The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW), the association representing shooting sports wholesalers, manufacturers and their trade partners, is pleased to announce that Armscor will be sponsoring an NASGW Expo Happy Hour on Thursday, October 28th in Columbus, Ohio.

Birmingham, Alabama: Bangers L.P., a leading distributor of shooting sports products and outdoor recreational sporting goods, announced today that it is rebranding as Iron Valley™ Supply Co. This new name reflects the company’s nearly 100-year heritage as a wholesale distributor in the Iron Valley region of Alabama.

Orion Wholesale is pleased to announce a new headquarters facility in the Greater Louisville area just across the Ohio River in southern Indiana. The 130,000 square foot distribution facility and corporate offices are set to open in the fall. The expansion will enable Orion Wholesale to serve its dealer base and vendors well beyond 2021. The new construction will add sales offices, conference rooms, product training rooms and state-of-the-art warehousing that will add the ability to streamline inventory, shipping and receiving processes.

Baton Rouge, La.—Lipsey's, a nationally renowned firearms distributor, is pleased to announce the appointment of Laurie Lipsey Aronson to the National Shooting Sports Foundation's (NSSF) Board of Governors.

Exporting firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition is a complicated process and can seem overwhelming to most companies who do not regularly export goods. However, the rules and processes to export these goods have recently been modified which provides the potential to open up new markets to wholesalers and distributors.

Prior to the recent changes, small arms and ammunition products had been regulated by the State Department for decades. Due to the expensive registration costs and export license fees, most wholesalers and distributors left the sales opportunities in the foreign markets to manufacturers and specialized U.S. exporters.

I’m just back in the office after nearly two weeks on the road for a short vacation over the 4^th of July and then a very lengthy drive for NASGW related events in Washington, Idaho and Montana. After spending a collective 48 hours in the vehicle, I’m ready to experience some different seating accommodations.

But I very much enjoyed the company as my wife joined me on the trip. And the scenery was incredible, at times breathtaking. We are so fortunate in this country to be able to enjoy those landscapes and vistas. Some of us live there, some of us visit. All of us are blessed.

There’s a lot happening in the shooting sports industry today. Some good, some not so good.

If you’ve been watching the headlines, you’ve noticed that one of our industry’s largest distributors, United Sporting  Companies, has fallen on hard times and the path forward is still uncertain. You’ve likely seen that one of our largest manufacturers, Remington, has, unfortunately, had to lay off hundreds of employees, at least for the next couple months. And I know you’re all keeping up on the many challenges facing the National Rifle Association.

On any given day, NASGW distributors, collectively, are extending millions of dollars in credit to retail partners across the country. The extension of credit is probably one of the greatest benefits a distributor partner can offer to retailers, but possibly one of the most underrated.