Hall of Fame Beverages, Inc (HFBG)

[Fire Lane]

Lawrence Twombly a serial liar.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2005-08-11-hat-trick_x.htm

Hat Trick CEO's claims about hockey, Harvard questioned
By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
A spokesman for Larry Twombly, the CEO of a company profiled this week by USA TODAY, said Wednesday he had been misled by his client about the man's academic and athletic achievements.
Twombly, CEO of Hat Trick Beverage (HKBV), told his publicist and USA TODAY that he had attended Harvard, was a Boston Bruin draft pick and had played hockey for three different minor league hockey teams.

USA TODAY has learned Harvard has no record of his graduation or attendance, and his name does not appear in a database of college and professional hockey players.

"We were misled and apologize for any misunderstandings," said Jerry Jennings of Emerson Gerard Associates of West Palm Beach, Fla., the public relations firm that represented Twombly. "We have no reason to doubt our clients."

USA TODAY reported Twombly's academic and athletic career as part of a profile on Monday. The story described a man who overcame a serious motorcycle accident while in college and went on to found his beverage company.

Twombly said his company makes a line of fruit-flavored vitamin-water drinks called Vitality, an energy drink called Snap Z and a flavored drink called Dos Lagos aimed at the Hispanic market.

Other stories about Hat Trick that mentioned either Twombly's academic or athletic efforts aired on Bloomberg radio and were published in the North County Times, a San Diego-area newspaper, earlier this year.

After Monday's story appeared, USA TODAY learned of inconsistencies: The National Hockey League, the Providence Bruins and an online database of hockey statistics called hockeydb.com have no record of him playing in the minor leagues.

The Boston Bruins have no record of him as a draft pick. Harvard has no record of him attending or graduating from the school.

When reached on his cell phone Monday, Twombly said Harvard did not have a record of him because his name is misspelled in its records. Another check with Harvard turned up no records under the alternative spelling he provided.

Twombly said he did play in the minor leagues, but only about four games in 1991-1992. He said he refused the draft from the Bruins. He had no explanation for why he was not listed in any league or team hockey records that were checked.

In the story, Twombly said his company is based in Encinitas, Calif., and is poised to do about $5 million in business this year. City records in Encinitas show no business license for Hat Trick Beverage, but San Diego County records show it granted a license this year. No other records of the company under that name are listed with the California Department of Corporations, the state's Franchise Tax Board or the Secretary of State.

When he was reached Monday, Twombly said his company is registered in Colorado.

A listing with the Colorado Secretary of State showed Hat Trick Beverage was incorporated there in 2003. But the state dissolved the registration on June 1, 2005, because the company failed to submit paperwork listing its principal place of business and registered agent.

Hat Trick Beverage's last filing with Colorado in 2004 showed it based in Newport Beach, Calif.

Three attempts to contact Twombly at his Carlsbad, Calif., home Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful. He did not return three calls to his cell phone Wednesday seeking further comment.

The company is publicly traded on the Pink Sheets, a trading system for many small stocks that do not meet listing requirements of a stock exchange. Because of their small size, many Pink-Sheet-traded companies are not required to make filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Vitality water drinks were found by USA TODAY reporters in three stores in Southern California: Harbor Liquor and Fire Mountain Market, both in Oceanside, and Texas Liquor in Carlsbad. Sports Page Bar & Grill in Granger, Ind., the Library Irish Pub in South Bend, Ind., and Dick's Last Resort in Chicago — named as customers in a Hat Trick Beverage press release — confirmed that they sell Snap Z.

Contributing: Julie Appleby, Matt Krantz, Chris Woodyard and Thomas Ankner