BRIAN MARTIN and JONATHAN LOWMAN

Brian Martin and Jonathan Lowman were both born and raised in Little Rock and became friends in fifth grade when Lowman came to Little Rock Christian Academy. From then through graduation, Lowman and Martin both shared a love for the outdoors and spent the majority of their time together fishing, hunting, shooting, camping, etc. Along with a love for the outdoors, they grew up working together on odd jobs for friends and neighbors. As die-hard Razorback fans, the duo both attended the University of Arkansas out of high school.

With a shared passion of the outdoors and firearms, the military was the logical next step for both of them. Lowman served in the Marines as an infantryman, while Martin joined the U.S. Army and served as an infantryman, as well. While serving with the 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan., Martin graduated from sniper school and eventually deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Lowman was deployed to the Horn of Africa as part of Operation Western Accord with 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Infantry Division. After approximately 10 years apart, they both found themselves back in Little Rock, and the friendship picked up where it left off.

After moving back home, both grew frustrated with the lack of shooting sports facilities in central Arkansas. Forced to drive out to public land (45 minutes) to shoot or drive another 30-45 minutes to a nearby town to get some range time, they decided to rectify the problem. In 2021, they started researching the market and visiting other ranges across the country. Not only did they find that Little Rock has a huge market gap and need for a shooting range, but they also realized that Little Rock is one of the only capital cities in the country without one. On top of that, they found that Little Rock has an ideal market for this type of business.

And thus was born Rock City Recoil (RCR). Along with military service, Martin and Lowman each have experience in startups, retail management, emergency medicine and human resources. RCR will be Little Rock’s first indoor shooting range, and the duo’s goal is to make it the first National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) 5-star rated range in the state.