According to Zanders Sporting Goods General Manager Stefanie Zanders, solid beginnings helped the company become the leading wholesale distributor it is today. “My grandfather, Glenn Zanders, founded Glenn Zanders Fur and Sporting Goods in 1962,” she said. “He started selling, buying and trading furs, along with guns, knives and hunting supplies. Through word of mouth and loyal customers, the business flourished and grew into Zanders Sporting Goods, a household name in the hunting industry.”
The company remapped its distribution channel and went wholesale more than 30 years ago. “Zanders continued expanding its product lines and customer base until 1982,” Zanders continued. “At that time, the decision was made to move from the retail sector to wholesale. Since then, we’ve been honoring our dealer-support commitment and outfitting the shooting and hunting industries with the market’s best products.”
Zanders Sporting Goods’ growth and commitment to excellence requires an efficient, team-oriented atmosphere. That said, the company’s Sparta, Illinois, wholesale-distribution facility employs a sizeable team. “We employ approximately 100 workers between two warehouse shifts,” Zanders said.
Zanders also mentioned several popular products in its catalog offerings. “Horton’s new Storm RDX and Legend Ultra-Lite have been really popular crossbows,” she said. “TenPoint recently purchased the naming rights and licenses to Horton crossbows, and they’ve really rebranded the company. We’re proud to offer Horton crossbows.”
Lighted nocks have recently grown in popularity, and Clean-Shot Archery’s lighted nocks deliver the features and performance hunters demand. “These nocks boast an easy-off design with a practice-mode setting,” Zanders said. “The universal-fit bushings mean dealers no longer have to carry countless SKUs — they’re compatible with most modern shafts.
“Dead Ringer’s Freak Extreme crossbow broadhead offers a new hybrid design for maximum penetration and cuts in both open and closed positions,” Zanders continued. “It’s been tested with crossbows shooting 400 feet per second without premature deployment.
“Finally, HHA’s Optimizer Lite King Pin — a new single-pin sight featuring a unique sight-tape system accurate to 100 yards — comes with a sight-tape magnifier and interchangeable wheels for quick change when using multiple arrow-weight combinations. It’s a great seller.”
Zanders Sporting Goods continues seeking ways to serve its customers efficiently. “We’re always growing and extending our business scope,” Zanders said. “Just five years after moving to our new automated distribution facility, we’ve doubled our warehouse space to 150,000 square feet. That helps us house more inventory to better serve our customers. Additionally, we’ve invested heavily in the technical and automation processes to help move products through the warehouse more efficiently with fewer discrepancies.”
