| Type | Sporting goods |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Headquarters | Fargo, North Dakota |
| Number of locations | 24 |
| Key people | Steve D. Scheel, CEO |
| Products | Apparel, sports equipment, shoes, exercise equipment |
| Website | http://www.scheelssports.com/ |
Scheels All Sports is a privately held, employee owned and operated sporting goods and entertainment chain store headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. Scheels operates 24 store locations in nine U.S. states. Their slogan is Gear. Passion. Sports.
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Three acres of potatoes were the seed for the first Scheels store in 1902[1]. Frederick A. Scheel, a German immigrant, used the $300 he earned from his first harvest of potatoes as the down payment on the first Scheels, a small hardware and general merchandise store in Sabin, Minnesota.
Firmly planted in the hardware business, Scheels started adding a small selection of sporting goods to their stores in the year of 1954. Customer interest grew, and more and more sports lines were added with athletic shoes and clothing being introduced in the Scheels product mix in 1972.
Over the years, Scheels opened in surrounding communities, including Fargo, North Dakota, where the corporate office and the second largest all sports store in the world are now located. Scheels' first all sports superstore opened in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1989.
CEO Steve D. Scheel, great-grandson of Frederick A. Scheel, oversees the company of over 4,000 associates. His son, Steve M. Scheel, is the company's president and has been working for Scheels since 1989.
Scheels owns and operates 24 stores in nine U.S. states[2]. Scheels can be found in Springfield, Illinois. In Iowa, Cedar Falls, Coralville, Sioux City, West Des Moines, and Waterloo. In Minnesota, stores are located in Eden Prairie, Mankato, Moorhead, and St. Cloud. Montana has two locations, in Billings and Great Falls. Nebraska is home to Scheels in Lincoln and Omaha. At 295,000 square feet (27,400 m2), the store in Sparks, Nevada is both the largest Scheels store and the largest all sports store in the world[3].
Corporate headquarters is located in Fargo, North Dakota along with two stores, one traditional all sports store, and a store focusing on home and hardware store that is now in the old sports store after being in its University Ave. location since 1962. All sports stores are also located in Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot. Stores can also be found in Rapid City, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Scheels is also located in Appleton and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. On June 25th, 2011, a new Scheels location opened in Springfield, Illinois. Another all sports store is planned for Kansas City, Kansas' Village West.
Scheels Outfitters is a premium brand exclusive to Scheels. Since its conception in 1902, Scheels has outfitted the outdoors enthusiast with everything from camping equipment to hunting clothing. Merchandise is designed for field experts by Scheels Experts[4].
Scheels carries a large selection of products, sportswear, and footwear, including a number of top brands in the sporting goods industry like Nike, The North Face, Adidas, Under Armour, Asics, Columbia, Browning, Benelli, Kelty, Garmin, and Lowrance.
Scheels Experts[5] are Scheels associates who train, teach, and participate in the activities of their expertise areas. They are passionate about their particular activities, staying current on new technology, trends, and techniques that allow them to recommend products tailored to customers' needs.
Scheels Experts not only receive ongoing classroom training, but also have the opportunity to participate in a special internal program called "Scheels University." These continuing education and hands-on training sessions are held throughout the year, often in the outdoor settings where they can personally test and study new products in the sporting goods industry.
Scheels' CEO, Steve Scheel, is an active supporter of Tea Party and Republican causes (virtually all recipients of his campaign donations[6] are members of the Republican Party, including Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and George W. Bush ), and has been known to use his company to promote them. In September 2009, Scheel hosted a Tea Party rally at his flagship store in Fargo, ND.[7] The increasingly visible activism has led to calls from some individuals to avoid patronizing Scheels stores.[8]
Scheels actively supports the communities in which they operate by providing financial resources, educational opportunities, and leadership when needed.
Association Support: Scheels supports many sporting associations and non-profit agencies, including: United Way, Salvation Army, Special Olympics, American Cancer Society, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Ducks Unlimited, National Rifle Association, Pheasants Forever, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Whitetails Unlimited.
Community Outreach and Volunteerism: Scheels and its associates volunteer in their communities through organizations such as United Way and Meals on Wheels.
Athletics: Scheels supports all types of athletics by sponsoring teams and leagues throughout their respective communities.
Education: Scheels helps students explore learning outside the classroom by hosting field trips and other learning opportunities to schools in communities that host Scheels stores. Scheels also contributes by donating to local schools' general funds and creating college scholarships.
Conservation: Scheels Associates and Experts are involved with teaching and building awareness for sports they participate in. From Hunting and Boater Safety classes to The Refuge Garden Project and youth fishing outings, Scheels provides many opportunities to learn about the outdoors.