This week Brian Sayner left his position as VP of communications at Operation Bass. Both Sayner and the company described the parting as amicable.
"I'm at a point in my life where I think I achieved what I could achieve at Operation Bass, and I'm ready to move on and seek new opportunities," he said. "At the age of 43, I don't think my race has been run."
An Original
Sayner joined Operation Bass 17 years ago, well before the Irwin Jacobs era. He had been the public relations manager for Evinrude outboards, but saw in Operation Bass an opportunity to help the company grow.
"I was hired to build the PR program," he said. "Up to that point Operation Bass had used an outside (PR) agency."
Jacobs Era
Six years ago Operation Bass' founder, Mike Whittaker, sold the company to Jacobs, who "really put us on the fast track as a company," Sayner said. "We've had a lot of resources to work with and it's been a dynamic time for the company and for me personally."
During his time under the new Operation Bass, Sayner was responsible for, among other things, placing cover stories on bass fishing in USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, and getting Operation Bass covered by national television news programs.
"What I'm most proud of are helping (Operation Bass) become nationally known and raising the awareness level of the sport nationally through our efforts," he said.
