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Academy Sports + Outdoors

Type	Sporting goods, Private
Founded	San Antonio,USA (1938)
Headquarters	Harris County, Texas, USA
Key people	Max Gochman Founder David Gochman, Chairman, CEO Rodney Faldyn, President
Industry	Retail
Products	Discount stores
Revenue	▲ US $1.8 billion, (2007)
Net income	▲ US $65.0 million, (2005)
Employees	Over 11,000
Website	www.academy.com

Academy Sports and Outdoors (sometimes Academy Sports + Outdoors) is a sports goods discount store chain. It is a privately held company owned by the Gochman family, with David Gochman as the company's current Chairman and CEO. Academy is one of the largest sporting goods stores in the US, operating 114 stores (as of June 2009) across the southeastern United States. Academy Sports and Outdoors has its corporate offices and product distribution center in unincorporated western Harris County, Texas, United States, near Katy.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Business 3 Stores 4 Locations 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

In 1938, founder Max Gochman started the Academy Tire Co. in San Antonio, Texas. Eventually, in 1956, he moved the business to Austin, Texas, started selling military surplus supplies, and changed the name to Academy Super Surplus. It was during this time that he expanded to four stores. Max's son Arthur opened six Academy Super Surplus stores in Houston, Texas in 1973.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1980s Academy started selling sporting good supplies, as Arthur retired from practicing law (1984) and become more hands on in developing the business. By 1990, Academy expanded into the store that it is today. Arthur stepped down from the role of CEO in 1997, remaining with the company while at the same time handing the reins over to his son, David Gochman.^[2]

In 2007, Academy was the 226th ranked private company in terms of gross revenue, according to Forbes Magazine.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Business

Academy stores have six departments:

• Team Sports (Including the Golf Shop and Fitness Flat)
• Footwear
• Camping (Including patio furniture and cooking supplies)
• Hunting and Fishing (Including firearm sales, boating, and truck and trailer accessories. Academy is the second largest distributor of firearms in the US.)
• Apparel
• Front End (Cash Registers, including hunting and fishing license sales at select registers)

The company ensures good customer service by training associates when they are first hired, as well as through department specific training modules throughout the employee's career at Academy. Academy is one of the major sports and outdoors stores in the nation even with a little over 100 stores in the south and southeast regions of the US. Academy suscribes to the volume discount business model. Low prices drive the company's business strategy.

[edit] Stores

Academy stores are generally painted white on outside, with familiar red and blue signage. On the inside, they are similarly painted white, giving stores an open, clean appearance. With over 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²), the floor plan in all stores are similar. Walking into the store, team sports and footwear are on the left wall, camping on the back wall, hunting and fishing on the right wall, apparel in the middle and the registers on the front wall, leading to the exit. Many stores feature a small putting green to test out putters on in its Golf Shop.

[edit] Locations

Academy operates stores in 11 states:

• Alabama (7)
• Arkansas (3)
• Florida (1)
• Georgia (3)
• Louisiana (13)
• Mississippi (2)
• Missouri (1)
• Oklahoma (5)
• Tennessee (2)
• Texas (72)
• South Carolina (1)

[edit] References

• Company Information
• Academy.com Find a Store
• Forbes.com article (2007)
• Answers.com article

[edit] External links

• Official site