Beaverton, Oregon -- The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) named Leupold & Stevens, Inc. as the 2000 Hunting and Shooting Sports Optics Manufacturer of the Year at their annual meeting, held this year in Tampa, Florida. This aard is quite coveted within the industry as it reflects the opinions of the nation's top sporting goods wholesalers toward the manufacturer to whom it is awarded. This is the second time in three years that Leupold has been honored by the NASGW. In a change to the previous year's selection process, when only one award was given for overall sporting goods manufacturing, this year the award was divided into four categories: optics, ammunition, firearms, and accessories. The members of the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers were asked to nominate in each of these categories. The manufacturer who received the most nominations in each category was declared the manufacturer of the year for that category.