PaintballX3 Magazine August 2014 Issue | Page 46

46 Aldo Perrone Mike “Pev” Peverill Gino Postorivo Johnny Postorivo Chris Raehl August 2014 Aldo Perrone In 1985 Aldo Perrone founded Brass Eagle, a force in paintball manufacturing and distribution in the 1980s and 1990s. Perrone later sold the company to Daisy. Perrone is responsible for introducing a plethora of paintball products to players worldwide including the Nightmare, Poison, Cobra, King Cobra, Barracuda and Ninja paintguns, in the late 80s and early 90s. Mike “Pev” Peverill From humble beginnings in the basement of a strip shopping center in Woodbridge, Virginia, Mike Peverill built a retail empire around the first store that bore his name. Pev’s went on to become the largest retail paintball chain in the industry, with multiple fields and multiple stores in the Washington, DC area. Pev retired from professional paintball with Bad Company to grow this chain of fields and stores, and had his hands in other projects as well. Pev had a hand in publishing PCRI, a newspaper packed with competitions and gear reviews. Most recently, Pev built his “super-field” just outside Washington, DC and has hosted several professional tournament there with the NPPL, attracting outside sponsors like Range Rover. Gino Postorivo Anyone that can go from selling a few paintballs out of his father’s pizzeria to becoming one of the largest entities in paintball has got to make every list. After years at National Paintball Supply, creating brands like 32 Degrees and Empire, Gino stepped out of paintball but has recently returned at the helm of his new company, Valken. Johnny Postorivo Since coming aboard with National Paintball Supply in its early days, Johnny Postorivo has become an increasingly important part of the paintball world. From sales to some of National Paintball’s largest store and field customers and management of the company’s sales force, to handling sponsorship with major tournament series, Johnny helped paintball grow. When National Paintball and PMI became KEE Action Sports, Johnny stuck with the company and became an important part of the new corporate entity as it found its place in the industry. Johnny has also been influential in the decision-making of the PSP. Chris Raehl In addition to creating a viable college paintball program, the NCPA, that allows students who love the game to participate in a legitimate way, Chris Raehl did something else momentous for paintball, the APPA. Yes, the scoring, scheduling and player identification and ranking program used by the PSP and, finally, most every other serious league in paintball, was his doing. Finally, thanks to Chris Raehl, tour-