When Dave Dehaan started playing paintball professionally, he was only 14 years old and one of the youngest players in paintball. He got the nickname “Youngblood,” which has stuck with him. He is still known by it today. While he was in school, he made custom gun modifications, which led to an interest in the industry-side of the game. In 1996, Youngblood took a job helping out at tournaments, specifically with the equipment for JT USA. After a time, he moved up to become head of the paintball division at JT USA. He is a legend in Paintball, and even has his own fan club.

The company ran into difficulties and there was an indication that it might be sold, so Youngblood became a lawman. However, he continued making the equipment after hours, concentrating on barrels for the guns (markers).

His equipment became very popular, and he manufactured a batch of 100 barrels, which he labeled the “Bloomstick.” They were very popular and he sold the whole batch in two weeks. Encouraged by this success, he founded DYE, Dave Youngblood Enterprises, thus the name DYE Paintball. Today, his company, DYE Precision, sponsors several professional paintball teams.

He has revolutionized the sport by introducing products that raise the standards and improve the sport. In 2003, this company came out with a spool valve design electropneumatic paintball marker (gun). Called the Dye Matrix or LCD Matrix, it became very popular and remains so. Several more versions of the Matrix manufactured by DYE have reached the market since then. Each is different in one way or another, and all new versions are improved over the original one.

Founded in 1994, DYE Precision has grown very rapidly. Today it is a major producer of paintball equipment, competing with the largest companies in the world. DYE headquarters are in San Diego, but the company has factories in Great Britain, Germany, and Taiwan. It produces just about anything a paintballer would want.

This company has specialized in markers (guns) and today offers nine models. It has been turning out a new one every year since 2003. Also, in 2009, this company released a DYE rotor, which competes with current high-end hoppers. This hopper has been well-received in the paintball market.

Proto Paintball is a subsidiary of DYE and sells similar products, but the prices are somewhat lower. While the quality of this equipment is somewhat lower than those sold by DYE Precision, they are popular with many paintballers who are unwilling to pay the price of top-of-the-line equipment.