- MidwayUSA
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MidwayUSA, Inc. 
Type Private Founded 1977 Headquarters Columbia, Missouri Key people Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO Products shooting, hunting, camping supplies
gunsmithing accessoriesWebsite www.midwayusa.com MidwayUSA is a privately-held American retailer and wholesaler of various hunting and gun-related products. The company is headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, and sells in the continental United States and internationally, through a separate division. The company markets online and through mail-order catalogs.
Contents
History
MidwayUSA was incorporated in 1977 under the name of Ely Arms, Inc. and first operated as a gun shop located in Columbia.[1] In 1979, the name was changed to Midway Arms, Inc. In June 1998, the MidwayUSA name came into use. The company has been under the continuous ownership and management of the Potterfield family from the beginning. MidwayUSA sponsors MidwayUSA's Wednesday Night at the Range on the Outdoor Channel.[2]
Modern Management Practices
MidwayUSA is a proponent of the use of Modern Management Practices in business management. Modern Management Practices include Baldrige, Lean, ISO and Six Sigma. MidwayUSA received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2009. One of five recipients in 2009, MidwayUSA was the only recipient in the Small Business category. The 2009 Baldrige National Quality Award was a follow-up to MidwayUSA’s receipt of the Missouri Quality Award from the Excellence in Missouri Foundation in 2008. MidwayUSA has deployed both Lean and Six Sigma practices internally and has received ISO Registration, receiving ISO 9001:2000 in 2008 and 9001:2008 in 2009.
NRA support
Larry and Brenda Potterfield created two programs[3] and several educational endowments in the National Rifle Association (NRA) Foundation. Brenda also served as the Vice President of the NRA Foundation's Board of Trustees. Since 1992, MidwayUSA has asked customers to round up the total of each order and donate the change to the NRA/ILA.[4] Since its inception, MidwayUSA has collected over US$4.7 million for the NRA/ILA National Endowment for the Protection of the 2nd Amendment.
Friends of NRA was founded in 1992 with the establishment of the Columbia, Missouri chapter, and has expanded to over 1,020 chapters. The group holds its monthly meetings in the MidwayUSA building. Many MidwayUSA associates help with and attend the annual Friends of NRA fund-raising banquet.
Midway USA is an annual major sponsor of the NRA Bianchi Cup, the National Action Pistol Championship.
MidwayUSA Foundation
Larry and Brenda Potterfield established the MidwayUSA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, charitable organization, in 2007. The Potterfields began the Foundation as a result of their passion and interest in education for shooting, hunting, firearms safety and outdoor skills.
The Foundation’s largest fund is the Scholastic Shooting Trust (SST) Fund, an endowment to provide financial support for collegiate and high school shooting programs. The SST Fund, through its website, provides alumni and other interested parties of universities, colleges and high schools the ability to financially support a school's competitive shooting program or financially assist in the start-up of a scholastic shooting program. Donations provide immediate grant potential for a school's shooting program(s) along with sustained funding from the investment earnings of the fund.
References
- ^ "MidwayUSA Celebrates 30th Anniversary" (Press release). MidwayUSA. http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/tow_release.php?ID=112041&session=%23%23%23session%23%23. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
- ^ MidwayUSA's Wednesday Night at the Range, Outdoor Channel
- ^ "New NRA Gunsmithing Endowment" (Press release). National Rifle Association. Nov 2006. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_52/ai_n16741405. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
- ^ "MidwayUSA tops $10 million in NRA donations" (Press release). MidwayUSA. September 2005. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3197/is_9_50/ai_n15654844. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
External links
Categories:- Companies based in Columbia, Missouri
- Sporting goods retailers of the United States
- Online retail companies of the United States
- Privately held companies based in Missouri
- Companies established in 1977
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