Just a month before the ICAST trade show — the biggest gathering of the year for the sportfishing industry — news reports revealed that Pure Fishing, the biggest tackle company in the world, might be offered for sale.
Pure Fishing includes some of the most iconic brands in bass fishing, including Berkley, the 80-year-old company originally known for Trilene line, and Abu Garcia, which has been manufacturing fishing reels for nearly a century.
Despite the possibility of a sale by present owners Newell Brands, Berkley, Abu Garcia and other brands will be enriched by hundreds of new items to be introduced at ICAST July 11-13. In anticipation, Bassmaster.com sat down with Neil Eibeler, Pure Fishing CEO, for an interview about his company and the bass fishing industry.
Q. You have been the leader of major companies within the Newell Brands family, including Irwin Tools and Rubbermaid. What went through your mind when you were asked to take over Pure Fishing?
Eibeler: I am always up for a new challenge, and I was excited to work in a new category of business. My experience running major branded businesses actually aligns very well with the fishing industry and Pure Fishing. The route to market for our products is very similar to the tools and commercial business segments. The other key similarity that I would point out is the passion that our end users have for products. Tradesmen are very passionate about the tools that help them complete the work they take so much pride in. I think it goes without saying that anglers are passionate about fishing tackle, and it excites me to work with our team to deliver the best products in the industry.
Q. You’re an experienced fisherman. How did you get started?
Eibeler: While I wouldn’t consider myself an expert angler, I have always been passionate about fishing since growing up in New York and fishing offshore and in local lakes. Over the past year, since taking on the new position as CEO, I have had the opportunity to fish in Canada, Australia, the U.K., Mexico, Japan and many waters in North America. I have developed a great passion to spend more time outdoors with my friends and industry associates.
Q. It’s often said that the more deeply a person gets involved in the fishing business the less time he has to go fishing. Is that true for you?
Eibeler: Yes and no. While certainly running a large business doesn’t allow for a great deal of excess time to go fishing, I have made it a focus to spend more time on the water. I am really enjoying the fact that I have been able to spend some time on the water. I have had the opportunity to fish with customers, suppliers, fishing legends, pro staff, and industry partners in the last year. There’s no better way to get to know someone and your products than spending time fishing, so I do my best to get out often as possible.
Q. How has your background in fishing influenced your decision-making at Pure Fishing?
Eibeler: I am a believer in growing strong partnerships with our customers and spending time with them. My belief is to work with both our large and smaller customers to help them succeed. With our extensive product lines and brands, we have the ability to influence many different types of end users and drive sales to our customers. Over the past year it’s been my focus to spend time with our customers understanding their business and the opportunities and challenges they have so we can mutually grow our businesses together.
Q. In recent news, Newell Brands, the parent company of Pure Fishing, has announced that it will be exploring the option of selling off the Pure Fishing portfolio. What can you tell us about these reports?
Eibeler: The company has publicly declared that it will explore selling the portfolio of fishing brands. This is a great business that is full of industry-leading brands. This really comes down to making sure that we identify the right owner that will be a better strategic fit and unlock new opportunities for these brands and our employees.
Q. It must be challenging to keep a company like Pure Fishing concentrated on building its business when employees and the industry know that it might be sold in the not-too-distant future. How do you maintain that focus?
Eibeler: Pure Fishing, like many other companies, has evolved with a lot of changes over the years, and the team has done a great job keeping focused. We are running the business as aggressively and focused as we did before the announcement. The due diligence process with potential buyers only affects a few members of our leadership team. The remaining team members are focused on the day-to-day. We continue to increase our investments, work closely with our customers and launch the new, innovative products our customers expect from us. Our focus is to ensure the business continues to be successful, and there is no change to how we approach that.
Q. Pure Fishing has always been one of the cornerstone exhibitors at the annual ICAST trade shows. What are your plans for the 2018 show in Orlando?
Eibeler: ICAST is important for the industry. We have always had a major presence and have no plans to change. It’s a great way to have ongoing discussions with our customers about how we can develop new strategies and programs to help them sell more product as well as meet with industry media. I think you will find that not only at ICAST, but also in other areas of activation, we will be making an even bigger presence in the market. This year alone, we signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with B.A.S.S. for both Berkley and Abu Garcia, signed 15 new pros to our pro staff, and continued to make many other investments in the market.
Q. Which new lures are you most excited about? Which are your personal favorites?
Eibeler: The Berkley line of bass hard baits has been very popular, and we continue to work with our top pros to develop new categories, shapes, and actions. For me, I’m a back-to-basics guy and I am really excited about the major expansion we have coming with PowerBait and PowerBait MaxScent. I am certain that the industry is going to be taken aback by the expansion of the tried-and-true technology that PowerBait brings to allow anglers to catch more fish.
Q. Still in the midst of rolling out new models and sizes of Berkley hard baits, you’re putting a lot of emphasis on soft plastics. You must be optimistic about that category to spend so much on R&D in recent months.
Eibeler: Absolutely. Last year we introduced PowerBait MaxScent, which boasts an even higher catch rate than original PowerBait. This year we are excited to expand this offering and bring a major expansion of the standard PowerBait range with over 570 new items that we will launch at ICAST in July. Anglers will now have the ability to get the effectiveness they have known in a Power Worm in over 25 new shapes and colors.
Q. The retail aspect of the industry has been shaken up in the past couple of years, with significant impacts on tackle manufacturers. What does the future hold for retail businesses?
Eibeler: Retail business continues to be strong for the tackle industry. As with other industries, there has been a shift to increased online purchases, but we find the most successful retailers are managing both platforms and adapting to the changing environment. Changing retail is really nothing new to the world, and it is an aspect of business that we have to pay attention to all the time.
Q. Shakespeare, a Pure Fishing brand, sponsored the popular Get Hooked On Fishing program for youngsters at the recent Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, S.C. What are some of the other ways your company plans to grow fishing participation among young people?
Eibeler: We support numerous organizations whose sole mission is to introduce new people to the joys of fishing. We’ve also simplified the initial buying process, which sometimes can be challenging given the wide assortment of tackle. One of Shakespeare’s most successful product lines is the Catch More Fish combos. They come pre-rigged with Stren line and include a tacklebox with hooks, jigs, bobbers, weights, PowerBait or Gulp! and “how-to” fishing tips. They are readily available, affordable, and include species specific models like panfish, catfish, walleye, trout, bass, striper, surf, inshore and more.
Q. Berkley is one of the oldest companies in sportfishing. What’s next for this iconic brand?
Eibeler: Our mission has never changed. From Berk Bedell’s humble beginning tying flies in his parents’ basement, Berkley has grown to become the world’s leading authority and cutting-edge expert on how to use testing, research, and technology to help people catch more fish. We will continue to invest in people and our research labs worldwide to develop or improve tackle that benefits the overall angler experience.
Q. Back when B.A.S.S. began, everyone used the old red Ambassadeur 5000 baitcast reels. Abu Garcia continues to be a major player in reel design and manufacturing a half-century later. What’s the secret behind that longevity?
Eibeler: It comes down to trust and creating quality products. I have had the pleasure in recent months of spending time with the grandson and past owner of the Abu Garcia business. For me, it is important to spend time understanding our heritage and how we can continue to leverage it.
Q. Pure Fishing has acquired three companies in the last eight years. Do you have your eyes on other acquisitions?
Eibeler: We have a solid portfolio of industry-leading brands in the fresh, salt, and fly categories. We make rods and reels for every skill level, from beginner to the most avid. Our line, bait, and fishing accessories cover the full spectrum of species on an international level. But with that said, during this time of potential transition we’re focused on our leading current portfolio of brands and delivering the best innovation to our industry. As for the future, we’ll always make decisions that are best for the long term success of our brands and people.
Q. B.A.S.S. was founded 50 years ago when Ray Scott created the first true bass tournament trail. How important is competitive fishing to the success of Berkley and your other companies?
Eibeler: Without a doubt, Ray Scott and B.A.S.S. was the driving force in tournament fishing. To this day, competitive bass fishing is the platform to provide the techniques, tips, and wisdom of the world’s best anglers to millions of aspiring anglers of all ages. We are passionate about the bass fishing market and the tournament scene. We have over 32 pro anglers on our pro staff and are involved in more than 1,800 competitive fishing tournaments from B.A.S.S. to the grass roots level.
Q. For many years, the Berkley Conservation Institute has been a force for protecting and enhancing fishery resources. Is there still a commitment to this initiative in your organization?
Eibeler: We are and will continue to support conservation as one of our top priorities. I am currently participating with the ASA [American Sportfishing Association] Board, CSF [Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation] Board and the TRCP [Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership]. Pure Fishing also donates and works with many regional associations and DNR teams. We have a dedicated employee, Connie Parker, who works with myself and the outside organizations to support conservation, which we feel is vital for our industry and company. Connie is very active with several organizations supporting our initiatives.
Q. What’s in store for the fishing industry over the next 50 years?
Eibeler: Wow, that’s a tough one, but we are focused on making sure we are the leader when it comes to new products. It’s hard to believe the technological advances that we are seeing today in boats, engines, electronics, and tackle. We will certainly continue our focus to advance the industry whether we are working on the next reel, spool of line or plastic bait.
