Feb. 17, 2021

Life and business have managed to take Brandon Maddox two directions at once: steadily up and full circle.

First, there’s his business, Silencer Central, which already had been on a strong enough growth trajectory that late last year he committed to build a large new headquarters on 6 acres in Tea.

Then came the presidential election, and “there’s just this fear it’s going to continue to limit what people can buy, and no matter what it is firearms-related, if they’re afraid they can’t get it in the future, they’re buying it now, and we’re seeing a lot more of that,” said Maddox, who founded the business as Dakota Silencer in 2005.

It saw rapid growth in 2020 after becoming registered in 42 states where silencers, or firearm sound suppressors, are lawful.

Now, in 2021, “we’ve seen double the sales we normally see at gun shows because of increased attendance and heightened awareness around firearms in general,” he said.

It was becoming apparent that waiting 18 months for a new building wasn’t going to be viable.

And the Plan B that emerged is what brings Maddox full circle in his Sioux Falls journey.

He and his wife, Megan, met at a pharmacy convention and moved to Sioux Falls from Florida. Her brother was a director of pharmacy in Vermillion, and she found a pharmacist job quickly.

Maddox’s job search led him – where else – but to Cigna, where he became pharmacist-in-charge and credits being licensed there for his strategy in growing Silencer Central.

“Being licensed there helped me come up with the idea of mail-in silencers all over the country,” Maddox said. “We were licensed in every state (at Cigna), and that’s how we are.”

Last year, Cigna Home Delivery Pharmacy began winding down its Sioux Falls operation and closed it earlier this year. Maddox didn’t know the 35,000-square-foot building was for sale until he stumbled on it while doing research as he prepared to build a house.

“I sent the link to my CFO and COO, (and said) we can move in instantly and it’s less expensive,” he said.

Silencer Central will consolidate multiple operations in the Cigna building. That includes two offices on South Louise Avenue and several warehouses in Harrisburg.

“It was overwhelming at first, it was so big, and the hard part I’m having to get over is it’s an outdated building,” Maddox said.

VanDeWalle Architects is designing the renovation, and Smart Commercial Construction will begin the project soon.

The building at 4901 N. Fourth Ave. was built in 1995.

“We’re going to gut it,” Maddox said.

“We’re going to have a good product, but it might take six months. We’re doing glass walls everywhere.”

Because it used to be a pharmacy, the building also includes the security he needs, and he has hired several key staff members from Cigna to “help with continuity and the remodel.”

They’re the latest members of a growing team. Silencer Central has more than 125 employees nationwide and started 13 new ones in a single week recently.

He plans to have more than 100 employees based in Sioux Falls before the end of the year.

The goal is still to build in Tea eventually, but in the meantime the Cigna building has room to expand.

“The political shift, social unrest and our new business model in all 42 states has propelled our operations into high gear,” Maddox said. “It just seems nonstop.”