Top Woman of the Year

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Marjorie A. Graf

Marjorie Graf is the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Graf & Sons Inc. which is a wholesale sporting goods store based in Mexico, Missouri. They sell sporting goods, hunting products, ammunition, shooting and reloading materials on a national scale. Graf & Sons stocks over 20,000 products and ships both nationally and internationally by mail order, phone sales, and internet sales. The company has many extremely competent employees including Marjorie’s two sons who are also involved with the business.

Graf & Sons, Inc. was founded in 1957 by Arnold Graf, his wife Velma, their two sons Bob and Howard, and their spouses. What has become known as “The Reloading Authority” first started as a gasoline service station in Mexico, MO that sold boats, motors, hunting and fishing merchandise. Bob and Marjorie Graf became sole owners of the business after the passing of co-founder Arnold Graf in 1972 and the retirement of Howard Graf in 1981. In 1986, Bob and Marjorie started to advertise across the board and began to sell internationally. In the beginning they shipped just 1,000-2,000 products a year but with the creation of their website, www.grafs.com, in 2001, the product lines expanded to fit the need. Sadly, Marjorie’s husband Bob passed away in 2018.

Marj specializes in finance and the overall operations. She also oversees the exporting side of the business, customer service and sales. She attended significant shooting events, selling to competitors nationally throughout the 70's and 80's. Ms. Graf was also integral in the early advertising and international sales. She continues running and managing the company. Previously, Ms. Graf served in sales and service at Mexico Refractories and Kaiser Refractories for over 16 years.

On February 27, 2020, Marjorie Graf was honored as the “2020 Woman of Excellence in Retail” by COMO Magazine in Columbia, Missouri. In 2013, Graf and Sons Inc. was recognized by the Mexico Chamber of Commerce for their leadership in business, their retail business and their philanthropy and was honored at the 29th annual Commerce & Industry Appreciation Dinner. In January 2019, she received the Mexico Chamber of Commerce Presidential Award. Marj Graf was the 2019 inductee ”as an individual” into the Missouri Trapshooting Association Hall of Fame on May 17, 2019 at Linn Creek, Missouri. This was quite an honor as she has always enjoyed the shooting and hunting sports.

Marj enjoys family activities with her four children, five grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. In her spare time, she also enjoys shooting, camping, hunting, fishing, cooking, and church activities.

Marjorie A. Graf states, “I credit my parents and upbringing for molding me into a woman of excellence. I’m fortunate. I was taught by my parents that work is necessary to survive. Always do your best.”

For further information, contact www.grafs.com.