Battenfeld Technologies which is owned by Smith & Wesson and part of the American Outdoor Brands group is expanding in Missouri.

Governor of Missouri, Eric Greitens, broke the news in a video published on Facebook stating this:

We are so excited about Battenfeld Technologies and Smith & Wesson coming to the state of Missouri. The big news is that they’re gonna be investing $55 million building a 500,000 square foot facility right here in the Columbia, Missouri area and they’re bringing with them 325 new jobs right here in the state of Missouri. Missouri has always been a great 2nd Amendment state. A wonderful state for people who love firearms and treasure their 2nd Amendment rights and we’re so excited to work with great companies like Battenfeld and now to be able to welcome Smith & Wesson here to the state of Missouri; its just a great victory.

In a time when many shooting industry companies are slumping and laying off employees this is very pleasant news. To see Battenfeld and Smith & Wesson expanding shows that there still are opportunities for growth in the market.

The president and CEO of American Outdoor Brands, James Debney, commented on the move to Missouri also:

We continue to focus on our vision of being a leading provider of high quality products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast. By executing our strategy and delivering growth organically and through targeted acquisitions, we have successfully grown to multiple operating divisions that serve a large addressable market and represent more than 18 respected consumer brands. Establishing a national distribution center will allow us, over time, to harvest synergies across our business. Our meetings with representatives of Missouri and Gov. (Eric) Greitens demonstrated that they are business-friendly and understand what we need as a company to be successful.

It appears to be a great initial partnership for Smith & Wesson and the state of Missouri. Hopefully we can see similar growth by more companies in the shooting sports industry throughout 2017.