Big Rock Sports opened the doors of their newly completed 310,000 square foot warehouse in Hamlet, NC on October 21st. Over 150 people gathered to celebrate the official grand opening of the Henry’s Distribution Center, which has been operational in Richmond County since May of 2009 and now employs about 150 people.
Big Rock Sports is the parent company of All Sports, AWR Sports, CSI Sports, Henry’s and MT Sports, wholesale sporting goods distribution centers located across the nation. Collectively, Big Rock Sports’ companies service more than 15,000 hunting and fishing retailers from coast to coast and internationally.
“This was just a concrete slab in November,” said Ed Small, President and CEO of Big Rock Sports. “This team has done an unbelievable job.”
“This was a big project,” Wayne Decker said. “People have referred to it as my baby, but I’m glad I didn’t have to deliver it. Today is the start of a new era for Big Rock, its vendors and its customers. This is a significant investment we’ve made in our customers, vendors and partners.”
“Everyone should be proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he said. “People ask how we ended up here and if we’ve had a hard time finding employees, but we’ve found some great people here. The people in this community are the kind of people Big Rock Sports represents. This has been a fantastic opportunity.”
County Manager Rick Sago said Big Rock Sports' distribution center represents what he thought Richmond County was perfect for all along.
“We’re the perfect place for distribution,” he said. “We’re thrilled with Big Rock Sports and what they’ve done for us.”
“This is definitely a new era in the history of Big Rock Sports and the start of a lot more to come,” Small said. “Our philosophy is a lot more than bringing in big boxes through the back door and shipping small boxes out the front.”
A tour was given immediately following the ribbon ceremony. Vendors and partners from all over the world explored the 310,000 square foot facility where designated Big Rock Sports representatives explained the operations of the automated, state of the art facility.
