This time of year, it’s pretty easy to take inventory of the things we are thankful for. For me, the list is too long to rattle off in this article. But, I can’t help looking back on the past 12 months and be thankful for the experience to serve as the Chairman of NASGW. It seems like just yesterday I was writing an introduction to tell you all a little about myself and my background and here we are a year. Where has the time gone?

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries, praised U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and John Culberson (R-Texas) for their leadership on introducing the bipartisan H.R. 4434, the Fix NICS Act of 2017 into the House of Representatives. The legislation is a companion to an identically titled Senate bill and both drew support from both Republican and Democrat co-sponsors.

Provided by CSF

If you’ve done a lot of sales calling in your career, I’m sure you’ve got a few stories you can tell. I’ve had a lot of calls that didn’t go the way I envisioned. Some ended unexpectedly well and some, especially early in my career, ended miserably bad. It seems obvious, but the first rule of thumb should be to know who you’re calling, and know how you plan to close. If it’s a cold call, you try to learn about the person and engage them in conversation before you can close the deal. It’s not what you say to them, it’s what they believe that makes all the difference.

NASGW and our wholesaler members believe in two-step distribution, because it works. The list of benefits is long and growing. See what a membership with NASGW and a partnership with our wholesaler members can provide a manufacturing business. 

Wow, what a week in San Antonio! I hope you’ve had time to rest and recover. I personally want to thank all of you who attended the 2017 NASGW Expo. It’s always great to see all of you and plan out 2018. Congratulations to all our award winners. It was great to recognize the companies that are most committed to two-step distribution with our Leadership Awards and the brand new NASGW-POMA Caliber Awards brought a new twist to the Expo in recognizing the best new products of the last year. It might be a little early, but we want to encourage you all to start making your plans to join us next year in Pittsburgh. There is no better place to get business done than at the NASGW Expo.

Across the country, there is legislation in the works that may impact our industry. To help keep you updated, our partners at Orchid Advisors and FFLBizHub.com have compiled a report listing the bills and laws in each state that are currently on the table. This report contains both an overview and a detailed summary of State-level legislation relevant to the wholesale distribution and supply chain that became effective in July, August, and September of this year (as a one time catch-up).  It also includes a bulleted list of the business processes that could, potentially, be impacted by the newly enacted legislation, which is presented by State. This is a great resource for any business within our industry that may be impacted by changes in legislation. To view the report, click on the link below:

Provided by: CSF

On October 3, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members joined representatives from the sportsmen’s conservation community on Capitol Hill to promote Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act of 2017 (H.R. 2591/S. 1613) at a Breakfast Briefing hosted by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF).

H.R. 2591 was introduced in the House in May by CSC leadership, including Congressmen Austin Scott (GA), Jeff Duncan (SC), Gene Green (TX), and Marc Veasey (TX). S. 1613 was introduced in the Senate in July by Senators Jim Risch (ID), Joe Manchin (WV), Deb Fischer (NE), and Heidi Heitkamp (ND).

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW), the association representing shooting sports wholesalers, manufacturers, and their trade partners, announced the winners of their annual Leadership and Caliber Awards last night at the NASGW Expo Awards Dinner.

Each year NASGW holds an awards dinner during the annual Expo to recognize leaders in the industry and celebrate the achievements of the past year. This year was also the inaugural year for the brand new NASGW-POMA Caliber Awards. This new set of awards recognizes the best products in six categories. Along with the awards presentations, attendees were treated to a presentation by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North. It was a great night and a wonderful way to kick off the NASGW Expo. Here are a few pictures from the event: