Mark Smith
Oh for sure. Every time we go through one of these macro cycles where we get a surge, and then we come down off the surge, everybody forgets that. You know what the industry was like before the surge, right? I mean, If you look at the NICS numbers now, they're still trending significantly above where they were in 2019…before the most recent surge. So, we're viewing it very much as this is “back to normal.” We're back to the to industry we’ve competed in for 173 years. And, we're very comfortable.

There's a lot of there is a lot of opportunity. We're doing really well with our new products. Innovation is a huge focus area; a strategic priority of ours. So we're going to continue that. That momentum is not going to slow down. Matter of fact; it’s probably going to increase, right?

So new products, and revitalizing the existing lines. Then we’re going into new categories that are pure white space for us, like the 1854 lever action rifle, which has done really well for us. And we’re looking for other opportunities like that. So we're, we're optimistic. Are we where we were in, you know, 2020, 2021? Absolutely not. But I think if anybody thought we were going to stay there forever, they probably needed to get their head checked to be homes.

So we're prepared for, you know, any market environment. And you know, as again, as I said, Smith and Wesson has been around 173 years. And unless I screw it up, it's gonna be around another 173 years. Smith & Wesson has seen a few ups and downs.

Mark Smith  
The folks that relocated with us absolutely love it here. We fully understand that all our beloved employees in Springfield, Massachusetts couldn’t make the move. And those whose jobs were affected, many of whom you know, would have loved to have come. But we all have families. We all have roots, and a lot of the reasons were so that they couldn’t come. 

Here in Maryville, Tennessee, the welcome, you know, and just not just in this area, not in just East Tennessee, but across the entire state of Tennessee, the welcome that we've gotten here, both personally and professionally, has been overwhelming, right. It’s been great. They’re very supportive. They’re staunch defenders of the Constitution, in doing their jobs, the legislators support, and a great, great community. It also doesn’t hurt this is an absolutely beautiful area of the country.

Mark Smith  
This area is booming, right? When we first started construction here, I said, “Man, this is like, the best kept secret in the country.” But it’s no longer the best kept secret in the country. The growth here is just exponential. There’s a lot of construction going on and, hey, it’s great to be in an area that’s growing and booming, right?  I mean, it's great for the economy. It's great for labor availability. It's just great to be here personally.

It's an absolutely wonderful area of the country from a professional side, a personal side, a scenic side, and from an economic perspective.

Mark Smith
You know, stereotypes are just that, stereotypes.

All I can talk to is the experience we've had with our new employees. I always say, “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” right? And that was my biggest fear in coming here, that we would not be able to recreate that very strong culture that we had - and still have- in our in our Springfield facility.

Springfield still fully operational. Close to 900 employees are there still and will and will remain operational. So bringing that culture here was a huge concern of mine, right?

Are we going to be able to replicate that? And I believe that really is what makes Smith and Wesson, Smith and Wesson. So I can tell you now three years in, is we have that culture here.

It's just as strong here as it is in Springfield and in our Holton Maine, facility up there. We're extremely pleased with the skills and the quality of the workforce here. So I would consider that a “busted stereotype.”

Mark Smith
Yeah…. It used to be “careful saying where you work, because, you know, you don't want ‘the reaction’.” Here, be careful saying where youu work because if you go somewhere, the Walmart, the grocery story, someone’s gonna pin you down and talk to you for half an hour.

That’s a very welcome change.

Mark Smith  
I've heard a lot of old Smith stories. And I love to hear every one of them. I love how passionate people are about our brand and, you know, and how much the brand has been a part of the fabric of America since, you know, since 1852 I mean, that was civil war times, right? It's, you know, been part of so many, you know, iconic American historic events. And S&W’s been through thick and thin with this country, right? And people just love that. They love the history of the company and the legacy of the Smith and Wesson name.

Mark Smith
Speaking to the business side, we've started to see a change in the leadership. Guys younger than me are in the industry now. The younger ones that are coming in are kind of in panic, because they don't have the cyclic experience.

The guys that have been around a while have given them a little advice. What I always say is you know where you’re in the highs of the highs, you’d better prepare for the lows. And when you’re in the lows of the lows, it’s going to get better. This is a cyclical industry. And we -Smith & Wesson- have been around the industry for 173 years. I’ve been around the industry 15 years, I think this might be the third or fourth surge I’ve been through. And you know, we structure the business to be able to deliver in the “high times” and still be pretty profitable in the low times.

You gotta always have that in the back of your mind, no matter what the market conditions. You have got to be delivering a good quality product. You have to be marketing. You have to stay true to your consumer. And understand that, when it’s at the highs of the highs your still structured and your ship’s built to weather the storm.

Mark Smith
It always happens when we go through a downturn. In a high time, you get a lot of folks that are, you know, small startups. And they're making money because they're selling every product that can come off the machine. When the down times come, you know the stable ships will survive. We’ve seen it happen historically, and this downturn is no different.

Mark Smith  
Yeah. Of course, I'm biased as a major manufacturer. But it just opens up more market share for us. Frankly, in the short term, there's some liquidation of inventory happening out there, and it muddies the waters a little bit. 

But long term, it’s good for us to keep those healthy companies around, right?  We, we enjoy healthy competition, you know? So these are healthy adjustments for the market.

QA Outdoors  
Good deal. Thanks, Mark.