Editing Bill Gardner (section)

== Paintball equipment industry ==

=== Smart Parts ===

In 1989, Bill and Adam Gardner founded Smart Parts in Pennsylvania.

According to the company's history, the business began in Bill Gardner's garage, manufacturing equipment intended to improve the All Americans' tournament performance.[1]

Gardner experimented with aftermarket paintball barrels, including designs incorporating spiral porting and polished internal surfaces.

The company's early products included the All American barrel, which was subsequently marketed to other tournament and recreational players.

Smart Parts also supplied customised versions of existing paintball markers, including the [[Autococker]] and [[Automag]].[1]

During the 1990s, the company expanded into electronic marker manufacturing, introducing products including the [[Smart Parts Shocker]].

Gardner served as president of Smart Parts during this period.[8]

At the 1997 Paintball World Cup, he demonstrated the Shocker Sport 4x4 in a contemporary WARPIG video interview.[8]

=== Electronic marker development ===

Gardner was involved in the development and commercialisation of electronic paintball marker technology.

In 1998, Smart Parts' Shocker Turbo firing mode became the subject of a dispute over tournament equipment rules.

Following protests by rival professional teams, WARPIG journalist Bill Mills visited Smart Parts' facilities and interviewed Gardner about the system's electronic operation.

The resulting technical article documented the controversy and Gardner's explanation of the design.[14]

Gardner was also named as a co-inventor on patents relating to paintball marker technology.

United States Patent 6,035,843, granted on 14 March 2000, identifies William M. Gardner Jr., Adam Gardner, David L. Smith and Raymond S. Gaston as inventors of a pneumatically operated projectile-launching device.[15]

Smart Parts subsequently expanded its product portfolio to include the [[Smart Parts Impulse]], [[Smart Parts Ion]], [[Smart Parts Nerve]] and [[Freak Barrel System]].

The company's equipment became widely used in professional and recreational paintball during the 2000s.[1]

Smart Parts also pursued patent infringement litigation concerning electronic marker technology. The disputes and subsequent commercial developments are covered separately in the [[Smart Parts]] article.

=== Company closure and later work ===

Smart Parts experienced financial difficulties during 2009 and entered bankruptcy proceedings in May 2010.

The proceedings were converted to Chapter 7 liquidation in August 2010, ending the company's operations as the original Smart Parts business.[16]

The company's founders subsequently attributed the collapse partly to the global financial crisis and the withdrawal of bank financing. This represents their account of the circumstances rather than an independently established explanation of all causes.[1]

Following the closure, Gardner remained involved in paintball equipment development.

The Gardner brothers established new business operations associated with GOG Paintball, DLX Technology and Shocker Paintball.

These businesses continued developing equipment under the GOG, Luxe, Shocker and Freak brands but were legally distinct from the original Smart Parts company.[1][17]

DLX Technology's company history identifies Gardner among the designers and developers involved in its subsequent equipment programmes.[1]