U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Stag Arms LLC (“Stag” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new President as well as its new location.
Stag’s Board of Directors today announced that Chad Larsen has been appointed Stag’s President effective immediately. The Company also announced that it will be relocating to Cheyenne, WY, by the end of the year. In June, the Company disclosed its decision to move from Stag’s former headquarters in New Britain, CT, and accordingly initiated a national search for a new location.
In making today’s announcement, Elie Azar, Founder and CEO of White Wolf Capital, LLC, which owns a controlling interest in Stag Arms, said: “We decided it was time to do a complete refresh of the Company. We needed to solve for three things: visionary customer-centric leadership, a business-friendly, pro-growth economic environment, and a cultural climate that reflects Stag’s brand image of independence and free spiritedness. I am pleased to report that we have found a solution that hits all these points.”
To find a new location for the Company, Stag’s Board of Directors conducted a rigorous process comparing dozens of potential sites against a stringent set of criteria. “Cheyenne came out on top on most of the individual criteria,” said Azar, “and considering our requirements as a whole, it was by far the superior site. Not only is Wyoming an incredibly hospitable place to do business, it is also a top destination for outdoor recreation, including hunting and shooting sports, which reflects its citizens’ unwavering support for the Second Amendment.”
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, upon learning of Stag’s decision to relocate to his state, issued the following statement:
“I am pleased to welcome Stag Arms to Wyoming and to know that our state came out on top of a broad look at potential new homes for the sought-after company. We have a deep-seated commitment to the Second Amendment that I will continue to uphold. Ultimately, Stag Arms had to make a business decision and I believe this announcement is an affirmation that Wyoming is continuing to cultivate a culture that allows private enterprise to flourish. My administration will work collaboratively with the Wyoming Business Council and Cheyenne LEADS to ensure Stag’s move goes smoothly. I thank Stag’s Board of Directors and Chad Larsen for selecting Wyoming.”
Stag began working with Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development organization for Cheyenne and Laramie County, in June of this year after they reached out offering their assistance. LEADS assisted with site location, workforce evaluation and navigating the community.
Stag’s decision to relocate to Wyoming follows similar recent moves by other firearms companies, most notably Weatherby and Magpul. In addition to being firearm-friendly and outdoor-oriented, Wyoming has been very proactive in its efforts to attract high- skilled/high-paying manufacturing jobs to the state. Communities like Cheyenne have invested significantly in recent years in skilled- training capabilities.
Chad Larsen comes to Stag from Aero Precision, LLC, a leading manufacturer of AR-15 components located in Tacoma, WA, where he spent the last six years leading new product development. Azar noted, “Chad’s innovative genius with the Modern Sporting Rifle platform stems from his personal emersion in the shooting and hunting community. He knows what customers want—and what they don’t—because he is one of them.” Mr. Larsen is both an avid hunter and a registered 3-Gun, Multi-gun and USPSA competitor.
Mr. Larsen added, “I am both honored and humbled to have been selected to lead the charge to revitalize this iconic brand. The Stag team and I are totally committed to continuing Stag’s legacy of innovation—for example, we were the first AR platform to manufacture left-handed rifles—as well as continue our pledge of being 100% made in the United States.” Mr. Larsen succeeds Anthony Ash who was president of Stag since 2016.
Stag has begun the process of relocating all of its operations to Cheyenne and plans to be fully settled in its new accommodations in the upcoming months.
Some people wonder why we’re the least populous state in the Union. We like to think it’s not because of the weather, it’s because we’re selective.
Welcome to Stag Arms and the fine people they’ll bring with them to the Cowboy State.
Great move! Can’t imagine how, or why, a company would want to do business in a state like Connecticut. Let’s hope we don’t run out of states like Wyoming to live and work as free people!
@Gindy – Unfortunately most of the free states have small population, which also seems to be a requirement for staying free. As such, they do not carry much weight in national elections. So at some point, it may not matter whether your state believes in freedom – as tyrannical states could succeed at expanding their policies at the federal level.
I imagine this is a great move for StagArms – but simultaneously believe companies should be free to make business decisions based on economics rather than politics.
Ruger still has its headquarters in CT; however, their manufacturing plants are in New Hampshire, Arizona, and South Carolina! Connecticut, like too many states today, has fallen from what America’s states once advocated, Liberty and FREEDOM! Sadly, Connecticut’s nickname as “The Constitution State” is simply an oxymoron.
Another established company that provided Good jobs and tax revenue to this worthless state, gone. With some of the highest taxes in the country, stupid politicians spend taxpayer money on unnecessary projects and ignoring the real issues. Taxes, corruption, voter fraud and big mouth dems have been pushing hardworking people away by the thousands every year. It’s sad, this is a truly a beautiful state and most of my family is here, even worse the rest of my family is in California. Three of the states I have been looking at have recently been taken off my list and it… Read more »
@Stuck – My family is finally out of California, though I still have to make a few trips to wrap up business there. Unfortunately visiting has not become any more firearm friendly – tough bringing firearms to Maryland, DC or Denmark and even tougher to return from heaven. So still disarmed when I visit family, and silent on the matter when they visit me.
I have the (dis)pleasure of being in CT regularly. Barring a few very wealthy enclaves, the State is quite obviously in deep sh!t. Nothing but depressed old mill towns with nothing happening economically. Sad really.
Now Savage needs to make the same move
“….business-friendly, pro-growth economic environment, and a cultural climate that reflects Stag’s brand image of independence and free-spiritedness.”
I would hope that those requirements remain in Wyoming. Do be aware that if very many of those ‘liberal’ minded CT types followed you to Wyoming, without leaving their liberal mindset at the border, it will be just a matter of time before the same unwelcome, anti-gun, agenda invades that state!
Chances are slim that anyone working for Stag Arms, making guns, would have the backward anti-2A beliefs, even from the blue state of CT..
Are they just moving their headquarters or the entire manufacturing?
“the Company disclosed its decision to move from Stag’s former headquarters in New Britain, CT”
A Company can have their headquarters in one place and manufacturing someplace else, like Beretta who moved manufacturing to Tennessee but left headquarters in Maryland.
PTR Industries moved their entire operation to Aynor, SC a couple years ago.
@Ryben Flynn. Understand what you’re saying. It takes time to move mfg…you can move HQ fairly fast to send a message. Packing up equipment (or buying more equipment), building a production facility, and hiring new precision workers is not an overnight thing. A good example is Henry. NJ has been becoming increasingly hostile to gun makers. However, Henry’s CEO’s family has deep ties to the state and gun making there. A few years ago they set up a facility in Rice Lake, WI to build parts for them. That facility has slowly ramped up and now does a lot of… Read more »
Big thumbs up to Stag Arms for moving from a place that despises them to a place of appreciation.
All arms manufactures in 2A hostile states should do the same and vote with their tax and employment generating feet. Hopefully current employees will see the value in following the company west.
Glad to see the gun manufacturers moving from the democommunist states to a free American state, just with it was Ohio….
Smart move there Stag (snarc). Move to where you are as far from 80% of your market as possible. Say, what about all those weather interruptions in the winter for your shipments that your customers will have to endure waiting for your products just to leave your new state’s part of the country.
Since manufacturers ship to distributors, who store product in their warehouses, not individuals there is no issue with shipment delays.
Assclown or troll, which you be douchnozzle?