History
In 1965, Gary Olsen left his job as a nuclear reactor operator at the Atomic Energy Commission near Idaho Falls, Idaho to pursue his passion for motorcycle racing. He was very good at it. Soon he was winning regional races on a regular basis and opened a small shop in his garage to sell Hodaka motorcycles. Fueled by his growing reputation as a winner on the motocross circuit, that endeavor also met with success. Within 4 years Gary's fledgling business, Sports Cycle Sales, became the largest Hodaka retailer in the Northwestern United States. In 1969 Gary was awarded the Northwest Regional Distributorship for Hodaka Motorcycles. He later incorporated his business under the name Recreational Sports and Imports, Inc. and in 1970, the phenomenal success story of RS&I began.
The company took a new direction in 1979 when Gary was first introduced to an incredible new technology called TVRO, satellite delivered television. He initially purchased 3 of the huge antennas and sold them for $15,000 each to rural farmers who had no other way of receiving a television signal. The vision of the tremendous potential of Satellite-delivered entertainment, information and communication services ignited a new passion in Gary and from that moment on, received his primary focus.
By the mid 1980s, RS&I was solidly positioned within the emerging Satellite TV/C-Band business; and with 15 distribution warehouses located throughout the Western United States, was among the country's largest distributors of Satellite Delivered Television.
As the satellite industry evolved, RS&I changed with it. Gary had built the RS&I reputation by looking to the future and embracing the opportunities it presented. But equally important, he surrounded himself with others who shared his values and understood the importance of focus, planning, hard work and performance. Together, they conveyed their vision of opportunity to others and laid the foundation for what would become the RS&I Independent Dealer Network. Those who did business with RS&I soon came to know that when a commitment was made, that commitment was kept. Every time. No excuses. It was that dedication to service that would account for RS&I's tremendous success, and take it to the next level.
In 1994, the mini-dish revolution was just beginning, and RS&I jumped on the crest of that wave as the first distributor to contract with emerging mini-dish service provider, Primestar. This new, low-cost service quickly replaced the oversized C-Band / TVRO technology and RS&I played a major role in that transition. In 1999, when Primestar was purchased by DirecTV, RS&I continued its role in bringing satellite TV into the consumer mainstream.
As RS&I and its network of independent retailers grew, many opportunities for diversification and added income opportunities for affiliated retailers were considered by the RS&I Management Team.
Since inception, RS&I has included the following categories in their Business Opportunity - Authorized Dealership portfolio:
- Satellite Delivered Television - Primestar, DirecTV, and today DISH Television
- Home Security - Protection One, Safe Home Security and ADT Home Security
- Satellite Broadband - Hughes Network, First Satellite Broadband Service, and DISH High-Speed Internet
- InstallSource - Nationwide Installation and Fulfillment Services
- Satellite Radio - Sirius XM Satellite Radio Subscription and Accessories
- Commercial Flat Panel TVs and Monitors - LG Commercial Electronics
- Broadband Services Via Telephone - Qwest, CenturyLink
- Satellite Internet Communication Systems - General Dynamics Mobile VSAT
- Consumer Electronics - Sony Bravia TVs and Home Entertainment Systems
- Cloud-based Business Phone Solutions - RingCentral
© Copyright 2012 RS&I, Inc. All Rights Reserved.