About Us

How It All Got Started

• 

  1977

  Open For Business

  On June 18th, 1977, we opened our doors as Ely Arms Inc., a small gun shop nestled in a modest 32' x 48' pole barn at 7450 Old Hwy 40 West, just west of Columbia, MO, 1-1/2 miles north of I-70. Founded by brothers Larry (28) and Jerry Potterfield (26), the business plan was to sell sporting goods, specializing in new and used guns, ammunition, reloading supplies and equipment and handgun accessories. This humble beginning marked the start of our journey in the shooting and gunsmithing industry. Jerry left the business in March 1980, but the foundation they built together set the stage for our growth.

• 

  1979

  Midway Arms

  In the summer of 1979, we did a press release on the 8mm Nambu ammo. We caught the attention of a lot of people, one of which was Kynoch Industries. They had a registered trademark on the name Eley and sent us a cease and desist letter for infringement. It was a relatively easy decision to change the name to Midway Arms, Inc. We immediately registered the word Midway.

• 

  1980

  Starline^® Distributor

  While learning the ammunition industry, we became aware of an opportunity with Starline^® to distribute their cartridge cases. For an initial order of 200,000 pieces of 357 Magnum Brass, we became the first distributor for Starline^®, advertising in the Shotgun News. The brass came in large drums so it had to be repackaged. We designed and ordered boxes, bought a scale, and created a repackaging process that had proven too difficult for larger companies. This process has been a market advantage for us ever since.

• 

  1982

  First Computer

  We bought our first computer, an Apple^® III with 128k of RAM, 5MB hard drive and a daisywheel printer for a grand total of $10,000. Initially, we only used it to type in Customer names and addresses; then printed out labels for mailing our first flyers. This led to beginning computerized invoices in early 1987.

• 

  1983

  First Catalog

  Our first catalog was printed and distributed, spanning just 16 pages with 5,000 copies in circulation; this was mailed to our entire list of Customers at the time. The catalog contained our "obsolete" ammunition, C-H Reloading Dies and 357 Magnum Brass.

• 

  1984

  Retail Doors Closed

  In 1984, we established a relationship with Winchester^® to sell their cartridge cases. The result was a purchase order a little over $1 million that would deliver January 1985. The Winchester^® relationship, while a great opportunity, caused a space issue. There was no loading dock, and everything had to come in through the front door of the business. In September of 1984, we made the decision to close the retail store right after Christmas so we could use the retail space for storage of the Winchester^® components. At the time, the mail order division made up 80% of our business and was growing fast, so it was a fairly logical decision.

• 

  1986

  Volkmer/McClure Act

  The Volkmer/McClure law was an amendment to the 1968 Gun Control Act which allowed ammo, cartridge cases and bullets to be sold to individuals across state lines, without the need of an FFL. Prior to this national change we sold these products to FFL dealers only. This change spurred additional growth as sales direct to retail Customers increased.

• 

  1988

  Lee Precision^®

  The Lee Precision^® Company didn't have any qualifying rules for being a distributor, except you had to pay cash up front for the first order. We did just that and became a Lee Precision^® distributor, running full page ads in the Shotgun News. Our partnership with Lee Precision^® opened the door for us to pursue becoming a distributor for RCBS^®. They were more inclined to work with us after becoming a distributor for Lee Precision^®.

• 

  1989

  New Facility

  In 1988, we bought 12 acres of vacant ground at the interchange of I-70 and Highway 40, just 1-1/2 miles to the south of the current location. We ordered a new building which was put up in the second half of the year. Our logistics operations moved in January of 1989. This relocation from a 10,000 sq ft facility on Old Hwy 40 West to a 30,000 sq ft building on Van Horn Tavern Road provided the space needed to support our expanding inventory and operations. We were now able to use a conveyor belt system to pick products on one side of the building and then send them to the packing area on the other side.

• 

  1992

  NRA^® Support

  Two major initiatives to support the NRA^® were started. On January 2nd, 1992, we started asking our Customers if they would like to Round-Up their order to the next higher dollar and allow us to send their money to the NRA^® ILA to help defend the Second Amendment. The NRA "Round-Up"^® has generated over $23 million over its lifetime. Larry and Brenda, returned from the NRA^® Annual Meetings in Salt Lake City with the idea of throwing a fundraising party for the NRA^®. Later that year on October 10th, the first-ever Friends of NRA^® banquet was held in Columbia, MO, with over 1,000 friends in attendance. Today there are over 600 Friend fundraising events each year. And since 1992, Friends of NRA^® has raised more than $1.1 billion.

• 

  1998

  Rebrand

  At our Christmas Party in 1997, we were discussing reserving a URL for Midway and we shortly learned that www.midway.com had already been taken. We decided on www.midwayusa.com, with the idea that we would change the name of our company. In June of 1998, we started using our new name on our printed flyers, and have been using MidwayUSA ever since. Our first website was not ecommerce based, it was informational only. Continuing to advance with changes in technology and ways to reach Customers has been a key theme in our history.

• 

  1999

  Windows^® OS

  Technology was advancing rapidly, and the personal computer world was moving away from DOS and onto Windows^®, so we followed suit to stay current. This was the largest project we had ever attempted, taking us about 2 years of hard work to complete. Our computers were now up to date and scalable.

• 

  2000

  Midway Europe

  We had been selling to international dealers when we were approached by a Norwegian dealer who wanted to copy and slightly modify our catalog and website for his Customers in Norway. MidwayNorge was created out of that inquiry which later expanded to include other European countries. This innovative business model allowed us to streamline the licensing required by the State and Commerce departments for exporting the products we sold. We withdrew from the business in 2014 to focus more on our core business.

• 

  2003

  Master Catalog

  After years of success producing catalogs, including some specialty catalogs from 2001-2003, we published our first Master Catalog in 2003. It had 436 pages and over 20,000 products. A Master Catalog was produced yearly for the next ten years, up until the final one in 2013 which was only produced electronically. It was 1,041 pages and contained over 180,000 products.

  1st Winchester^® Model 67 Class

  Larry led the first class to refurbish and customize a Winchester^® Model 67. The purpose of the classes was to teach gunsmithing, a key part of our product offering. In total, 46 Employees customized a Model 67 through the classes.

• 

  2005

  Digital Ads

  We ventured into broadcast media with our first TV commercials and launched the GunTec TV show. We contracted with a local marketing firm for the first two MidwayUSA commercials. There were 3 versions of our second commercial: Lever Action, Scoped Rifle, and Pistol, that ran on Outdoor Channel^®. After production of these first commercials, we started filming them ourselves. Although the GunTec show only lasted a year, we continued to engage Customers through creating YouTube^® videos until 2012.

  Just About Everything^®

  The November 2005 flyer was our first use of the "Just About Everything^®" slogan. It was then printed on the cover of the 2006 Master Catalog. The slogan served the purpose of letting our Customers know that we were trying to take care of them by offering Just About Everything^® that they might need.

• 

  2006

  Powder and Primers

  We expanded our reach by adding powder and primers to our product offering that shipped from the Supplier, catering to the growing community of reloaders. This addition marked another milestone in our mission to provide a comprehensive selection of Just About Everything^®.

• 

  2007

  500-year campus

  The Potterfield Family invested in the future by purchasing acreage at the intersection of Old Hwy 40 West and Route J for expansion purposes, now known as our 500-year campus. This strategic acquisition ensured room for growth and demonstrated our long-term commitment to the industry.

• 

  2009

  1st Baldrige Award

  In the fall of 2006, Larry challenged MidwayUSA to apply for and win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award^® in calendar year 2009 - which we did. This was a serious defining moment for us, recognizing our commitment to excellence in performance and Customer Satisfaction. Baldrige quickly became the driving force behind our business model.

  President and CEO Position Split

  As the Company grew and the Potterfield Family developed more outside investments, the decision was made to break the President/CEO job into two positions. Matt Fleming was promoted from VP-Marketing to President, and Larry continued to serve as the CEO.

• 

  2010

  Nitro Express Shipping^®

  We launched our 4th generation logistics system, Nitro Express Shipping^®. The investment was over $7 million, which included major building modifications. It significantly increased our shipping capacity and became a defining part of MidwayUSA. This system converted us from paper to paperless invoices and implemented the use of handhelds for picking and other logistics functions. We named it Nitro after a roller coaster in New Jersey, since that's what the conveyor resembles, and trademarked Nitro Express Shipping^®.

• 

  2013

  Larry's Short Stories

  The first three of Larry's Short Stories were published on the website: Larry's Short Stories #1 – The Last Ten Seconds of an Elephant Hunt^©, Larry's Short Stories #2 – The World's Shortest Grizzly Bear Hunt^©, and Larry's Short Stories #3 – Sliding for Sheep^©.

  Nitro Express Shipping^® 2.0

  Nitro Express Shipping^® 2.0 was implemented, improving our shipping speed and accuracy to ensure Customer Satisfaction.

  Shareholders

  Thinking about the future and as part of estate planning, Larry and Brenda desired to keep the Company in the Family. Larry and Brenda Potterfield were the only shareholders until they transferred/sold some of their shares to their son, Russell and daughter, Sara. They both also serve on the Board of Directors.

• 

  2015

  2nd Baldrige Award

  After winning the Baldrige Award in 2009, we were eligible to apply for the award again in 2015. We applied for and won our second consecutive award. In 2015, only 13 organizations, including MidwayUSA, had won the award twice since the first awards were handed out in 1988.

  Operation Concrete Values

  We identified nine personal Values: Honesty, Integrity, Humility, Respect for Others, Teamwork, Positive Attitude, Accountability, Stewardship and Loyalty. We engraved these Values into our sidewalks by each entrance. A total of 308 Employees assisted in this project.

• 

  2019

  Powder Shipment

  After dropshipping powder to Customers for 13 years, we built our own powder bunker. The Truman Building received its first shipment of smokeless powder in January 2019. Building our own bunker allowed us to have more control over the supply chain and ensure better service to our Customers.

• 

  2020

  Breaking Ground

  On May 18th, 2020, the initial groundbreaking for the 40&J campus took place in what would be the southeast corner of the new Washington Distribution Center.

• 

  2021

  3rd Baldrige Award

  After winning the Baldrige Award in 2009 and 2015, we were eligible to apply for the award again in 2021. We applied for and won the award for our third consecutive time. In 2021, only two organizations, including MidwayUSA, had won the award three times. We were the only organization to do so consecutively.

  President and CEO

  The Board of Directors consolidated the President and CEO roles into one position and promoted a non-family member into the position. This marked the first time in Company history that a non-family member served in the role of CEO, until 2024 when Larry Potterfield resumed this position.

• 

  2022

  New Warehouse

  The new 400,000 sq ft Washington Distribution Center, designed to optimize fulfillment, fully opened as inventory was transferred from the warehouse on the Van Horn Tavern campus.

  Nitro Express Shipping^® 3.0

  Nitro Express Shipping^® 3.0 was launched, further enhancing our operational capabilities, and shipping more packages per hour than ever before.

• 

  2025

  New Office

  In the fall of 2025, the remaining Employees working at the Van Horn Tavern campus will be relocated to the new Roosevelt Building at the 40&J Campus. The building will consolidate the remaining departments into one 63,540 sq ft building located right next to the Washington Distribution Center.