by Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
Sturm, Ruger was the big winner in recognition by the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW)
The company won as Firearms Innovator of the Year for the second year in a row and as Firearms Manufacturer of the Year for the tenth year in a row, In addition. Ruger CEO, Mike Fife, was also presented with the NASGW Chairman’s Award for his dedication to and impact in the firearms industry.
Over 500 members of the NASGW attended the organization’s Annual Awards Dinner and Reception to kick off the 2016 43rd Expo & Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO, in October.
Pete Brownell, NASGW Chairman, welcomed the members and set the stage for three days of productive meetings as distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer’s reps and media prepare for the 2017 sales year.
Each year at this event, NASGW Awards the top optics, accessory, ammunition and firearms manufacturers who best demonstrate a commitment to the two-step distribution process, and who provide outstanding value and service. Wholesaler members evaluate the performance of manufacturers on four key criteria; distribution policy, marketing, sales and promotion; logistics and operations and NASGW and industry support. This comprehensive assessment of manufacturer performance has been designed to provide a more balanced appraisal that truly recognizes the best of the best according to NASGW distributor members.
This year’s list of Leadership Award recipients included:
2016 Optics Manufacturer of the Year: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
2016 Accessory Manufacturer of the Year: Birchwood Casey & Magpul.
2016 Ammunition Manufacturer of the Year: Hornady Manufacturing.
2016 Firearms Manufacturer of the Year: Sturm, Ruger and Company, Inc.
2016 Importer of the Year: Aguila Ammunition.
2016 Innovator of the Year: Sturm, Ruger and Company, Inc.
NASGW Chairman Pete Brownell presented Sturm, Ruger CEO Michael Fifer with the NASGW Chairman’s Award.
In conjunction with the annual awards, a donation of $20,000 was made to the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance by NASGW. Earlier this year NASGW donated $25,000 to the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, and a donation of $100,000 was made to the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action.
S&W parent name changing
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation announced on Nov. 7 that it will hold a special meeting of stockholders on Dec. 13, 2016 for the purpose of seeking approval to change its corporate name from Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation to American Outdoor Brands Corporation.
The proposed holding corporation name change has been approved by the company’s Board of Directors and reflects the company’s expanding strategic focus on the growing markets for shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiasts. If approved by stockholders, American Outdoor Brands Corporation will serve as the holding corporation for Smith & Wesson Corp., Battenfeld Technologies, Inc., and Crimson Trace Corporation, which represent the company’s firearms, manufacturing services, accessories, and electro-optics divisions.
James Debney, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson, said, “By executing on our strategy to be a leader in the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast markets, we have successfully grown from a single operating division to four operating divisions that serve a large addressable market and represent more than 18 respected consumer brands. We believe the name ‘American Outdoor Brands Corporation’ will better reflect our family of brands, our broad range of product offerings, and our plan to continue building upon our portfolio of strong American brands. Looking forward, we intend to aggressively grow organically and through strategic acquisitions, focusing on brands and products that best meet the needs and lifestyle of our target consumers.”
If approved by the stockholders, the name change would be effective on or about January 1, 2017. At the same time, the Company also anticipates it will adopt the symbol “AOBC” for its NASDAQ stock exchange listing.
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation is a provider of quality products for shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiasts in the global consumer and professional markets. The Company reports two segments: Firearms and Outdoor Products & Accessories. Firearms manufactures handgun and long gun products sold under the Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, and Thompson/Center Arms™ brands as well as providing forging, machining, and precision plastic injection molding services. Outdoor Products & Accessories provides shooting, hunting, and outdoor accessories, including reloading, gunsmithing, and gun cleaning supplies, tree saws, vault accessories, knives, laser sighting systems, and tactical lighting products. Brands in Outdoor Products & Accessories include Smith & Wesson®, M&P®, Thompson/Center Arms™, Crimson Trace®, Caldwell® Shooting Supplies, Wheeler® Engineering, Tipton® Gun Cleaning Supplies, Frankford Arsenal® Reloading Tools, Lockdown® Vault Accessories, Hooyman® Premium Tree Saws, BOG POD®, and Golden Rod® Moisture Control as well as knives and specialty tools under Schrade®, Old Timer®, Uncle Henry®, and Imperial™. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to smith-wesson.com.
