning WDP. Amongst them, Owen Ronayne was no longer with the company, the company was for sale and other rumors.

It would seem that these rumors are at least partially true. Two seperate, reliable sources brought the information concerning a possible WDP sale to our attention, and email inquiries were sent out to several people within and without WDP. Owen Ronayne responded with a request to give him a call.

In a phone conversation with Ronayne, he confirmed that he was in fact leaving WDP. He stated several reasons for the departure, mainly having to do with the high cost of living in California, and a desire on his part to retain the freedom that he's had during his tenure with WDP, which would not be possible within the new restructured company. He did say that the parting was amicable, and that was reinforced in a conversation with Matt Green and Bart Walkerdine, who had nothing but positive things to say about Owen.

Owen will not be at this year's World Cup or at the Commander's Cup. Walkerdine and Green confirmed they'd be on site at both World Cup and Commander's Cup this year to meet customers, press and suppliers. Kee Action Sports will carry the full line of Angel Markers, Accessories and Spares and the fantastic Angel Leisure Wear at the Angel area of the Kee Booth, On the tech side, Frazer Colley and Rocky Cagnoni will be on hand to handle marker work and upgrades at the Cup.

Future tech work will be managed by WDP Master Tech Frazer Colley in the UK with a strengthened bond with Robert 'PI' Moon and Ken Crane from Fixmyangel.com and performanceangel.com handling service and warranty work in the US.

Rumors concerning the possible sale of WDP were confirmed in a phone conversation with Bart Walkerdine and Matt Green with Green noting that "We believe everything is always for sale for the right price but nothing is imminent right now" . Walkerdine will be taking over as a General Manager, and Green will be the company's CEO. While they confirmed that the company was for sale, they were proceeding with their planned restructuring of the company in an effort to streamline the operation to maximize profits and increase value for their customers across the board. To that end, WDP has formed relationships with KEE Action Sports, American Paintball Supply, and JT Sports to distribute the WDP Product line. A new website is also in the works due for launch by end November 07, to ease direct sales to customers and make a more user-friendly environment.

As for Owen, he's going to be moving to the Toronto, Canada area to work at Badlands Paintball, where he and his girlfriend will look to buy a house and settle down. We at 68Caliber.Com wish Owen the best of luck in the future, even if it's in Canada.