Randy Park: straight shooter.

• Author: Hengesbaugh, Mark Gerard
• Position: People - History of Park's Sportsman sporting goods store - Brief Article

WHAT DOES IT TAKE to turn a mom-and-pop poolhall into the largest full-line sporting goods store in Utah? About 50 years of family teamwork and a healthy dose of community service, says owner Randy Park of Park's Sportsman.

In 1947, Randy Park's parents, Russ and Jerry, opened a tiny beer hail in Orem with six billiard tables. They quickly learned the fishing rods and other sports equipment they gave away as prizes were profitable to sell retail. By 1973, when son Randy graduated from the University of Utah, Park's Sportsman was doing $500,000 in business a year at its original Utah County location.

Fresh out of college, Randy joined his parents as a partner and helped the family operation weather the same retail storms that sunk a fleet of other local sporting goods stores over the past 20 years, including Wolfe's and Ziniks.

Truly a family operation, Park's sister and brother-in-law are long-term employees, his parents--now in their 80s--come in every day to help, and each of Park's six kids has worked there.

But how does a family-owned sporting goods store stay afloat competing against corporate giants like Gart Sports and WalMart that buy sneakers by the boxcar? "It's like the old Vince Lombardi football philosophy on blocking and tackling: Fundamentals don't change," Park says. "Customers want good value and a fair price."

To offer competitive prices, Park's Sportsman must buy in huge quantities, so Randy joined a national buying syndicate that purchases sporting goods wholesale for 200 independently owned stores. He has served on the cooperative's board of directors.

As a part of the community scene for decades, customers have gotten to know Park and trust him to know sports equipment. "We are passionate about sports here, and we always try out the equipment," he says. "For example, if you're a fly fisherman, our salesperson can probably tell you...