When I was given the opportunity to go to Argentina for my first dove hunt in the “promised land,” I jumped at the chance. I had always heard about the wonderful experience out in the field shooting birds until your shoulder can’t take it anymore. There were so many added benefits that surprised me as well: grilled meats and vegetables for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; an unlimited supply of Malbec; and a great upper-body workout that was much tougher than being in a sweaty gym. Getting back to a smoothie diet is now a welcomed change.
The camaraderie that accompanied this gathering was clearly the best part. It never hurts to have friends who never run out of jokes at mealtime or a doctor on-hand to repair any body parts that cause you unexpected issues. For some of us, it was a first-time dove hunt; for others, it was an annual trip. But the same amount of fun was had by all. Eat. Shoot. Drink. Repeat. I’m optimistic that I will be invited back next year.
As Kenyon mentioned in his column earlier this month, optimism for 2020 is all around us. It is exciting to hear how positive people feel about the future. Big things are in the works for many businesses, NASGW, and our wholesale members.
There is no doubt that wholesale distribution is changing across all industries. The shooting sports industry is no different. Last August, during NASGW’s first-ever Wholesaler Summit, one of our speakers, Ian Heller, educated us on how various industries are handling these changes. In many sectors, technology has been a disruptor. Within our industry, NASGW is taking the lead at embracing technology with SCOPE™ and now SCOPE CLX. As more business decisions are made around data, NASGW is working hard to be the source of that data. When it comes to making decisions with data, the numbers don’t lie, and the numbers show how vital two-step distribution is to the shooting sports industry. Since wholesalers are perfectly positioned to help both manufacturers and retailers, it makes sense for industry wholesalers to be the source for this information.
SCOPE is an excellent example of how NASGW is looking to improve our roles as distributors within the shooting sports industry. NASGW has always been known for our annual Expo. This event will continue to be a crucial piece to the future of our organization, but NASGW and our members bring a lot of value to the industry throughout the year. NASGW is working with our membership to identify our collective strengths and determine which opportunities will propel the association forward. As we continue to evolve our role within the shootings sports industry, we will do so by working together. At SHOT Show, we held our first ever NASGW Future Task Force meeting with great discussions amongst many member companies. We will be continuing these discussions next month and again at the NRA Annual Meetings in Nashville. This group is asking difficult questions about the current perception of two-step distribution and the future of our position in the industry. We want to maximize our value to both manufacturers and retailers, being a resource to each. 2020 is a big year for NASGW in many ways, and we look forward to what the future holds for our members, our association, and the shooting sports industry.
Until next time,
Laurie Lipsey Aronson
President and CEO Lipsey's
NASGW Chairwoman