Even after Utah businessman Adam Webber is Sentenced to Prison, his business HK Parts Keeps Growing
SALT LAKE CITY, UT / ACCESSWIRE / December 15, 2017 / Utah businessman Adam Webber has spent the better part of the last six years in a legal battle with the IRS and the ATF that finally came to a close last week after U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson pronounced a longer-than-expected sentence of 48-months incarceration and a $100,000 fine. When the session concluded, the courtroom was crowded with a mix of shocked loved ones and colleagues. It seemed evident that all could agree on the singular sentiment that something long and grueling was finally over.
In the hours and days that followed firearms blogs and local news media jumped to write stories about the case ranging from quality to click bait. The public consumed Webber's story and formed opinions enough to comment on their favorite social media platform or discussion thread just before the speed of the news cycle delivered up its next hot steaming batch of shock and awe.
Unlike other news stories about men tried, convicted, and sentenced though, this one has a side story. Webber isn't some nameless white-collar criminal, or an international smuggler. He's a family man. He's a businessman. One that shared a passion and admiration of Heckler & Koch brand firearms with a very loyal and vibrant community of like-minded enthusiasts. Webber's particular love for the minute details of how these mechanical wonders of the firearm world operate inspired him to build a business around sourcing and selling hard-to-find factory and aftermarket parts; appropriately named HK Parts.
HK Parts became the go-to place for all HK enthusiasts to purchase what they needed to keep their vintage HK firearms operating like new, and to upgrade and customize their new HK firearms to their personal liking. So while the rest of the world may have already forgotten about Webber's 15 seconds of alleged infamy in the newspapers, many HK enthusiasts were left in a near paralytic panic. What about HK Parts?
Did the ATF shut it down?
Did the IRS strip HK Parts of all its' inventory and assets?
The answer is no.
In fact, quietly last Friday evening HK Parts made a statement on their Facebook page announcing that they aren't going anywhere.
As many of you are already aware, our founder and former President, Adam Webber was sentenced to federal prison last Thursday. It is a deeply sad time for us here at the company. We have been receiving all sorts of questions through email and direct messaging on social media about the state of HK Parts. Even some of our competitors have asked (possibly hoping) that we won't be around much longer or that our place in the industry will falter.
The truth is, Adam has been navigating his legal challenges for nearly 6 years. His legal challenges are a burden we, as a company, have all learned to work with and around. Over the last 24 months, Adam has systematically and gradually stepped away from his role in operating the company. In the meanwhile, HK Parts has only continued to grow and provide new offerings to our loyal and fantastic customers.
Not only has Adam not played a major role in the growth of this company we all love and work for, but as of January 1, 2018, Adam Webber will officially have no ownership stake in HK Parts and will be completely removed from operational decision making. Again, he has not had much of a role this year in any major decisions because of his personal legal issues that have consumed his life. We just want all of you to know, that we aren't changing a thing operationally. Just moving full steam ahead.
We wish Adam well as he moves on to serve his time and pay his debt to society. We have missed him as he has not been around, and we will miss him more as he will no longer be stopping by to say “hi” periodically. It'll be difficult for us personally, but frankly; the company is stronger than ever.
So to our customers, our competitors, our friends, and fellow HK fans; we're going to keep moving forward with 'no compromise.'
The social media response that followed throughout the weekend was of an overwhelmingly positive note.
No one person ever makes a successful business, the people at HK parts are the reason I continue to do business there. Good luck moving forward.
Onward and upward!
Thank you for your openness to your customers (and nice to shove it at the competition). Your company will only be stronger because of the challenges!
Good on ya for stepping up to the plate and being completely open and honest about Adam's problems. Good luck.
Hands down the best place to get parts for all hk and clones. You guys have fixed my bolt gaps more than once. Keep up the good work!
HK Parts team has been busy developing and innovating more after-market parts than ever before. Based on what they've released in the last six months alone since Webber removed himself from the company's operations even further to tend to his personal matters, the business does not seem to have taken any pause. Rather, the company has made an aggressive move to accelerate its dominance in the marketplace.
So in the scheme of things; for diehard Heckler & Koch firearms enthusiasts, and for HK Parts; things only seem to be getting better.
SOURCE: Enliven Group
