Anybody got some insight to the future?

[Mike G]

I copied my post from AT to here:

First I'd like to wish Mr.Gail Martin a happy retirement that is long over due.
My dad introduced me to archery over 50 years ago and when I was taken into an archery shop to get fitted for my first recurve bow it was a Martin. Over the years for time to time I would stray to other bow manufacturers, but have always kept some Martins in the stable close at hand. I have never stopped shooting them. My backup bow for hunting has always been a Martin if not the primary bow and there have been many times I was glad I had that backup. I am so very glad that I bought a 2012 Martin Cougar FC w/Fury XT cams, I drooled over this bow for almost a year and purchased it on Dec.18th, 2012. This bow will stay with me to be handed down forever. I have two son's that I have brought up as archers too.

Thank you Mr. Gail Martin and family for the years of hard work and dedication to this great sport!

[CarlosII]

I am also surprised the family is not keeping the company, however that is their personal business and not for me to second guess. As a loyal Martin shooter for over 20 years, I just hope that whomever the new owner turns out to be will maintain the same standards of customer care and service that Martin always has. Long before I started shooting 3D tourneys and became a staff shooter (heck, before the internet was functional), I could call Martin and get them to sell me strings, quiver replacement parts, etc. direct since there was no pro shop within 2 hours of me. I made the mistake of buying a Hoyt kids bow for a nephew ONCE - received it without a cable rod, and took over 2 months going back and forth between Hoyt and the dealer to get a simple rod !

I appreciate the opportunity that I have had to represent Martin as a Silver Staff shooter for the last several years, as I have always appreciated their approach - excellent quality at a reasonable price, and their innovation.

I really hope that a shoot through system can be brought back into the line up, whether the company continues under the Martin family or an outside buyer. That system is so common sense in the elimination of cam lean, and the tuning problems that go with cam lean, that I cannot understand why everyone would not want to use it. Of course, the advertising dollars rule the sales numbers in archery, however with the Prime Centroid system, Darton's yoke system, Barnesdale's X system and now the OK Archery company essentially copying the Nitrous X cams, it would appear there is ample market demand for cam lean elimination design.

Until then, I will keep hoarding my Martin bows and NitrousX cams ;-)

There's a thread on the 3d forum here that says Martin is losing several staff shooters. Will you be staying with them on their pro staff?

[dgmeadows]

There's a thread on the 3d forum here that says Martin is losing several staff shooters. Will you be staying with them on their pro staff?

Well, first of all I am not a Pro. I have been on the Silver Staff for several years, which I tell folks means I am a "Promotional" Staff Shooter. I most recently shot Open B in the ASA format. I started "informally" representing Martin back when Jake worked there. I was converting some pre-Nitrous bows over, a 99 Fury for one, and established some rapport with Jake talking through measurements, etc. for my conversions and parts requests. I won a few local events with that rig, and also converted my daughter's Tiger to Nitrous A cams, and she won the State ASA at Junior Eagle with that. Since I was a "lone ranger" Martin shooter with no shops carrying Martin anywhere near me, Jake sent me some shirts for myself and my daughter. Once I started wearing the shirts to the events, other shooters started sending people with questions about Martin bows to me.

In the last 5 years, I have probably facilitated better than a dozen warranty issues by sending people to Joel, and have on occasion swapped out limbs for people I know since there are no Martin shops around. I hope I have been succesful in selling a few bows for Martin as well, although I am sure I would sell much more if Nitrous cams were still around, since that is what I tend to shoot and win with.

I did sign an Agreement with Martin to stay on the Silver Staff for 2013. I am far down the totem pole in priority, so I generally do not receive my staff shooter bow until later in the year, generally about April. I have my 2012 Scepter V to shoot with this year, so I am set.

Since I am not a Pro, I am not concerned about contingency money, and am not looking to find another bow company. I haven't had any big national wins, but am pretty competitive on the local circuits in North and Central Georgia, and typically win a few every year and am usually near the top in my class.

I shoot Martin for all the reasons stated in my earlier post, not because they gave me the best deal or will give me the most money if I win something. I hope they will still honor my Agreement for the coming year, and allow me to get the 2013 bow I ordered on the Silver Staff shooter terms, and I hope that, whether they sell or not, that the Martin Archery company will continue with quality folks like Joel and turn out great bows that I will be glad to promote.

I think it is a little humorous how so many people see the announcement that Martin is for sale is somehow an indication that "the business is failing." Businesses are bought and sold all the time. Sometimes things keep moving along without any dramatic changes in the product line and customer service, sometimes there are major changes. We will never know until it happens. As said above, if they do sell and no one in the family remains involved, I hope it will simply be a continuation of the current business model with some tweaks and upgrades. Hopefully it won't be a "buy the name, scrap the business" deal, but we really have no way of knowing. At present, I am still a Martin Silver Staff shooter until they tell me otherwise.

[SJunior]

I could care less as to why they are selling so much as to who buys them out. There are several companies I refuse to do business with in the archery industry.

[Mike G]

The company that I work for was sold to a large corporation in 1994. Before that it was family owned and had been around for 70+ years. It was being run by the 3rd generation, or I should say people that they put in power. The business was making them lots of money but they really were not putting back into the company and market share was starting to lag.

When the large corporation bought it I thought..."Oh no, here we go" ....

I'll tell you; it was the best thing that happened to me and the entire company.

The owners sold it to a company that they knew would grow the business and do right by it's employees, just like it had.

I am sure that the Martins will do thier best to make sure who ever does take over does right by the name.

[Chip]

The company that I work for was sold to a large corporation in 1994. Before that it was family owned and had been around for 70+ years. It was being run by the 3rd generation, or I should say people that they put in power. The business was making them lots of money but they really were not putting back into the company and market share was starting to lag.

When the large corporation bought it I thought..."Oh no, here we go" ....

I'll tell you; it was the best thing that happened to me and the entire company.

The owners sold it to a company that they knew would grow the business and do right by it's employees, just like it had.

I am sure that the Martins will do thier best to make sure who ever does take over does right by the name.

I have to agree with this, I don't think anyone gets into this business without a passion for it. I not only want to see Martin carry on and succeed for my own reasons, but for all the great people involved with the company.