May 16, 2017

Meet Omar Ahmad of Eagle Sports Range in South Side

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Omar Ahmad.

Omar, co-founder of Eagle Sports Range, was born and raised in Chicago. He began showing interest in business at a very young age. Inspired by the family owned business and his beloved late father’s skill to turn a penny into a million dollars, Omar developed an excellent background in management and administration through years of extensive experience. In 2001 he co-founded a prepaid wireless company that he owned and managed for 16 years. In 2005 Omar picked up the hobby of hunting which jump started his gun enthusiasm and led to his strong desire to open an elite state of the art gun range like no other range in the Midwest. Their Mission Statement reveals a lot about the rest of story:

Eagle Gun Club is committed to providing the best selection of products from the firearms and shooting sports industry, in an inviting, unintimidating, and family oriented atmosphere where safety, education and training produce better shooters and a better, safer community. We strive for our facility to serve as a reasonable and practical alternative to other social events and physical activities.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With all new business endeavors, there are hurdles along the way. Eagle Sports Range was a large construction project that nearly started from scratch. Add that to all of the required licenses and inspections to meet and you have this huge project that seems will never finish. Despite such hurdles and even delayed opening dates, the day did come for Eagle Sports Range to finally open its doors on October 1st of 2016 and the feeling of accomplishment and pride by all who have contributed and been a part of this journey is still to fade.

Please tell us about Eagle Sports Range.
At Eagle Sports Range we welcome and value all our visitors, with fantastic ranges and a massive choice of firearms available to rent or buy. We have 22 lanes (25 yards) and six rifle lanes (50 yards). Our visitors can enhance their experience by becoming members, which brings reduced range fees, guest passes and great discounts on equipment rentals and sales, as well as priority lane access and free eye and ear protection provided.

With over 35,000 square feet of modern retail space, you will find guns and accessories from all premier gun manufacturers. Our highly-trained and dedicated staff will be ready to assist you with your selection and purchase. Our services range from having an onsite gunsmith to FOID and Concealed Carry Application assistance. Eagle offers a variety of classes for all types of shooters, from beginning to advance and even for kids, we are dedicated to education and training to bring responsible gun owners and better shooters to the industry. Eagle Sports Range is committed to the communities which it serves.

Accordingly, we are continuously adopting procedures allowing us to be a friendly and responsible member of our community:
-Recycling is available throughout our entire facility
-LED lighting indoor and out to minimize our carbon footprint and maintain an attractive presence in the village of Oak Forest.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
As with any new experience there is always a lesson or more to learn. While we wouldn’t go back to do anything differently we definitely know what to do for next time. As more locations are a thought for Eagle in the future there are steps and procedures we now know to take to efficiently progress through all stages of such a project.

Pricing: