Marjorie A. Graf Named a Professional of the Year for 2023 by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide

Mexico, MO, March 22, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Marjorie A. Graf of Mexico, Missouri has been named a Professional of the Year for 2023 for her outstanding contributions and high level of success in the fields of finance and retail management.

About Marjorie Graf
Marjorie Graf is the president and chairman of the Board of Directors of Graf & Sons Inc., a wholesale sporting goods store based in Mexico, Missouri. Graf & Sons Inc. sells sporting goods, hunting products, ammunition, shooting and reloading materials on a national scale. Marjorie is responsible for the overall operations of the company and specializes in the financial side. She also oversees the exporting end of the business, customer service, and sales. Ms. Graf attended significant shooting events, selling to competitors nationally throughout the 70's and 80's and was also an integral part of the early advertising and international sales. Previously, Ms. Graf served in sales and service at Mexico Refractories and Kaiser Refractories for over 16 years.

Robert “Bob” E. Graf, Marjorie’s late husband, helped found the ammunition supplier, Graf & Sons, in 1957, and helped grow the small-town Missouri company into the “Reloading Authority.” Bob Graf was born in Miami, Arizona in 1934 and passed away in 2018 at age 84. Bob is greatly missed by his community and his associates in the shooting and reloading industry. In 1957, when Bob was 23 year’s old, he joined forces with his father Arnold, his brother Howard, and their spouses to found Graf & Sons. The company started out as a gasoline service station that sold boats, motors, hunting, and fishing merchandise and eventually became known as “The Reloading Authority.” 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 ramped up advertising efforts and began to sell internationally. In the beginning they shipped just 1,000-2,000 products a year but after creating a website, www.grafs.com, in 2001, the product lines expanded to fit the need.

By 2013, Bob expanded the once three-person operation to an outlet specializing in often hard-to-find ammunition and components employing a staff of 60. He retired in 2014 and has been honored by the Mexico Area Chamber and City of Mexico, and as a lifetime NRA member, Graf & Sons regularly donate rifles to the Missouri Friends of NRA program.

Currently, Graf & Sons stocks over 20,000 products and ships both nationally and internationally by mail order, phone sales, and internet sales. The company is still family-run and has many extremely competent employees, including Marjorie’s two sons.

Ms. Graf has received countless accolades for her achievements. She has been a named a Professional of The Year by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and was also honored with their Top Executive of the Year award as well as their Woman of the Year award, both in 2021. Ms. Graf has also been named as an Honored Member of P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Women of Excellence Recognized); P.O.W.E.R. Woman of the Month for May 2019, March 2020, May 2020, August 2020 and December 2022; and was recognized as their Woman of Empowerment for 2021. She has also won the P.O.W.E.R. Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, Ms. Graf has been featured several times on the famous billboards in Times Square, located in the heart of New York City.

In February 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, Marjorie received the Mexico Chamber of Commerce Presidential Award. She 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. As avid sporting clay shooters, Bob and Marjorie toured the country extensively to participate in events and in 2016 Bob was inducted into the Missouri Trap Shooting Hall of Fame. At one “Ironman” shoot in Buras, Louisiana, Graf’s five-man team broke 23,500 of 25,000 targets in 24 hours.

When asked about her inspiration and drive, Marjorie talks about her family. “I credit my parents and upbringing for molding me into a woman of excellence,” said Marjorie. “I’m fortunate. I was taught by my parents that work is necessary to survive. Always do your best.”

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

For further information, contact www.grafs.com.

About Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide
Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide is an international advertising, networking and publishing company based in Farmingdale, New York. They are proud to be able to satisfy their clients and continue to have repeat clientele due to their longevity and pride in their products and services. The Owners strive to connect business professionals to enhance their contact base and networking capabilities so they can get the acknowledgment and publicity within their industries and beyond. The Strathmore family has been providing these valuable services for over two decades. They target executives and professionals in all industries to be featured in their publication and on-line directory. Industries include business, law, education, healthcare and medicine, fine arts, IT, government, science, real estate, entertainment and many more accomplished fields. Professional profiles are listed in an annual hardcover journal and in a detailed, searchable database on the website www.strww.com.