Gun Dog Supply has completed its relocation to Mathiston, according to President Steve Snell.
“We’re functional now,” he said Monday, announcing that GDS began operating out of its new headquarters in the former Red Kap building on Friday.
The family-owned business announced last spring it had chosen that building on U.S. 82 in Mathiston as the new site for its company headquarters and e-fulfillment center. The company had been based in Starkville since 1999, most recently on Industrial Park Road.
“It’s been a good experience for us,” Snell told the Eupora Rotary Club on March 27 about the relocation process. “We’re just excited about it.” He praised the assistance and cooperation the company has received from the town of Mathiston, Webster County and The Enterprise of Mississippi.
GDS is a leading online retailer of dog training equipment such as e-collars, leads and leashes, containment systems and doghouses. Although its gear is primarily intended for hunting dogs, Snell said many of it customers buy supplies for their pets.
The company was founded by Warner and Anne Snell in 1972 in Ridgeland as a mail-order catalog business, and transformed into an e-commerce building in 1997 launching gundogsupply.com. Their sons, Snell and his brother, Rob, run the company today, with Rob handling the company’s website.
“We’re a mail-order company that sells very specialized products,” Steve Snell explained to Rotarians.
He said GDS has 300 suppliers and wants to do some manufacturing as it gets settled in.
The company has about 55 employees, including 10-11 from Webster County, according to Snell. He said he expected to keep the majority of his staff, and that some employees will be added gradually.
“We’re very customer focused and employee focused,” he told Rotarians. “I keep the same crew year-round.”
The 73,000-square-foot facility in Mathiston is located on about 20 acres. Although 35,000-40,000 square feet is sitting idle, “Everything in the building has been rehabbed,” Snell pointed out.
The building, which had been vacant for years, had to be gutted and a number of structural changes were made, according to Snell. He said the building has all-LED lighting along with an efficient heating and cooling system through the assistance of the Tennessee Valley Authority. It also has a dedicated video studio in which Snell produces videos demonstrating new products that are posted on the company’s website.
Snell was accompanied at the Rotary meeting by Michael “Bubba” Freed, human resources supervisor and general counsel.
