As spring takes hold across the country, we are all thinking ahead and looking forward to our summer plans. For my family and me, it’s Aspen. There is no better place to be in the summertime than the cool Colorado mountains (and it’s a great escape from the brutal summers in Louisiana). Aspen provides a full menu of outdoor activities from hiking, walking, bike riding, and it hosts the most spectacular fly fishing landscape you’ve ever experienced. It’s my “happy place.” Besides the beauty it provides, the biggest benefit of this wondrous escape is that of quiet thinking time outside of the hustle and bustle of the office. It creates time to clear my mind and it affords me the opportunity to brainstorm and generate new ideas to bring back to our team.
Setting aside this thinking time is beneficial for all. Our management team at Lipsey’s is called the “Huddle Team.” Besides the meetings we hold weekly, we take time out of the office each year to go on a retreat to do just that: we think. It’s quiet, we brainstorm, and we are free of distractions. Think about doing that with your team. For you, what’s YOUR happy place? Is it the gym, the fishing pond, the deer stand, or the quiet walk around your neighborhood? Just take time to think, to plan, and to create new ways to improve your mind and your business.
And yes, think about your plans for attending the 2019 NASGW Expo. The time to register is right around the corner so be on the lookout for more information soon. Our venue in Orlando, Florida is sure to be memorable, and we are finalizing plans to improve on last year’s event, with an emphasis on helping buyers and sellers make connections. Continued improvement to your Expo experience has been the name of the game, and we are looking forward to what 2019 has in store.
With the idea of "continued improvement" in mind, we’ve all seen NASGW go through some significant changes in the last few years. Whether it has been the change in leadership, the improvements to the NASGW Expo, expanded member programs, involvement at IWA, or the new data program SCOPE™, NASGW has been working to improve and position itself to become more of a resource for our members. These initiatives and changes don’t happen overnight, and the ideas don’t appear out of thin air. The evolution of our organization has been planned and thought out by members, staff, and affiliates. We’ve leveraged the time and expertise of our Board of Directors and the input of several member organizations to identify areas that NASGW could make a more substantial impact. We couldn’t do this without you, and for that reason, I want to say thank you to all who have volunteered, shared feedback, participated and worked to make this association better.
I’d also like to challenge all NASGW members to step up and be more involved in the months and years to come. We need you! We need your ideas, your knowledge, and your experience to propel NASGW into the future. This is your organization, and we want you to be a part of making it better. If you are interested in getting more involved, I would recommend contacting one of our NASGW Board of Directors or the NASGW President, Kenyon Gleason to learn more about the opportunities to contribute.
With the first few months as the Chairwoman of NASGW behind me, I am as excited as ever about what the remainder of the year holds. I’m eager to learn more about each of our members, about the challenges we face as an industry, and ways that we can come together to make each other stronger. With partnerships like SCOPE™, we can create solutions and resources to make our individual businesses more efficient, strengthen wholesale distribution, and improve the shootings sports industry as a whole. But it takes teamwork and effort to bring it all together. So, I hope you all will look at ways that your organizations can get more involved with NASGW and help this organization create a more significant impact on the industry. See you in Orlando, NASGW’s “happy place” for 2019.
Until Next Time,
Laurie Aronson
NASGW Chairwoman