ATA History

The Archery Trade Association was conceived during the 1947 National Archery Tournament in Salt Lake City as an organization to harness the energies of the archery industry to ensure its long-term survival.

The trade group was originally called AMADA, for Archery Manufacturers and Dealers Association. Its goals were to establish product standards for the industry, and to promote the bowhunting and target-archery markets. Larry Whiffen Sr. of Milwaukee, a member of the Archery Hall of Fame, was elected the organization’s first president when AMADA was incorporated in Iowa on April 22, 1954. Whiffen was a contemporary of legendary bowhunters like Fred Bear, Howard Hill and Ben Pearson. Before dying in 1960 at age 59, Whiffen’s passion for archery helped make AMADA a success.

In the 1970s, the AMO office affiliated with the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) in West Palm Beach, Fla. SGMA provided a staff member to be the AMO’s part-time office manager.

In 1994 the AMO nominated and included archery dealers as voting members on its Board of Directors. The AMO logo remained the same, but the group’s name was changed to Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization. At the same time, the organization created its Dealers Council. The Council’s chair has a permanent seat on the Board of Directors to ensure archery dealers have a voice in the organization. At the same time, a Sales Representative Committee was formed, and its chair also has a seat on the Board of Directors.

When Lattimer retired in 2000, the board named Jay McAninch to replace him as president and CEO. McAninch took over Aug. 1, 2000, and soon closed the AMO’s Gainesville office. He began running the organization from his home office near Washington, D.C. This allows him to work closely with the lawmakers and national organizations to promote and protect archery and bowhunting. Over the next few years, McAninch hired staff and built an organization with offices around the country, including a main business and trade-show office in Salt Lake City.

McAninch was the first “outsider” to run the organization. Pete Shepley, founder and president of Precision Shooting Equipment, was one of several Board members who thought the sport’s greatest innovations often came from outsiders, and that it was time to take that approach with the organization’s top officer. With McAninch’s hiring, the AMO become a service-oriented trade association whose primary mission was to support the archery and bowhunting industry and ensure its future.

As part of its new mission and vision, the AMO became the Archery Trade Association in late 2002. The ATA also incorporated two nonprofit foundations, ArrowSport and the Bowhunting Preservation Alliance, to create independent links to those interested in growing archery while protecting and promoting bowhunting. In 2007, the ATA merged the two foundations into one entity, which operates as a nonprofit effort to grow archery and bowhunting.

In 2004 the ATA launched initiatives to work with state wildlife agencies as an investment partner. In addition to support the archery industry provides states through Federal Excise Taxes on archery equipment, the ATA also facilitates partnerships with states to recruit and retain archers and bowhunters. These efforts include building archery shooting facilities, especially in urban and suburban areas.

As part of its cooperative work with state agencies, ATA launched the Community Archery Programs (CAP) in 2006. This strategy promotes archery in urban areas as a recreational activity equal to other sports enjoyed by most Americans. ATA’s CAP grants have helped develop shooting facilities, including archery parks and indoor/outdoor shooting centers. These facilities help promote introductory archery programs, primarily NASP, although the ATA also works to establish After School Archery Programs, Explore Bowhunting, the Junior Olysmpic Archery Development Program, and other archery programs nationwide.

The Archery Trade Association chooses Matt Kormann of Marietta, Georgia, as its next president/CEO, after a nationwide hunt led by an executive search firm.

Kormann stood out to the ATA Board of Directors’ CEO search committee for his business acumen, diverse experience, and passion for archery. Kormann’s daughter is a compound-bow archer and has competed nationally and internationally in 3D and target archery; and Kormann is a certified archery instructor and judge who traveled over 4,000 miles in recent months to support his daughter in competition.

Kormann, excited to combine his work ethic and love of archery to serve the ATA’s membership, said “My first responsibility is to listen and learn, so that we can design a strategy that will support our members’ goals while continuing to strengthen the ATA.”

ATA launches the Archery Academy as part of its Community Archery Strategy. The Archery Academy focuses on Parks and Recreation agencies and trains their staff as Level 2 instructors in an effort to embed archery in local communities. Equipment is provided to outfit the parks that have long term implementation plans.

Beginning with the 2011 ATA Trade Show, all attendees were required to be a member, eliminating the option for non-members to attend or exhibit. 2011 also marked 10 years that the ATA Trade Show revenues have helped grow archery and bowhunting. The model serves as a revenue generator to fund archery programs and since the model was adopted, ATA-member benefits have invested more than $15 million in programs to grow the industry and archery sports.

The ATA creates the Archery Park Guide that teaches how to build an attractive, fully functional archery park, and includes information on costs, park amenities and risk management. Many pro shop owners use the guide to create well rounded archery ranges in or near their store. This 41 page guide is downloadable for free on archerytradest.wpengine.com.

To grow awareness of the Release Your Wild campaign and Archery360, the ATA ran an “archery showdown” between 2 youtube influencers. Brittani Louise Taylor and Dude Perfect created videos that viewers voted on. Dude Perfect’s Archery Trick Shots was the viral video of the week in November and has since garnered well over 50 million views between youtube and Facebook.

The ATA starts offering Level 1 and Level 2 Certification at the Trade show which is tailored to meet retailer’s needs and offers an opportunity to do this without taking more time away from their shops.

The 2016 ATA Trade Show marked the 20^th year of Trade Show which boosted 228,900 net square feet of exhibit space and a record attendance of 9,599 individuals. These metrics ranked the 2016 ATA Trade Show #84 in the Trade Show Executive’s Top 100 Trade Shows.

Through collaboration with ATA Members and our outreach partners, Bowhunting 360 is introduced to give consumers tools needed to bowhunt, regardless of their level of experience and knowledge.

The Retail Council is reinstated to provide guidance and support to the organization’s retail members. The Retail Council is led by members of the ATA Board of Directors, and meets weekly to discuss pressing issues related to the ATA’s strategic planning efforts.

ATA’s member resources grew to help members combat current industry challenges, including support for FET, MAP and Counterfeit issues. These initiatives lead to the publication of the FET Guidelines for the Archery Industry, permitted ATA logo use on product packaging to battle counterfeiting and MAP policy library.

The ATA starts offering S3DA certification at the Trade Show for already Level 2 certified instructors.

ATA signed the hunting and shooting R3 partnership agreement with the USFWS, USDA, CAHSS, AFWA and NSSF.

ATA launched its new brand, which includes new vision and mission statements.

ATA created the “ATA Roundup: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)” web page on the ATA’s website to serve as a hub for helpful links, articles and updates pertaining to COVID-19 and how it affects ATA members. ATA supplied multiple resources in response to COVID-19 including a kids activity book, business cleaning guidelines, information on how to apply for a small business loan, and updates on the Paycheck Protection Program.

ATA assembled a diversity, equity and inclusion committee that will identify and develop strategies to make the industry more inclusive and equitable for people of any race, gender, ability and background. The committee includes two ATA staff members and six representatives from the archery and bowhunting community.

ATA announced the cancellation of the in-person 2021 ATA Trade Show. Despite the combined efforts of the ATA Board of Directors, staff and the city of Indianapolis, the ATA Board of Directors made the tough decision to cancel the in-person Show, which was scheduled to take place Jan. 7-9, 2021, in Indianapolis. ATA 2021 moved online. The COVID-19 pandemic required the ATA to change course and shift the Show to a virtual platform. The ATA vowed to offer Show specials, education sessions and sponsorship opportunities that members have come to expect.