July 3, 2025

Making the Most of Industry Events: Advice from Jay Reis on Turning Conversations into Construction

How Focused Events and NSSF Membership Fuel Growth and Customer Connections

For range builders who want to stand out, it’s not just about walls, bullet traps or blueprints; it’s about building a brand, understanding your customer and designing with long-term efficiency in mind. That’s the philosophy behind Rushing Ranges that has leveraged its relationship with NSSF to grow faster and smarter and according to their team, few events create more focused and productive engagement than NSSF’s Range-Retailer Business Expo^®.

We caught up with Jay Reis from Rushing Ranges during the NSSF Range-Retailer Business Expo to talk about smart range design, brand-driven strategy and how focused events like the Expo help connect with serious decision-makers.

Why This Event Hits the Bull’s-eye

Events like SHOT Show^® offer major visibility, but for Rushing Ranges, the Range-Retailer Business Expo delivers something different and just as important: targeted access to end users actively planning range expansions, renovations or new builds.

“The Expo has become a staple in our marketing and advertising,” Reis shared. “It’s almost exclusively our demographic people expanding retail into ranges or looking to upgrade what they’ve already built. That’s our core audience.”

With shorter programming and a quieter, more focused setting, the Expo opens the door to deeper, more meaningful conversations.

“At SHOT Show, there’s a lot going on. People are overloaded and it takes a while to cut through all the excitement,” Reis noted. “Here, we get that one-on-one time. We can walk clients through the data, explain the process and talk about long-term goals.”

From Connection to Acceleration: The Power of NSSF Membership

Beyond the booth space and exposure, Rushing Ranges credits NSSF membership with fueling much of its growth over the last decade.

“Being a member of NSSF has catapulted our business. I don’t think we would have had the relationships or the quick growth that we did over the past 12 years if it wasn’t for that partnership.”

Through events, member resources and industry networking, Rushing Ranges has found a like-minded community that values innovation, sustainability and customer-centered design.

Access the NSSF Portal Become an NSSF Member

Want to Reach the Right Customers and Partners?

If you’re looking to grow your business in the firearm range or retail space, start where the right conversations are happening at the Range-Retailer Business Expo.

This year’s event returns July 15–17, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and brings together the people who are building the future of the shooting sports industry.