ladies and gentlemen tonight we're going to hear from a great leader we all know the importance
of leadership and how our lives have been changed and bettered because of the work and contributions
of our parents and our grandparents and we all understand how we feel when we see the positive
results of our contributions and if you like me it's always good to get the perspective of a great
leader. With us tonight is perhaps the greatest, or the most qualified man in our industry,
to talk about leadership. Our guest tonight and his wife created the Friends of the NRA program
in 1992 which has raised over 200 million dollars since its inception. Our guest speaker tonight and
his wife had created the NRA roundup program which has raised nearly nine million dollars since its
inception. Our guest speaker has led his company to the new 2009 Baldrige National Quality Award,
our nation's highest presidential honor for innovation and performance excellence. He has
received the 2010 shooting industry Academy of Excellence Award for his family's contributions
to supporting the shooting sports industry. Our guest and his wife received the 2010
Conservationist of the Year award by the given by the conservation Federation of Missouri and
our guests received the 2011 National Shooting Sports Foundation highest award the Ken Sedlecky
Achievement Award. This man and his wife Brenda through their various contributions are possibly
the leading benefactors of the NRA, and I'm not so sure that we need to qualify that with possibly,
the key conservation groups and the shooting sports industry ladies and gentlemen let's think
about leadership and let's give a warm welcome to Larry Potterfield founder and CEO of MidwayUSA.
My vision, my vision for America is that we will always be the greatest nation on earth,
for the benefit of our citizens and citizens of the future and citizens of the world. We will be
first in freedom, first in democracy, first in education and productivity,
first in ethical conduct and dealings, and first in generosity. That's my vision for
America and I know you share it with me. I know I'm sorry sounds like something from
an election year speech, well the elections are this year and I can't wait till November.
I'm not running for office, but I do believe that to achieve our vision America needs the
Dallas Safari Club and America needs to invest more money in youth education. I
was nine years old when I shot my first duck, 13 for my first bobwhite quail. Turkey, deer,
elk, and elephant well they all came later. It was dad that taught me to hunt and fish
when I was just a kid. Everyone in the room can possibly tell this same story. So here I am as an
adult making and influencing important decisions that impact society today and hopefully for many
years in the future. It works the same for every adult in the room, we get our formal education as
kids hopefully we're committed to a lifetime of continuous learning and then as adults,
we make the important decisions for society. But who's going to make the important decisions
for tomorrow? Who's going to promote wildlife conservation? Who's going to promote hunting and
shooting sports? Well of course the future lies in the future decisions of the young folks that are
in school today, tomorrow's, tomorrow's leaders, and on what basis will they make those decisions.
You may have noticed that there were a lot of school-aged kids in the convention center today.
Last year at this show Brenda and I came up with the idea that there could be more school-age kids
here and that there should be more school-age kids and then we thought so what can we do.
Well we donated a little bit of money, and I guess that's all relative, to get a new
program started here at the Dallas Safari Club, "The Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience."
The idea, just an idea, was to bring a few busloads of high school kids in. Guide them
through the exhibit hall, wow, feed them lunch and give them a formal wildlife conservation
message. Wouldn't that be great and holy cow if you could pull it off well the Dallas Safari
Club folks have been really really busy. Today they brought in four hundred, four hundred high
school kids toured them through the exhibit hall, fed them lunch, and let let them listen to some
of the foremost wildlife conservationists of our day. The idea became a plan and the
plan became a working program. Brenda and I spoke to these kids for a few minutes today. I
asked them that they had Facebook pages, that was a trick question of course, they just all raised
their hands. Then I asked them to take lots of pictures and post them all over everywhere
in their social circles. To talk with their parents about their experience. I don't know
how many other people these four hundred kids will communicate with but the word viral is a pretty
good word as we spread the story of wildlife conservation and hunting and shooting sports.
And Dallas Safari Club is going to do this next year and next year, and next year, and forever.
If there are any financial people in the audience, financial people, that's accountants and financial
people and stockbrokers and stuff like that. I'd like to ask for you to calculate the net
present value of this Youth Wildlife Conservation experience, it must be a grand number. Brenda and
I, believe that this program will change the future of America and we congratulate Dallas
Safari Club for this successful launch in the year 2012, happy new year indeed.
I know that many of you will have the opportunity that can to attend the conventions of the Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation in Las Vegas the National Wild Turkey Federation meeting in Nashville wild
sheep Foundation in Reno and Mule Deer in Salt Lake City. You will see more kids in
these conventions than ever before because each of these sister organizations has also developed
a program to offer a youth wildlife conservation experience beginning this year. For Brenda and I,
seeing this exciting program get off the ground is very very rewarding and
we think the Dallas Safari Club for being a partner and for launching this gargantuan
effort. Now before I close, I want to switch topics just for a moment
and talk to you about this gold jacket. Perhaps you've heard this story before.
The NRA gave gold jackets to Brenda and I, frankly because we give them a lot of money and I wear it
here tonight for you hoping you will do the same. American needs the National Rifle Association.
Now when I spoke about my vision for America a few minutes ago my last point was generosity.
Generosity with time and generosity with money. Frankly, if you have one or the other consider
yourself fortunate. I met a man tonight that I think has both. I congratulate him he's the
only man I ever met that had both time and money. If you share my vision for America I
ask you to join Brenda and I and share your time and money with those organizations and
programs that will change the future to help ensure that America will always be the greatest
nation on earth. I'm Larry Potterfield with MidwayUSA and that's the way it is.