November 2012
| Business World Magazine | 147
T
he National Association of Sport-
ing Goods Wholesalers (NAS-
GW) is a trade association that
provides information and promotion to the
sporting goods industry. They represent all
aspects of the sector, and their membership
is comprised of wholesalers, manufacturers,
and independent sales reps – both national
and international – all of whom are primar-
ily involved with outdoor sporting equip-
ment and accessories.
The NASGW was founded in 1953
and incorporated in 1954. The association
was originally known as the Sporting Goods
Jobbers Association, a credit recording ser-
vice. In 1962, the name changed and shortly
after manufacturers and representatives be-
came associate members. They added in-
dustry media and service providers to their
membership base two years ago.
“
We’re a relatively small industry, pri-
marily covering the outdoor sport segments,”
says President Maurice Desmarais.
Desmarais joined the association in
May 2010. He’s worked with 12 associations
over the last 35 years. He worked previously
for Smith Bucklin – a management organi-
zation servicing 230 non-profit trade asso-
ciations and professional societies. “This is
kind of a new twist for me – going to a stand-
alone group, rather than a multiple manage-
ment company,” he says.
He was drawn to the association for
its niche market and loyal membership. The
NASGW was financially sound and secured
for the future, he says. “It was just a great fit
for me. I wanted to get back to dealing with a
single organization. With this, I could focus
on a strategic plan for them and concentrat-
ing more on their issues and programs.”