Heritage and longevity are something that many businesses in our industry understand. NASGW is no different. 2023 will mark the 70th anniversary of NASGW. This organization has been around longer than most of us have been alive. The organization has changed numerous times over the years as NASGW was initially founded as Sporting Goods Jobbers Association in 1953. It’s no surprise that things are much different in 2022 than when NASGW began, as are the businesses and industry NASGW serves. In the past 5-6 years, we have recently seen quite a few changes, including the Annual Expo, SCOPE, and the services NASGW provides. As our industry has been evolving, so too is NASGW. With this big 70th anniversary on the horizon, our staff and leadership are taking a hard look at who NASGW is and who NASGW will be in the future. These are exciting times as NASGW will be laying out a vision for what this means for our members and the greater shooting sports industry. Be on the lookout for more information as we move throughout the year.

Believe it or not, we have already reached the end of Q1. This means registration for the NASGW Expo is upon us. It seems like just yesterday we were gathering in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, our staff has been planning and preparing for this year’s Expo in Kansas City. KC is a familiar city to NASGW as we were recently there in 2016. Stay tuned for registration announcements and a new event app that will include interactive Exhibitor Profiles managed by each exhibitor and easily accessible through the much-improved show floor map. The exhibitor profiles will provide marketing opportunities to share product details, photos, videos, etc. Beyond the app, there are some additional exciting updates to this year’s Expo, announcements forthcoming as we get closer to our October 26th date.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve all seen the announcement regarding the launch of SCOPE PLX, the shooting sports industry’s product standardization database. This launch is a huge step forward for NASGW and the industry. Data standardization is commonplace in most other sectors and has been needed in our industry for a long time. NASGW wholesalers are perfectly placed to maximize the distribution of this standardized data, and all we need is participation from our Vendors. If you have yet to see what PLX will provide to your business, I encourage you to take that first step and connect with the SCOPE team. They have been quickly onboarding product catalogs and integrating SCOPE PLX with both manufacturers and wholesalers. PLX will be a huge time saver for product managers tasked with updating product information across multiple wholesalers, vendors, and marketing channels and will also fuel data accuracy across the board.

As you can see, there is a lot going on at your association. What was once an organization that hosted a single event each year has grown and evolved and will continue to evolve to achieve our main mission, bringing shootings sports buyers and sellers together.

I wish you all continued success in Q2 and look forward to seeing you all in Kansas City for the 2022 NASGW Expo.

Until next time,

Chris Means

NASGW Chairman