DIRECTION: Merriam-Webster defines as, among other things, a guiding, governing or motivating purpose. The most successful people, companies and organizations all have a solid sense of direction. They’ve laid out a path that takes them from concept, idea or goal to their end result, which could be introduction of a new product, successful IPO, or defining and living out their purpose. For NASGW, that purpose is to serve 2-step distribution by finding new ways to remain relevant in an ever-changing global economy and to strengthen the need for distribution in the shooting sports industry.

With the goal of service to our industry distributors, your NASGW board met last month with the goals of prioritizing our strategic initiatives and redefining our mission statement. This was accomplished by taking feedback from each distributor on their individual priorities and compiling and organizing that feedback for analysis.

The board, under the guidance of Wade Britt, a veteran of international business and currently serving as Managing Director of Baton Global, a business consulting firm that has helped businesses and organizations, from family owned to large national and international scope, redefine their missions and purposes.

In a collaborative process, the Board worked through a series of exercises that identified the most critical areas of importance for directing NASGW’s strategies. They are the following:

• Advocating for the health of the NASGW member industry.
• Revolutionizing information sharing through data management.
• Improving relevancy of the NASGW Expo.
• Enhancing awareness and relevance of the NASGW brand among key stakeholders.
• Exploring new opportunities for NASGW member benefits.

Working through these identified areas and processing them into solid strategies, your NASGW has taken the lead on

• Data management and consolidation
• Enhancing our brand with our Vision 70 campaign
• Advocating for the health of the industry by setting up programs to protect against loss of insurance, banking, credit card processing and logistics
• Finding new ways to make our Expo better for our exhibitors and members every year.

If your organization finds itself struggling to keep up with changes that have rendered your previous goals and missions obsolete, I would encourage you to go through the exercise that the NASGW board just experienced.   The process can literally open your eyes to new possibilities and focus that will likely give your business a renewed sense of direction. And in the shooting sports industry, we all know the importance of direction if the goal is to hit the target. Same thing in business. Our mission is the target. If we don’t have the proper techniques on how to get there, we fail. With a clear sense of direction, we set a new path to longevity and prosperity.  

For NASGW, this direction will propel our organization into its next 70 years and beyond. The Board and our great staff look forward to continuing to strengthen NASGW’s impact in the shooting sports industry for many years to come. Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you all in Columbus in October.

Until next time,

Chris Means

NASGW Chairman