By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan


It was a hometown connection that led Heidi Roth to her job at Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, but a mutual commitment to quality has produced the bond that has kept her there for nearly 20 years.

She's currently the company’s content manager, handling everything from graphics and advertising work to social media marketing and editing the longstanding Yamamoto Inside Line digital publication. Here's a look at how her career came to be.

Growing up in Page, Ariz. – home of the Yamamoto business – Roth attended school with Gary’s son Derek, so she was familiar with the company. During her years at Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., Roth worked part time at Bass Pro Shops – a gig that would establish her fishing-industry roots and lay the groundwork for her career with Yamamoto.

A post-college wing-spreading stint in New York ended with a return home to regroup and map out the future. Roth’s mother suggested she reach out to the hometown bait-maker and it didn’t take long to get the ball rolling.

“I called the office and asked if they might be interested in me working with them and they said ‘Can you start on Monday?’” Roth recalls.

Hired in the fall of 1996, she started in the company’s inside sales office during the period in which Yamamoto was pushing to expand its domestic market. Many factors have contributed to that success, but Roth points to the intangibles.

A Lasting Focus

“I’ve worked here (almost) 20 years and I never cease to be amazed at the type of feedback we get from our customers whenever they encounter Gary,” Roth said. “It makes me proud to work here because I know what his vision is and what his goals are.

“Gary has never been one to cut corners, as far as production is concerned. His main goal is quality that lasts and I feel that every single person in this organization has that same goal. I’m just very proud to work for someone who has instilled that in us. It’s humbling and it’s been delightful to work with him.”

Roth finds this commitment resonating in every aspect of the company, particularly in the communication efforts she manages.

“The sole purpose for why we created Inside Line was we wanted to introduce people to fishing, educate them about fishing and share our love for fishing,” Roth said. “It was a bonus that we were able to promote our product.”

As Roth explained, the Inside Line has never accepted advertising because the company wanted to maintain the publication solely as an educational tool. Going to a digital format a few years ago helped facilitate that goal by eliminating print costs.

Of course, changing with the times has brought new demands, which Roth addresses with the same underlying quality commitment.

“It was so much easier back in the days when it was a print publication because you were only expecting a certain number of articles and columns to appear every (publishing cycle),” Roth said. “Now, people want information right now and there’s so much information out there that the question is ‘How do you separate yourself?’

“We might not publish 10 to 20 times a day on our social media network, but we feel that what we are publishing is something that is substantial and worth someone’s time. So our focus is quality vs. quantity.”

Brand Ambassadors

Roth finds the Yamamoto pro staff essential to her emphasis on education and top-notch content.

“I think the important thing about having high-profile anglers is to strengthen our relationship between our brand and our customers,” she said. “In the last 2 years, we have really bulked up our touring pro staff quite substantially.

“I think because of this, our social media has exploded, as well. Our pro staff are very active on their social networks in promoting us so we feel like we’re more of a household name now than maybe 2 or 3 years ago.”

Personal Glimpses

A few notes on Heidi Roth.

> Foodie: Borne of her interest in eating well while traveling for work, Roth has published a blog for a handful of years. Cooking, she said, is her way of sharing herself with family and friends. Complementing this thought with her interest in showcasing quality cuisine provides endless blog content.

“I suppose eating is one of the most intimate things we do as humans, and I’m happiest when I’m cooking for others,” she said. “The food blog got started as a way to creatively showcase my obsession with Asian cuisine (it’s my go-to comfort food), the recipes I cook and love, and the restaurants I will go out of my way to visit.

“(Korean chef/entrepreneur) David Chang is my KVD, if you know what I mean. Cooks, whether they’re running high-end restaurants or mom-and-pop diners, are in the business of nurturing people. That’s something I’ve become obsessed with documenting both with my writing and my photography.”

> Pampered Pups: Two Italian greyhounds, Marcello (4) and Giada (3), lack not for attention, from Roth or folks she meets during their walks.

“They’re the most fantastic dogs I’ve ever owned,” Roth said. “What I like about them the most is they’re instant conversation-starters. I can be a little shy, but I take my dogs everywhere I go and they’re good ice-breakers.”

> Biggest Bass: The California Delta produced a 6 1/2-ounder for Roth – on a Senko, no less.

> Best Part of the Job: “About 99 percent of the people who work here are very focused on the manufacturing process,” Roth said. “I’m one of the few people who have the opportunity to work with the industry on the outside. Getting content out to the public, working with our pro staff and the social aspect of our business is what I enjoy most.

"A goal that I want to apply to anything that I do, whether that’s working here at Yamamoto or working on my food blog, is producing good work,” she said. “Making the best work that I can is a goal that may not be attainable in a day or a week or a few years; but at the end of my career I want to be able to say I produced good work.”