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KELSO, WA (June 25,
2002) We¹ve
all heard the old saying
"A bad day
fishing is better than
a good day at work."
And nobody knows that
adage better than the
American Fly Fishing
Trade Association (AFFTA)
board members. When
you review the bios
of the current line-up
of AFFTA board members,
a recurring theme emerges
the majority of
these men and women
have held prominent
positions at some very
high-profile companies
including Deloitte &
Touche, Kraft and Day
Runner.
It's not a big surprise
that these former corporate
fast trackers are drawn
to the fly-fishing industry
where they can combine
business and pleasure.
Many of the board members
left successful careers
in larger industries
to pursue interesting
fly fishing business
opportunities. In fact,
numerous AFFTA board
members started their
own fly-fishing companies
in addition to dedicating
themselves to protecting
and promoting the sport
of fly fishing through
the American Fly Fishing
Trade Association.
The following short
bios are just a few
examples of AFFTA's
exceptional line-up
of board members who
are constantly trying
to squeeze in "a
bad day fishing."
Mark Vidovich -- AFFTA's
current president, former
chairman of Day Runner,
Inc. and president and
CEO of software distributor
Softeam, Inc., was selected
to manage the future
growth of the fly-fishing
industry. The key spokesperson
and advocate for fly-fishing,
Mark shares AFFTA's
commitment towards wild
and healthy fish and
clean water.
K. C. Walsh is currently
the president and owner
of Simms Fishing Products
in Bozeman, Montana
and serves as the Chairman
of AFFTA and a member
of the Executive Committee.
K. C. previously worked
in the Management Consultant
Group of Deloitte &
Touche and holds a MBA
from the Wharton School.
Ryan Harrison, prior
to entering the fly-fishing
industry five years
ago, was the Marketing
Director of Earnest
& Julio Winery.
Ryan is the co-chair
of the Marketing and
Communications Committee.
Ryan has a BA from University
of California, Berkeley
and MBA from Harvard
University.
Jeff Fryhover, who heads up AFFTA's Long Term
Planning Committee, is the President/Chief Operating
Officer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. Jeff formerly
held positions at Kraft and The Orvis Company.
Other well-known fly-fishing
enthusiasts include
Charles Schwab, Martha
Stewart, Bill Ford of
Ford Motors, Ted Turner,
Meg Whitman of eBay,
former-CEO of US Bank
and Forbes 400 list
member, J. Green, is
the owner of Sage Fly
Rods and Charles Schwab
owns Powell Rods.
The American Fly Fishing
Trade Association (AFFTA)
is based in Kelso, Washington
and represents over
400 fly-fishing manufacturers,
sales representatives,
retailers, outfitters
and specialty media.
AFFTA exclusively endorses
the industry's largest
fly-fishing trade show,
the FLY-FISHING RETAILER
World Trade Expo, September
12-14 in Denver, Colorado.
AFFTA recently re-launched
their website at (http://www.affta.com).
For additional information
regarding the American
Fly Fishing Trade Association
(AFFTA), media should
contact Lori Crabtree
at Stanwood & Partners
Public Relations, 307-733-1514
or email: lcrabtree@wyoming.com.
# # #
--
Lori Crabtree
Stanwood & Partners
Public Relations
PHONE: 307-733-1514
FAX: 307-739-8664
Email: lcrabtree@wyoming.com
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