Small Pocono firm lands giant Wal-Mart deal

A small East Stroudsburg company landed a deal to sell its American-made men’s health and beauty products in thousands of Wal-Mart stores.

The retail giant said Game Face Products secured an agreement to sell its men’s facial cleansing wipe in more than 2,000 Wal-Mart stores and its men’s deodorizing body wipe in more than 1,000 Wal-Mart stores.

Philip Williams, founder of Game Face Products, pitched his product at Wal-Mart’s annual open call for U.S. products at Wal-Mart’s global headquarters in Arkansas in June, said Scott Markley, a spokesman for Wal-Mart. Shortly thereafter, the deal was done.

Williams found there was a market need in the men’s grooming space and sought a way to fill it.

“It’s really just proof of concept,” Williams said. “After we did an online survey of about 1,000 guys and focus groups, we found they were using their wife’s wipes or baby wipes.”

He found men needed a wipe to cleanse, cool and deodorize that could be used during a variety of activities, including during or post-workout, getting out of the water during triathlons, on the golf course, hiking, camping and grilling.

Each of his company’s products has a proprietary formula and is 98 percent natural, Williams said. All its products are manufactured in Clifton, N.J.

Williams, who lives in East Stroudsburg, previously worked closely with the New Jersey Nets as a former National Basketball Association executive in sales and marketing.

“He’s got a great product that our customers are looking for,” Markley said. “This product falls under consumables, which is a growing category.”

Game Face Products, which has three full-time employees, incorporated in 2015 and is looking to bring on two new hires in 2017, Williams said.