Two weeks ago, Ranger Scientific announced, to great fanfare, that it would build a high-tech ammunition manufacturing facility in eastern Kanawha County. But Ranger’s CEO has previously been involved in two similar companies that failed to open their promised factories, raising questions about the company’s future.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In 2012, a specialty ammunition company announced plans to open a factory in North Las Vegas. It never opened.
In 2013, a specialty ammunition company announced plans to open a factory in Texas. It never opened.
Two weeks ago, a specialty ammunition company announced plans to open a factory in West Virginia.
What do all three hypothetical factories have in common? Daniel Pearlson, the CEO of the newly formed Ranger Scientific, who announced at the end of May that he is planning to build a $50 million “harmonically-tuned” bullet manufacturing facility in eastern Kanawha County.
Pearlson has been involved in at least three ammunition factory announcements, traversing the country over the last four years. None has produced a single round of ammunition, but Pearlson’s business associates have included a cast of characters worthy of a detective novel…