Bass Pro Shops

Bass Pro was started in 1971 by a man named Johnny Morris, a fisherman that was tired of not being able to get good fishing tackle at local stores. He got the idea after a family trip to Maine where Johnny visited an L.L. Bean store. He figured ‘if a store like that could get people to come to Maine why not Missouri.’ (O”Donnell 2009) He would drive around the country looking for premium fishing tackle that he could find to fill his U-haul trailer with to sell. He would bring his new found fishing tackle back to his home in Springfield, Missouri where he set up shop in his dad’s liquor store. His dad’s liquor store was a popular stopping spot on the way to the Ozark’s famous bass lakes. The anglers had such great success that they started to call when they got back home asking for more of his tackle. So in 1974, he printed and mailed the first Bass Pro Shops catalogues. Johnny introduced the first professionally rigged boat including motor and trailer in 1978. His fishing-ready boat ‘package’ revolutionized the marine industry, which is why there are boat showrooms in every Bass Pro Shops store. Bass Pro Shops headquarters is located in Springfield, Missouri and has about sixty Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World stores located throughout the United States and Canada serving over 75 million sportsmen a year. Each store sells boats, firearms, equipment and apparel for most outdoor activities. According to the Bass Pro Shops website the company’s’ mission statement is “to be the leading merchant of outdoor recreational products inspiring people to love, enjoy, and conserve the great outdoors.” The company’s first Outdoor World was built in 1981 in Springfield and is the states largest tourist attraction. They also have an 850 acre resort in Branson, Missouri called Big Cedar Lodge in the Ozark Mountains. This is an attraction to many hunters and fishermen, as well as people just looking to boat, ski, hike, or just get away from it all. In 2011 it had 18,000