NRF names Morris Retail Innovator of the Year

Johnny L. Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats, was named Retail Innovator of the Year by the National Retail Federation at the association’s 97th annual convention Jan. 15 in New York City.

The association’s other retail award winners this year were Macy’s CEO and chairman Terry Lundgren, receiving the Gold Medal Award; Asian retailer Lane Crawford, receiving the International Retailer of the Year Award; and Beall’s Inc. Vice President of Loss Prevention and Human Resources and Administration Daniel Doyle, receiving the Silver Plaque Award.

“This year’s retail award winners have continued to keep up with their customers by providing some of the most advanced, innovative ideas around to handle their demands,” NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin in a news release.

Morris started Bass Pro in 1971 as a small operation within the Brown Derby stores operated by his father, John A. Morris. Bass Pro’s first catalogue was published three years later, and in 1981, Morris opened the company’s national headquarters showroom in Springfield. Nearly two-thirds of Springfield visitors stop at Bass Pro annually, according to Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau statistics.