How Centerfire Shooting Sports Achieved 5 Star Shooting Range Status

Centerfire Shooting Sports is proud to be a member of The Firearm Industry Trade Association which is organized by The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). The NSSF sets the standard for 3 – 5 star ratings of shooting ranges across the USA. A gun range facility that can achieve a 5 star rating means they are the gold standard of the industry by proving their advancements and focus on firearm business best practices.

Many patrons of shooting ranges do not realize how much is involved with obtaining a 5 star classification. A 5 star range must exceed all expectations of a standard shooting range facility.

The NSSF states that:

“To meet NSSF’s criteria of a Five Star facility, a range must demonstrate excellence in all aspects of management and operations. Ranges are rated on appearance, management, customer service, amenities, customer development and community relations.”

Centerfire Shooting Sports has met the highest rating and criteria for this prestigious 5 star rating. Centerfire Shooting Sports has been a 5 Star facility since the first year we opened in 2012. The 5 star rating is valid for 5 years and Centerfire Shooting Sports was again awarded a renewed 5 star rating when the time came for the original rating to expire.

Here are the areas in which Centerfire Shooting Sports was scrutinized and how we became the only 5 star indoor shooting range in all of Kansas. View all of the details taken into consideration for this top honor.

Signage

 

 

Having clear and professional signage is an important part of any business. Both exterior and interior signage is judged and required to meet the minimum standards. However having additional prominent signage that puts us above the competition has made us stand out above other shooting ranges in Kansas.

  • Exterior signage must be clearly an prominently visible from the road.
  • We have a “Range Rules” sign that is clearly posted.
  • A welcome sign is required along with an open sign.
  • The store hours of operation are prominently posted.
  • When you leave we even have a “Thanks for Coming” sign posted.

Facility Exterior

 

The exterior of Centerfire Shooting Sports needed to be professionally landscaped and manicured. The parking lot and curb appeal were also factors for being selected for a 5 star rating.

  • Building Exterior
  • Windows
  • Grounds clean up
  • Regular maintenance policy
  • Walkways and curbs
  • Landscaping
  • Driveway and parking lot
  • Parking lot lighting

Facility Interior

 

 

Upon entering Centerfire Shooting Sports you will enter our retail gun store where you can purchase a variety of shooting sports apparel, ammunition, accessories, and of course firearms. From the front door to the firing lanes you are greeted with a smile in a friendly and clean atmosphere.

  • Building interior
  • Lounge furniture
  • Interior cleaning policy
  • Wall artwork
  • Interior lighting
  • Firing line and target area lighting
  • Regular maintenance policy

Corporate Technology

Centerfire Shooting Sports employs the latest technology from our point of sale system, phone system, and firing range safety, to our mobile friendly website and ecommerce store where customers can sign up for one of our many classes, courses, and shooting experiences.

  • Electronic Point-of-sale (POS) system
  • Electronic bound book
  • Corporate email accounts
  • Personal greeting/voicemail and auto attendant service
  • Professional Website
  • Electronic hold-harmless/liability waiver
  • Description of business practices related to updating business website

Financial Awareness and Compliance

Proof of strong business practices show that a company is not only fiscally responsible, but also responsible for the wellbeing of their customers. Centerfire Shooting Sports was able to prove that we are a responsible business in our community and that we care about our employees and customers.

  • Use formal accounting software and a professional accounting agency to manage your business
  • Use customer conversion data to improve periodic performance
  • Conduct surveys of your customer base at least once a year in order to measure and/or improve performance
  • ATF mock audit practices in the last three years
  • OSHA mock audit practices in the last three years

Marketing and Advertising

Marketing should be an essential part of any business’ advertising. 5 star shooting ranges must go a step further with proof of a quality marketing plan and show the many ways in which it has been executed. This is a way to show the NAAF that Centerfire Shooting Sports is a non-spammy company that does not use unscrupulous marketing tactics.

  • Marketing personnel on staff
  • The marketing agency we use and the services they provided for at least three-quarters of the year
  • Outline of our marketing plan for the current year
  • Website accurately describes our business
  • Website accurately describes all range rules and fees
  • Website and social media that show hours of operation, property address and directions.
  • Website pages that present current special offers
  • Provide information about major sales campaigns occurring within the last year and the outside advertising channels used to promote the event
  • List the local businesses where we have displayed brochures or other promotional materials over the last 12 months
  • Show examples of email campaign or newsletter communication efforts
  • Prove we are maintaining online review site reviews of four stars or better and examples of how you address customer complaints on those sites
  • Social media profiles showing our level of activity working to engage established customers and attract prospective ones

Staff Training

The hiring and training of quality staff is essential to the success at Centerfire Shooting Sports. Our entire staff is professionally trained in customer service, firearm safety, product knowledge, and certified in all necessary areas.

  • Formal skills-development training seminars we require your senior staff to attend
  • Show proof of industry-specific training seminars or non-industry training programs our staff have attended over the last three years
  • Outside business consultants
  • Outline formal training procedures for on-boarding all new employees
  • Monthly mandatory staff meetings
  • Provide copies of our written procedures manual that’s readily available to all employees and is updated every year
  • Drug-awareness employee training
  • Greeting and welcoming policy of customers upon arrival and departure
  • Staff training policy related to answering the phone
  • Regular staff training and qualifications required in order for employees to carry exposed or concealed firearms while working
  • Required annual decision making and scenario training employees must go through in order to carry while working
  • Proof of how we monitor employees related to firearms retention practices and awareness
  • Provide copy of our written firearms handling and carrying policy that explains what employees are allowed to do with their firearms while working
  • Provide the staff training credentials our instructors have
  • Description of the range safety officer component of our business and credentials
  • Copy of our written safety plan to include the regular staff training practice sessions

Uniforms

A professional staff has to look the part. Our staff is easily identifiable per the 5 star shooting range requirements.

  • Our staff is required to be in a uniform
  • We provide cleaning services (or pay for the service) for employee uniforms
  • All employees have names embroidered on their uniforms or wear name tags

Security and Safety

Your safety is our first priority. Centerfire Shooting Sports makes sure our facility has a safety first mindset over everything else.

  • Background check practices for new hires
  • Written emergency action plan for common emergencies
  • Provide our range safety officer patrolling practices
  • CCTV camera system that covers 90 percent of the facility (inside and outside)
  • CCTV camera systems remote viewing and playback options
  • Backup video storage practices
  • Provide our business practices related to having a CPR-certified employee onsite during hours of operation
  • Provide an automated external defibrillator (AED) and a copy of any document verifying that our business is maintaining the necessary certifications for this device
  • Describe what our trauma kit includes and provide proof of it

Leadership

Company leadership is scrutinized to ensure that the 5 star shooting range is lead by quality and responsible individuals. Our leadership team has proven to be responsible through the acquisition of the 5 start range status.

  • Describe how we review and update all our plans on an annual basis
  • Description of our management staff team
  • Description of your managers educational backgrounds (whether college degree, professional certification or overall tenure in the range-retail or similar business management experience)

Shooting Sports Development

Ongoing development and education of our customers is key to safety and development of proper firearm use. Centerfire Shooting Sports offers many resources that allow our customers to feel safe and informed while visiting our 5 star indoor shooting range facility.

  • Provide pictures showcasing our inventory of rental guns
  • Our business practices related to providing eye and ear protection to customers
  • Introductory programs we offer throughout the year
  • Provide our instructors’ credentials and the business practices related to this area
  • Explain how our business approaches the training/instructor segment
  • Provide a list of all the training/instructional classes and courses currently offered
  • Show the classroom and the audio and visual aids used
  • Show the new shooter/safety orientation procedure we provide for all new shooters and first-time customers

Community Engagement

The Kansas City and surrounding area communities are important to us at Centerfire. To obtain and retain our 5 star classification we had to prove that we are an integral part of our local communities.

  • Host special events over the last 12 months that were open to the public, and provide examples of invitations or advertisements developed to promote these events
  • List the league programs we’ve held over the last 12 months
  • List non-profit groups or other entities we’ve allowed to use your range at a discounted rate or for free over the last 12 months
  • List the charitable organizations our business has supported and the amount of money that has been donated to them over the last 12 months
  • List the local civic groups that we (or the owner) or your managers belong to and regularly participate in
  • List the youth events held at our range over the last 12 months
  • List the presentations that our staff have delivered to a local or national group or organization that contributed to shooting sports development

Range Equipment and Best Practices

  • Keep a well-maintained, modern target retrieval systems
  • Provide range ventilation system and HEPA filtration banks
  • Picture of our HVAC’s magnehelic pressure gauges or electronic air monitoring system used to ensure timely filter changes
  • Proof of monitoring practices related to your pressure gauges
  • Provide our cleaning practices related to the floors of our range
  • Provide proof of bathroom sinks or wash stations where we provide a cleaning product (such as Dlead soap) that rinses any lead off of our customers hands after shooting on the range

Environmental

Proving to the NSSF that we are an environmentally responsible shooting range is also required to become a 5 star classified shooting range. Here are some of the things we have had to provide in order to keep our 5 star classification.

  • Surface lead testing procedures plan
  • Employee blood lead level testing procedures plan
  • Lead mitigation procedures for staff and public
  • Trap maintenance and mining procedures plan
  • Injury prevention and wellness plan related to ranges, facilities and lead safety
  • Hazardous material handling and storage plan
  • Hazardous material disposal plan
  • Description of your procedures related to regularly conducting lead surface tests in all employee and public spaces
  • Attend NSSF Lead Management & OSHA Compliance workshop
  • Maintain alaminar air flow of 50-75 feet per minute across the firing line and pictures showcasing the testing procedure (i.e. conducting smoke tests and measuring air velocity)
  • Demonstrating that we have nothing behind the shooting stalls that would potentially disrupt the laminar airflow on our ranges.
  • Describe the consultation services we’ve utilized to develop, review and test our systems and procedures to ensure compliance with EPA and OSHA

Retail Store / PRO Shop

Centerfire Shooting Sports has a complete firearms store on site with a large inventory as well as specialty order capabilities from the most popular manufacturers. This is another area that the NSSF judges in order to maintain a 5 star classification.

  • Provide what our store’s inventory
  • Pictures of our store highlighting how the merchandise is displayed in a professional manner and how all products are clearly displayed and labeled
  • Provide pictures of our store demonstrating that display cabinets/cases are well organized, shelf space is filled and empty spaces are back filled to present an orderly appearance
  • Pictures of retail areas demonstrating the quality lighting used to ensure a warm and bright environment for customers
  • Pictures of your separately lighted display cabinets/cases

Restrooms

Believe it or not, the NSSF even rates our facility’s restrooms.

  • Pictures showcasing our modernized restrooms (male and female and/or unisex restrooms)
  • Describe our weekly procedures related to general bathroom facility upkeep and maintenance

Other Amenities

Here are some miscellaneous areas that are taken into consideration. The NSSF looks at everything and anything that can affect a customer’s positive experience when visiting a shooting range. As you can see by the list below we can excelled in all marks of service, cleanliness, customer satisfaction and service.

  • Picture of our beverage vending machine or similar offerings
  • Picture of our snack vending machine or similar offerings
  • Describe our businesses handicap accessibility amenities and include any pictures that demonstrate what we’ve done to accommodate those who are physically challenged
  • Describe our on-the-spot cleaning services
  • Describe our gunsmithing services and provide background on your gunsmith’s schooling credentials
  • The lounge area
  • Our shooting range climate control system
  • The availability of classroom or meeting room use by outside parties and provide a couple examples of how other parties have used it

Centerfire Shooting Sports has surpassed the minimum requirements for the highest 5 Star Shooting Range Classification for two terms. No other indoor shooting range in Kansas can say they have achieved the 5 star status. We are truly the only 5 star indoor range in all the state of Kansas. Call 1-913-782-4900 to talk to one of our staff about all the different ways you can experience our 5 star range.