Ladson, SC  (June 17, 2021) - Z-Man recently announced the appointment of Cory Schmidt as its Media Relations and Marketing Manager. A lifelong friend of the fishing industry, Schmidt has served diverse roles over a thirty-plus-year career—including fisheries and natural resources management, fishing guide and scribe. A Colorado native, he launched his career as an enthusiastic bait-tank cleaner, commercial fly-tier and part-time manager for an independent outdoor retailer. At age 16, Schmidt also authored his first national article in  In-Fisherman magazine , where he has served as field editor for close to two decades. He has since authored hundreds of articles for In-Fisherman, as well as contributing to  Fishing Tackle Retailer, Bassmaster, North American Fisherman, Field & Stream  and numerous regional publications. In recent years, he has spearheaded public relations and marketing campaigns for several notable companies in the fishing industry. As Media Relations and Marketing Manager, Schmidt will lead Z-Man's communications efforts and will be charged with drafting and distributing press releases, serving as Z-Man's primary media contact, and coordinating participation in media events. He will also run point on Z-Man's media buying efforts and will assist with marketing strategy and new product development. "I've always believed that when you surround yourself with good people, good things happen," said Z-Man president Daniel Nussbaum. "Cory is a smart, solid guy who fits right in with the Z-Man culture. He just 'gets it' when it comes to the fishing industry and the benefits of Z-Man's products, namely our ElaZtech® softbaits. I've worked closely with Cory for the last several years as he's expertly crafted all of Z-Man's press releases. He's a skillful writer, but brings a whole lot more to the table in terms of fishing knowledge, industry know-how, and marketing savvy." Now a twenty-five year Minnesota resident, the lifelong angler adds an important regional and multi-species perspective to the South Carolina-based company that will greatly enhance its marketing and product development efforts. "We've had a ton of success in Midwestern and Northern markets in recent years," adds Nussbaum. "But, a lot of those fisheries are outside our comfort zone, and we've barely scratched the surface as a result." "My friend and colleague Ned Kehde introduced me to the Z-Man folks and their baits a number of years ago," recalled Schmidt. "Right away, I liked Z-Man's people and its culture. They were doing things differently, approaching the lure business with a refreshing perspective. Of course, the baits caught fish. Now, having worked with them for the past several years, I can say Z-Man is unquestionably one of the most positive, innovative groups of fishing individuals I've met. It's a fast-growing company, no doubt, but they still feel like a close-knit crew, most all of them folks who fish on their days off. That speaks volumes. Schmidt continues: "Daniel and the whole team approach the crafting of new fishing lures with fresh eyes. They're working with the concepts and materials of the future, like ElaZtech. And they've fostered an awesome community of great anglers and top-notch pros—each of whom bring their own unique perspectives and ideas. You can't help but succeed in such a culture. I'm excited to pitch in." "What I'm looking forward to most is working with Cory on developing ElaZtech products for a variety of fisheries – crappie, panfish, pike, muskie, and walleye – and communicating their effectiveness to the fishing world," adds Nussbaum. "We feel like we're just getting warmed up and have a lot of great stuff in the works for our anglers."    

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Anything Possible™ Brands has added Terry Pederson to its leadership staff with the role of Vice President of Sales. Pederson has more than 35 years of fishing tackle manufacturing industry experience. “The growth of Anything Possible Brands in the fishing industry is greatly supported by our addition of Terry to our team,” said Anything Possible Brands President and Founder Ralph Duda III. “Terry’s experience in leading sales in his previous endeavors will pay huge dividends for our company going forward. He will immediately enhance and broaden our reach to the consumer and we’re very happy to have him on board.” Pederson comes to Anything Possible Brands continuing his illustrious career that includes holding the same role for Lew’s Holdings and Daiwa Corporation USA. He also was on the Board of Directors at Daiwa and the American Sportfishing Association (ASA). Among Pederson’s new responsibilities will be strategic planning and competitive sales analysis, forecasting and budgeting, national account management, contract negotiations, sales team training, P&L analysis, sales management, program development, specialty market sales, inter-department sales management and building strong customer relations. "I have ambitious goals for Anything Possible sales growth and I’m eager to continue the excitement surrounding the Anything Possible brands,” said Pederson. “Growing relationships and earning trust with customers has been a large part of my success.” Pederson enjoys fishing and frequents the water around Catalina Island in southern California near his home with his wife Andrea. Golfing and riding his Harley are also on his to do list when he has the time. ProFISHiency®  is the company’s newest brand and offers outstanding bait cast, spincast and spinning rods and reels.  Kids Casters®  has established itself as a leading producer of spincast and spinning gear for the youth angler including the popular licensed brands of Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, PJ Masks and L.O.L. Surprise!.  Perfection Lures™  includes the Sure Hook Up upright jigs and Neko and Ned rig set ups. To learn more about Anything Possible Brands and their product offerings, please visit  Anything Possible .   About Anything Possible Brands Anything Possible Brands is a leading supplier of innovative fishing tackle. Our products span from rods, reels, and combos–to fishing lures, apparel and accessories. Our brands and licenses target a wide group of anglers from children to teens, young adults to elderly and recreational anglers to avid anglers. We offer our customers innovation, quality and unmatched customer service.    

Tulsa, Ok  – Navico, parent company to the Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP brands, announced today the hiring of Kim Rodriguez as its new PR Manager for the Americas, bringing the communications position in-house for the first time. Rodriguez has spent the past seven years at Pierson Grant, a South Florida-based communications agency, where she served most recently as Account Director leading several national consumer accounts in areas of hospitality, eyecare and technology. Kim has worked across multiple national publicity campaigns, alongside regional and local journalists on media stories and with trade press within several industries. “We’re pleased to have Kim as our lead PR Manager working on communications initiatives and media relations across all brands in the Americas region,” said Gordon Sprouse, Marketing Director, Americas at Navico. “I’m confident she will do a great job supporting the fishing, sailing, boating and general marine media that we have worked so closely with over the years.” Rodriguez, who grew up as a weekend boater in Florida, has also worked the South Florida boat shows as part of her responsibilities with Pierson Grant. She will operate from Navico’s recently-opened Ft. Lauderdale office.      

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  –  Anything Possible™ Brands announces the addition of John Weiss as its new Chief Executive Officer. Weiss brings his passion for the outdoors and leadership experience to direct the company in its future plans to expand product offerings designed for every angler.   “I have followed John’s rise in the industry and he has always found innovative methods to elevate his brands and companies,” said Anything Possible Brands President and Founder Ralph Duda III. “We have ambitious goals for the company, and John will be a key component in our expansion plans. His insight to the needs of anglers of all experience levels and his acumen of fishing and fishing products brings us a new level of understanding what anglers really want in their gear. We’re excited to gain from his leadership skills.” Weiss has held leadership roles in the fishing industry for more than 25 years including Executive Vice President of Global Brands for the Jarden Corporation (Pure Fishing) and President of Rhythm Inc. An avid outdoorsman, Weiss enjoys fishing, skiing, golf and biking with his wife Donna. “I am so very pleased to join the Anything Possible Team,” said Weiss. “Ralph has created a wonderful company that has so much great growth potential. I look forward to introducing new products and lead the company into new directions to help anglers enjoy our sport.” ProFISHiency®  is the company’s newest brand and offers outstanding bait cast, spincast and spinning rods and reels.  Kids Casters®  has established itself as a leading producer of spincast and spinning gear for the youth angler including the popular licensed brands of Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, PJ Masks and L.O.L. Surprise!.  Perfection Lures™  includes the Sure Hook Up upright jigs and Neko and Ned rig set ups. To learn more about Anything Possible Brands and their product offerings, please visit  Anything Possible .   About Anything Possible Brands Anything Possible Brands is a leading supplier of innovative fishing tackle. Our products span from rods, reels, and combos–to fishing lures, apparel and accessories. Our brands and licenses target a wide group of anglers from children to teens, young adults to elderly and recreational anglers to avid anglers. We offer our customers innovation, quality and unmatched customer service.      

RAPALA VMC CORPORATION APPOINTS MARCUS TWIDALE AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION IN USA AS WELL AS MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Rapala VMC Corporation today announced the appointment of Marcus Twidale to head up the distribution in USA effective January 1, 2022. Tom Mackin will step down as the Head of Distribution USA and as a member of the Executive Committee effective January 1, 2022. He will continue as a Strategic Advisor until December 31, 2023. Rapala VMC Corporation has strong growth ambitions in USA in all group core product segments. Marcus Twidale has excellent leadership skills to lead Rapala VMC into an accelerated growth path in USA.   In his new role as Head of Distribution in USA Marcus Twidale will report to President and CEO Nicolas Warchalowski. Marcus Twidale has shown strong leadership skills already for more than 10 years in Rapala VMC group in his current position as a Managing Director and co-founder of Rapala VMC group company Dynamite Baits Ltd and as Head of Distribution in the UK.  Dynamite Baits is the leading Carp and Match & Coarse bait brand in Europe. Marcus Twidale will become a member of the Executive Committee. This appointment is effective immediately.  “I’ve had an incredible more than 30 years working with the number one brand in fishing,” said Mackin, “I feel that I’m leaving the brand and the company in a much stronger position than when I started. For his next chapter, Mackin, who splits his time between Minnesota and Florida, plans to focus on his family, friends, faith, fitness and philanthropy. “I really feel blessed and lucky to have worked with such a great group of people over the years and in such a wonderful industry.” “Tom’s tenure at Rapala VMC deserves a special chapter in our rich history books having grown the US revenues and profits by 5 times and also grown a highly talented US team. I look forward to continue working with Tom in his new capacity as a strategic advisor on special group projects”, says President and CEO Nicolas Warchalowski.     About Rapala VMC Corporation Rapala group is the world’s leading fishing tackle company and the global market leader in fishing lures, treble hooks and fishing related knives and tools. Group has a strong global position also in other fishing categories and Rapala’s distribution network is largest in the fishing industry. The main manufacturing facilities are in Finland, France, Estonia, Russia, Indonesia and the UK. Rapala group’s brand portfolio includes the leading brand in the industry, Rapala, and other global brands like VMC, Sufix, Storm, Blue Fox, Luhr Jensen, Williamson, Dynamite Baits, Mora Ice, StrikeMaster, Marttiini, Peltonen and 13 Fishing outside of the USA as well as Okuma in Europe and Russia. Group, with net sales of EUR 261 million in 2020, employs some 2 100 people in 42 countries. Rapala VMC Corporation’s share is listed and traded on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange since 1998.    

TULSA, Okla., May 10, 2021  — Idea Ranch has announced the addition of Corey Favier as the agency’s newest Creative Director. Favier is joining the team with 20 years of advertising experience and has built his career in the agency business in Kansas City, Boston, Chicago and Denver, working on national brands like Sprint, Jim Beam, Porsche, AutoZone, Jack Daniels, Harley-Davidson USA and Anheuser-Busch.  “Corey is an exceptional creative mind and all-around great dude.  He dreams big and runs at a high RPM.  He pushes for great in his work and is well-versed at directing teams to do the same,” said Jeff Tolle, Chief Creative Officer at Idea Ranch.   “One of the most intriguing things about Corey is he’s got mega brand experience but he’s never had the opportunity to work within the categories he’s passionate about away from work.  Corey is an avid outdoorsman, adventurer and a lover of the mountains, like many of us here.  I can’t wait to see what happens when his creative fire meets his personal passions.  Layer him into our already awesome team and we believe we have lightning in a bottle.” “Corey leads with kindness and humility,” said Morgan Espinosa, Idea Ranch’s Director of Culture and Talent. “It’s obvious he cares deeply for people, and his commitment to building strong relationships and mentoring young creatives will be extremely additive to our culture.” As a passionate outdoorsman, most of his free time is spent outside, whether it’s in a tree, on a boat or in the mountains. Favier, a St. Louis native and University of Missouri-Columbia graduate, has relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and two dogs.  About Idea Ranch Idea Ranch is a full-service advertising, PR, and consumer insights firm headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a second office in Wichita, Kansas. The firm has a diversified list of clients across the country and is an industry leading marketing communications company building brands in the outdoor recreation and passion sports sectors. For more information, please visit  www.idearanch.com .