Cabela's CEO reflects on successes

The head of Cabela’s began his remarks during Wednesday’s annual meeting of shareholders by celebrating the company’s roots.

Tommy Millner, Cabela’s CEO, thanked the City of Sidney, Cheyenne County and local businesses for “making this city and this county the greatest place in the world that we could run our company.”

Minutes later, a lengthy round of applause sounded at Sidney High School, where the gathering was held, after Millner introduced Mary Cabela.

Throughout the past year, Cabela had been present at many store openings, the CEO said. He added he couldn’t put into words the power of having the company’s cofounder speak about Cabela’s culture to employees at new stores.

A year-in-review video was also shown, beginning with a tribute to Dick Cabela – Mary’s husband and company cofounder – who died last year.

The video highlighted accomplishments achieved in 2014 and celebrated the opening of 14 new stores – including the first locations in four states.

Millner said there were many exciting happenings within the company during the past year, but acknowledged it was also the most challenging in nearly a decade.

“Cabela’s, and the whole industry, struggled with normalizing firearms,” he said.

However, by the end of year, ammunition and gun sales were up, and despite the challenges, the company finished the year stronger than it had entered, he added.

Cabela’s has more than doubled its number of retail stores in six years, and there are plans to open 13 more this year.

New store models have led to significantly increased sales and profits per square foot, he remarked.

“We have a profitable model to build out in the next decade,” Millner said.

The CEO also highlighted the company’s efforts to reach consumers on their own terms – increasingly meaning on handheld and mobile devices, such as tablets and mobile phones.

In the past year, access of Cabela’s web and social media sites has shifted from desktop computers to tablets and handheld devices by nearly 10 percent.

“When we get back together next year, there’s no telling how much desktop has fallen,” he added.

Millner praised the company’s employees for Cabela’s success.

“Our culture continues to be fantastic,” he said. “We continue to export that culture all over North America.”

As an example, he highlighted new stores in Alaska and New Brunswick.

“From my chair, we have the best people in the industry,” he said.

The Cabela’s annual meeting of shareholders came just one day after the company announced plans to hire 50 new employees in Sidney.

According to a media release issued Tuesday, the positions will include full- and part-time work in customer service at the contact center.

“These contact-center positions can be a starting point to a rewarding career in Sidney,” Kari Hume, director of customer relations, said in the release. “This is a great opportunity to get to know our company, our customers and our products.”

Customer service is a legacy of Cabela’s, Hume added.

“And the people in our contact centers taking orders and answering customer questions are important team members who help us maintain and build this legacy,” she said.