BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Carhartt, America’s premium work wear brand since 1889, has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with sport fishing industry leader, B.A.S.S. LLC.
Carhartt is now the Official Apparel Sponsor and Official Supporting Sponsor of the annual Bassmaster Classic and two B.A.S.S.-owned circuits: the top-level Bassmaster Elite Series and the three-division Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series. In addition, Carhartt will become the title sponsor of the growing tour for college fishing teams, College B.A.S.S.
The multi-year agreement includes Carhartt as the sponsor of a multi-faceted awards program, Carhartt Big Bass.
“We’re very excited to join B.A.S.S. to support some of the very best anglers in the world,” said Tony Ambroza, Carhartt’s Vice President of Marketing. “Carhartt makes durable apparel for active men and women who work hard and play hard outdoors. Partnering with B.A.S.S. is the perfect opportunity for Carhartt to continue to celebrate the successes that come from hard work, perseverance and fun in the rugged outdoors.”
“Carhartt and B.A.S.S. are a perfect fit,” said Bruce Akin, CEO of B.A.S.S. “We are very proud to team up with a company with such a stellar reputation for quality products and a deep commitment to customer trust. We here at B.A.S.S. hold those same core values. We are especially pleased that competitors in B.A.S.S. events can look forward to a new big-bass award program at such a high level.”
“Being an angler from Michigan, I’m glad to see Carhartt, a Michigan-based company, involved in our sport,” said Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., defending champ from the 2011 Bassmaster Classic. “B.A.S.S. and Carhartt are two very iconic brands for sportsmen. I think our fan base will see that Carhartt offers a very diverse line of clothing that is really suited to fishing and the outdoors. They don’t just make work clothes.”
In the top tier of bass fishing competition, the kickoff of the Carhartt Big Bass program will begin at the Feb. 24-26 Bassmaster Classic. Competitors will have the ability to win up to $2,500 if they weigh in the largest Red River bass on the Classic stage. The Carhartt Big Bass program will continue into the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series, which will begin in March providing anglers the ability to win up to $1500.
Elite pros that opt into another element of the program can compete for additional big-fish awards over the eight-event regular season. For the season’s heaviest bass, a participating Elite pro will collect $2,000. Awards are also available to participating Elite anglers for second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-largest bass. Those bonuses range from $500 for fifth-largest bass to $1,250 for second-largest bass.
Open-level anglers can look forward to Big Bass awards too. All anglers in each of three of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open divisions — Northern, Southern and Central — have a shot at a $500 bonus through Carhartt Big Bass. Bonuses will be given in both the pro and co-angler entry levels, and in all three events within each of the three divisions, for a total of 18 awards at $500 each. The first awards will be presented at the April 5-7 Southern Open on Lake Norman out of Charlotte, N.C.
Fishing fans who haven’t yet been introduced to Carhartt can learn about their products at B.A.S.S. events beginning with the Feb. 24-26 Bassmaster Classic in Shreveport-Bossier City, La., by visiting the Carhartt booth at the Shreveport Convention Center during the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
In 1889, Carhartt Inc. was established in Detroit, Michigan by Hamilton Carhartt. Today, the company remains privately held by the Carhartt family to ensure its founder’s mission is carried through in every garment it produces. For more than 120 years, Carhartt has been delivering best-in-class enduring apparel that respects the hard-earned dollars of America’s hard working men and women. Standing for rugged construction, innovative design and exceptional standards of quality, durability and comfort, Carhartt work wear has become a legend among America’s skilled tradesmen and craftsmen. The product line is available globally through its ecommerce site, www.Carhartt.com, and at retail locations across the United States and Canada.
