Gunwerks, the long range rifle system manufacturer in Cody, will be granting $350,000 to the Wyoming State Shooting Complex for naming rights to a spur road to the long range shooting area. 

It’s part of an agreement with the company that also includes Gunwerks having exclusive use of a building at the shooting complex and part of the long range area during business hours Monday-Thursday between May and October. 

In turn, Gunwerks will give in kind consideration, complex CEO Patrick Giles said, by marketing the complex to its customer base. 

“We will certainly gain a lot of exposure to their clientele, roughly 1,000 customers per year, and these are valuable customers to have,” Giles said. “They’re obviously willing to spend money to go shoot, which is exactly what we’re targeting to come out to the shooting complex for events in the future. This will provide great word-of-mouth marketing as these customers come in, get to see and experience the shooting complex, and go back and tell their friends about it. I expect it to pay dividends over the long term.”

Giles said other complex customers could still use much of the long range area during Gunwerks’ exclusive times and use the whole area outside of those times. 

Board member Danny Michael said the first two years of the three-year contract it won’t be that big of an issue for the area to be used weekly by Gunwerks, while by the third year it may require some more rearranging — the complex can black out weeks as needed a year in advance if the area is needed for a big competition. 

As part of the contract, Gunwerks will move its Long Range University to the complex. Board members also approved a bid by Cleary Building for a nearly $350,000 structure at the long range site to be used as a classroom by Gunwerks at the precision long range shooting area next spring. 

Gunwerks, which started in Burlington and more recently moved production to Cody, has been holding its Long Range University at its Burlington facility. 

Giles said Gunwerks head Aaron Davidson has already agreed to the terms and was ready to sign for a three-year term of having the long range university at the complex, with the complex able to determine after whether or not to continue the agreement. Regardless, the naming rights will remain. 

“At this point, we feel that we have gotten a very strong and protective agreement that both protects our interests and protects our assets, while also giving Gunworks the use of the facility that they would need in order to host great training classes and provide good customer experience for their customers,” Giles said. “So it’s pretty mutually beneficial, pretty fair in our opinion.”