THIRD-GENERATION FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS
About Us
Welcome to RuggedOutdoors Logistics. We’re glad you’re here. We are a forward-thinking specialty outdoor retailer located in the heartland for over 75 years.
Great things come in small packages. In our family business, we’ve considered being nimble and innovative, despite our size, to be our superpower.
Our roots are the best of small business: individualized service, quality merchandise, expertise, and close-knit employees with community mindedness.
Our capabilities are mighty: sophisticated systems, fast shipping, thorough inventory management, and top of the line facilities.
WHY PARTNER WITH US?
Not the Biggest, but the Best
Are we the biggest 3PL service available? No, and we don't want to be! Our passion is with our retail business and, in the process of growing that business, we built a powerful warehouse management system. We dedicated staff, resources, finances, and years of our time to ensure that our facilities, systems, and processes allowed us to be as efficient as possible.
So why did we start offering 3PL services? The answer is pretty simple: cost sharing. You need the warehouse space and shipping resources, and we have them. Once our space is full, that's it! We will never overextend our capabilities at the expense of our quality control, personalized customer service, and streamlined processes.
Our History
Leo + Anne
In 1945, Leo and Anne open a small appliance repair and military surplus store in downtown Champaign, Illinois. The store is named Champaign Surplus and is located just one mile from the University of Illinois campus.
Eventually, camping merchandise is added and the store moves to a larger downtown location as outdoor recreation gains in popularity.
Ira + Lynn
In 1985, Ira and Lynn (Leo and Anne's daughter) purchase the business. Champaign Surplus outgrows its footprint again, and moves to a new, even larger location in downtown Champaign. It adopts the tagline Rugged Outdoor since 1947, which will become the name of the business decades later.
Outdoor recreation brands like The North Face, Patagonia, Columbia, Jansport, and Timberland gain in popularity and fashion. Ira and Lynn build the business into a robust specialty outdoor store.
Dan + Shira
In 2010, Dan and Shira (Ira and Lynn's daughter) sign on as "Generation Three". The store gets new branding and an eCommerce site is launched. Online sales grow rapidly. Ruggedoutdoors.com is launched and becomes the nationally branded website for the company.
The brick-and-mortar store is eventually rebranded to RuggedOutdoors and the eCommerce business operates from a new 40,000 sq ft location with a state-of-the-art warehousing logistics system.