Blake, Fennel On Present And Future Of FLW Outdoors

(Editor's note: This is part 1 of a multi-part Q&A with FLW Outdoors officials Trisha Blake and Kathy Fennel.)

It's been quite a long time since an FLW Outdoors official sat down with BassFan for a Q&A. About 5 years, to be exact. But a recent management change at the organization – the departure of Charlie Evans and the promotion of Trisha Blake and Kathy Fennel – ushered in a new era of transparency.

Both Blake and Fennel willingly accepted an invitation to sit down with BassFan for a lengthy interview.

Blake, the daughter of FLW Outdoors founder Irwin Jacobs, currently serves as marketing-division president. She's based in the Minneapolis, Minn. offices.

Fennel currently serves as operations-division president. She's based in the Benton, Ky. offices.

Although both officials are relatively new to their posts – Evans was let go in August – it's clear from their answers that work and planning have been feverish over the past several months. In the Q&A that follows, they talk about that work, as well as the reality of 2010, the promise of 2011 and a whole lot more.

BassFan: Can you describe the mood at FLW Outdoors right now, and has that mood changed since this time last year?

Blake: Oh my gosh, tremendously. I think we all know what happened last year, and a majority of the things that took place were based on things that were out of our control. But look, we've been refreshed. Obviously there's the Walmart announcement, the T. Boone (Pickens) announcement, and based upon all our meetings and getting ready for next year, I don't know if I'd even call it a mood. Kathy can speak for what's happening down in operations, but I can tell you up here in Minneapolis, we are so re-energized and there's such an excitement around here that honestly I wouldn't even know how to describe it.

We're working harder than I think we ever have. At the same time, it's fun because of what's happening and what's going to happen in 2011. I really, truly believe 2011 is going to be a very historical year for us, and probably one, if not the best (year), in the history of our company.

Fennel: From the operations side of it, we feel the same way. People are excited, they're energized and we're looking forward to the future. We know there's a lot of hard work that comes with that, but we're up to the task and excited the opportunity's there again. We're glad to put 2010 behind us. We never want to wish things away, but we're glad that's behind us and we can't wait to start the next year.

Blake: One more thing I'll add (concerns) the perception of the sport in general. With what's happened in the economy, I think people are really realizing the outdoors and fishing and being with family and those values – everything the sport represents. You've got mass America taking a step back and looking at this sport and the outdoors again. So I think we've got a heavy focus on us, not only inside the industry but outside the industry. It's what we all believed to be the case with this sport, but it's sure nice to know the world's taking a step back too and understanding that this is Americana. This is what it's all about.

What do you most look forward to in 2011?

Blake: A lot of things, but I'm most looking forward to seeing things excelling. I wouldn't say to "back the way they were," but I'd say just "improved and enhanced." I'm not going to kid you – there are things FLW has done in the past that we will not repeat in the future.

We spent 2010 taking a very deep look into who we are as an organization – wanting to improve and fix those things we felt needed it. Now with all the support and all these new sponsors that are going to be coming on, I look forward to this reenergized feeling in the sport and getting back out on the tours to see the excitement the pros and the communities are going to have. So it's not just one thing – I think it's probably many things, because there's a lot of moving parts with FLW. I'm just looking forward to a stellar product.

Fennel: Along with Trisha, we're excited about the renewed energy. Just from a participation standpoint, we already feel that from the anglers. We're excited to be delivering more to the anglers as we get ourselves back up to that level. We faced some tough times. We had to make some cuts and do some things with the business to keep us strong during these tougher times. But now we've got the opportunity to be able to build back up on some of those programs and opportunities for anglers and sponsors. We're excited to be able to proceed with that.

Purely from a fan's perspective, what will be the most notable changes at FLW Tour events next year?

Blake: As far as the fanbase is concerned, I think it's the fact that we'll be back in the Walmart parking lots, and we'll have that audience back. Obviously our bigger events are going to be taking place at convention centers. But again, I keep going back to that renewed energy, and I just think the perception and the reality are going to be all-in-one. It's the enhancement and the excitement that's going to take place in and around these communities that we're going to be participating in.

Fennel: I think the fact that we're going back to the 2 days at the convention centers, and being able to deliver a bigger outdoor show and expo for the fans at the Majors – we're looking forward to that opportunity. And like Trisha said, getting back to Walmart parking lots with the other events and having the sponsor support back. People will just have more to experience and be exposed to when they come to our events.

I think it's also important to mention that from the television standpoint, we've got some expanded coverage coming. We continue to work to improve our magazine, and we're so delighted to have Colin Moore onboard with us as our editor. And we've recently announced the launch of our new digital magazine, which is very enhanced with video and technology that'll be a great tool and addition to be able to make available to our fans.

Irwin Jacobs always said the underlying purpose of FLW Outdoors was to sell boats. Now that he's effectively out of the bass-boat business, what's the new philosophy?

Blake: I think it's the philosophy that's always been here, which is to grow the sport. And that's really our main focus now. Yes, we got into this to grow the marketshare of the bass-boat business. Now that's been altered a bit, but again, Ranger's still family to us – they're still heavily involved in FLW. But we're now solely focused on growing the sport.

Really, the whole idea was to create these programs out there that would allow anglers to fish for a living. We put our releases out there and you see how the purses have moved up. The focus, from my perspective, is about growing the sport. And when we say 'growing the sport,' that goes along with creating more sales for all our partners and our sponsors involved with us. This is really about bringing together those 55 million people who are purchasing a fishing license in America to support those sponsors that are supporting their passion.

T. Boone Pickens – is he more a silent partner, or does he play a personal role in FLW Outdoors?

Blake: A personal role. He and my father go way back, but I work with someone within his office on a weekly basis. I wouldn't call them silent, because they're very excited about FLW and we do keep in close touch and they're very supportive.

Boone's all about the outdoors, and everything with his Pickens Plan – this is a gentleman who really cares about the next generation and how he leaves this planet. He spent a very large fortune doing what he's doing to show America what needs to be done.

I don't know how well people know Boone's message – not depending on foreign oil. This isn't a political thing. It's about getting the outdoor enthusiasts and our members and our fanbase to really understand what his message is as far as clean fuel and everything else that goes along with the Pickens Plan. So there's a natural fit there and we do really want to get our constituents involved in the Pickens Plan and to really understand what it means for our society.

You're going to see some announcements coming out soon that are going to connect some of the dots in how we're going to involve the Pickens Plan and the mission behind it. Some of those things will come out in the next week.

The job that Charlie Evans formerly performed has now been divided among you two. Was it determined that the responsibilities were more than one person could handle?

Blake: It's really just a restructuring. We were structured a certain way for a long period of time when Charlie was with us, and the nature of where we're headed with our growth, you need to keep in mind that we're in two different locations. Kathy's in Benton and I'm here in Minneapolis, and it just made the most sense for us to split these duties accordingly.

Fennel: It's actually a much more natural structure, just because Trisha on the marketing side and me in Kentucky with the operations side – those are the things we were dealing individually with on a daily basis, so it was a more natural and appropriate fit for us.

Over the past few months, the organization has seemed to be more receptive to questions from the media about rulings, decisions, etc. Is transparency viewed as a priority under the new leadership?

Blake: 100%. I think it's important that people understand what we're doing and why we're doing it. There are business decisions that are made based upon things that sometimes people don't understand, but there are a lot of things we need to look at. We do try to balance out as many things as we can around here before we make decisions. We don't make hasty decisions and we try to get the information. I think we've especially focused on that as far as the anglers are concerned, with the angler panels we did the last year. I know we're not going to be completely accepted with every decision we make, but we're out for growing the sport and doing what we can to create as many opportunities as possible for all of our different constituents.

How do you define "growing the sport?" Is it involvement, is it purse size?

Blake: I'd say it's a variety of things. Without the support of our sponsors, we're not going to be able to have the growth you're going to see in 2011. It's also opportunities for the fans and the anglers, and the anglers are a big piece of this, and they're a big customer to FLW. They pay a lot of money to participate in our events, and there's been some perception out there that FLW doesn't care about their anglers. Quite the contrary. I really think we've spent a lot of time this past year trying to get close to their thoughts and what their needs are.

The anglers need to look out for themselves – understandably so. But we better understand, from talking to and hearing from them, what their needs are. And we have to come up with programs that serve us all as best as possible to make sure we're keeping our organization strong and healthy, and at the same time giving them as many options and opportunities as we can to help them in the sport.

Fennel: I think when we talk about growing the sport, it's a combination of many things. Exposure's one. The more people who can be exposed to and just be aware of the sport, then the more opportunity there is for growth. Opportunity for the anglers? Absolutely, as far as purses, and opportunity to be able to win money and make a living at this sport if that's what your desire is. If you're a BFL angler and you're not looking for a full-time career in this sport, but you're still an avid angler who wants an opportunity to be able to participate in quality events and then have a shot at making a championship where you do get to go and experience that big-time event with those high paybacks. That's important too.

So being able to keep in mind growth at all levels, and then the things we've done with college fishing have just been amazing to me. It's more on my mind right now because we've just gone through our five Regionals, so I've been able to spend time with these college anglers. And for us as a company, we never stop there. We have to continually be open and thoughtful to how do we make sure the youth today are staying in touch with the outdoors and realizing what's available out there and not just play video games. So we're even looking at some additional opportunities for the future – even reaching another audience.

Blake: I'd also add that, when we talk about exposing newcomers to the sport and the next generation, I don't think a lot of people are aware of what FLW does when we go into a community. We work with a variety or organizations, whether it's the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, Future Farmers of America, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation. We do hospital visits, we do school visits with our anglers. Many times, we're the front page of the newspaper, just based on the community aspect of what we do and bring to these communities.

You've got kids who are coming to our Family FunZone who've never picked up a rod and reel before. And that experience can change them for the rest of their lives. When you ask pro anglers how they got into this sport, the story's pretty similar: I fished with my father, my grandfather, my mother. If you don't create those opportunities or experiences, then they may go a lifetime without it. So it's important we continue to create these opportunities and experiences in as many communities as we can. We touch a lot of communities, and being back in Walmart parking lots is going to enhance the experiences and the number of individuals who are going to be touched by it.

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> Coming up in part 2: Questions about purse structure vs. entry fees, the rehire of Chris Jones, television coverage and more.