JOHN DAY Winners Choice Custom Bowstrings has been sold to a New York-based company that owns other archery-related concerns.

John Day entrepreneur Mike Slinkard, who founded Winners Choice and developed it into a top-line bowstring manufacturer, announced the sale to The Outdoor Group earlier this week.

He said the new owners plan to keep the company in John Day, retain the current workforce, and expand sales, which could mean adding a shift.

The deal has been in the talking stages for about six months, Slinkard said, and the sale was final Tuesday, Dec. 18. The price was not disclosed.

The deal does not include Slinkards other business, HECS (Human Energy Concealment Systems) LLC. He is continuing to expand that firm, which offers hunters and divers an edge through clothing that cloaks their electromagnetic energy radiation.

HECS has really taken off, he said. Its more than I can physically do to manage both. It was really gratifying to find a buyer who wanted to keep Winners Choice here and make it even stronger.

He called the Outdoor Group a really good fit for Winners Choice.

He said the buyers are noted for purchasing companies that complement each other, with a focus on archery and American-made products.

The Outdoor Group is the parent company of Elite Archery, and earlier this year purchased Scott Archery and its subsidiary, Custom Bow Equipment.

Slinkard said Winners Choice already is making strings for Elite in a deal that kept his crew working through what had been the off season at the John Day plant.

Outdoor Group president Peter Crawford toured the Winners Choice plant and spoke with the workers on Dec. 18.

Slinkard said Crawford was impressed with the work being done by the crew, now numbering 23.

Slinkard said the new owners plan to retain the current staff, with Mark Brown continuing as manager.

If the Outdoor Group meets their sales goal, theres no doubt theyll be adding people, Slinkard said.

Slinkard started the company in 2000 in his garage, later moving it to a site on 1st Street in John Day, before building the current plant at the industrial park.

Winners Choice is widely viewed as the No 1 bowstring company in the world, Slinkard said.

Weve developed that niche, he said, and he credited the employees for that achievement.

The employees are the ones that truly made the company, he said.

He added for him, selling the company hinged on the ability to find a buyer who would maintain its quality and stature in the industry.

The new owners bring great marketing potential, he said, as well as ensuring a bright future for the business in this community.

He said the staff was upbeat after Crawfords visit.

Slinkard, meanwhile, is moving ahead with the HECS line, which he says has enormous potential. The business in attire for hunters is strong, he said, but he also is developing strong customer base in swimwear.

HECS already is licensing to companies in Australia and New Zealand, he said.