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Discover Fly Fishing At ISE in San Mateo

Between Thursday January 8 and Sunday, January 11th, thousands of consumers passed by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association’s (AFFTA) Discover Fly Fishing (DFF) booth at the San Mateo, California International Sportsmen’s Expo. Nearly 400 of those attending the show stopped, learned a little bit about AFFTA and DFF, and submitted an entry form for the many prize drawings held at the AFFTA/DFF booth.

Throughout the four-day event, fly-fishing industry member hats, fly boxes, stickers, pins, DVDs, and other valuable prizes were awarded to consumers who completed the Discover Fly Fishing prize entry blank. Merchandise given away at the DFF booth included items donated by the following generous industry members: REC, Temple Fork Outfitters, Bud Lilly’s Trout Shop, Simms, Guideline Eyewear, 3M/Scientific Anglers, Chota, Fishpond USA, Imperial Headwear, Jim Teeny, G. Loomis. St. Croix and Sage.

In addition to the continuous drawings for fly-fishing industry logo prizes, twice a day, drawings were held for significant prizes, including fly rod and reel combo packs donated by 3M/Scientific Anglers, and fishing boots from Chota.

On the last day of the Expo, Mike Fitzgerald, Jr., President of Frontiers International Travel, drew one lucky winner’s name from the box of 400 entry forms and presented a trip for two to the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The lucky winner is Dean Grason of San Carlos, California.

According to Mike Fitzgerald, Boca Paila is one of Frontiers’ favorite lodges, in fact, Frontiers has represented this Mexican gem lodger than any other saltwater locale.

Thank you to all who donated prizes! We look forward to another great show in Denver where we will also be giving casting lessons to future fly fishermen.

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Co-Founder Sullivan named Cloudveil President

December 4, 2008 (Jackson, WY) – Cloudveil, producer of inspired mountain apparel, today named Co-Founder Stephen Sullivan President of the company following the resignation of Co-Founder and President Brian Cousins. Cousins leaves Cloudveil after helping to complete its integration with parent company Spyder Active Sports to pursue personal interests.

Sullivan comments, “Brian’s decision to make this life change is bittersweet for me. He has been a wonderful business partner and his impact on shaping and growing Cloudveil for the past eleven years has been instrumental to our success. That said, as a close friend I am excited for him move on and seek new challenges at this point in his life. He leaves Cloudveil in a position of strength, after a successful integration with Spyder, with sustained and active growth which I will work hard to perpetuate.”

Sullivan has overseen Cloudveil’s product, marketing, sales and retail divisions through the course of the company’s history and is an active member of the outdoor and angling industries serving on the board of the American Fly-Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) and the advisory board of 1% for the Tetons.

Cousins stated, “I was 25 years old, when Steve and I started Cloudveil, and although the last 11 years have been extremely rewarding, it was simply time for me to take a step back and re-evaluate personal and professional objectives. I am very proud of what Cloudveil has become, and have no doubt with Steve’s leadership, coupled with a great partner in Spyder, the brand will continue to evolve and achieve it’s full potential in the years to come. With the business integration nearly complete, and Fall 09 pre-season sales off to a strong start, this was the ideal time to step aside, knowing Cloudveil is stable and well positioned for the future.”

Spyder CEO and President Jake Jacobs added, “Brian has done a terrific job of assembling a strong team in Jackson and in the past nine months has greatly assisted in the integration of Cloudveil into Spyder’s infrastructure. Although it is always challenging when someone of Brian’s skills departs an organization, I am very confident in Steve’s abilities to continue to lead the charge for the Cloudveil brand. We look forward to continuing to leverage Spyder’s resources to help Cloudveil reach its full potential.”

Founded in 1997, Cloudveil is credited with starting the modern day soft shell revolution. Cloudveil draws inspiration from its home base of Jackson, Wyoming with a focus on building innovative and functional apparel for the outdoor, snowsports, fly fishing and casual apparel markets.

For more information about Cloudveil, visit www.cloudveil.com

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AFFTA Congratulates Travis Campbell on his Promotion

Far Bank Enterprises, Inc., the parent company of Sage Manufacturing, Redington and RIO Products Inti., Inc., today announced new roles for both President Bruce Kirschner and Vice President Travis Campbell.

Kirschner, a founding shareholder of Sage and current President of Far Bank, moves up to become Chief Executive Officer of Far Bank where he will concentrate on the execution of the organization’s long-term strategic vision. “Far Bank has grown into a multi-branded group of companies with the objective to profitably grow both organically and through additional acquisitions,” said Kirschner. In his role as CEO, he will focus on the company’s continuing evolution from a “branded house” to a “house of brands” built around the fly fishing lifestyle.

In promoting Travis Campbell to President of Far Bank, Kirschner noted that Travis “will have day-to-day operating responsibility for all three brands of the company.” Campbell originally joined Sage as its Director of Business Development in 2001, and was instrumental in the purchases of both Redington and RIO. Added Kirschner, “Travis has run both the Redington and RIO businesses so this is a natural evolution and he is clearly ready for this responsibility. Most notably he is a passionate angler, and embodies the values that we believe are essential to our long-term success.”

About his new role, Campbell said, “I feel fortunate to work in this industry and I am honored by the opportunity to add to the foundation of success that has been established here. I look forward to working with the Far Bank businesses to drive the principles of innovation, quality and conservation that I think are critical to our organization, as well as to the industry at large.”

Both men agree that the first order of action is to maximize the opportunities afforded by the three Far Bank brands. Kirschner said, “The focus here is to continue to drive value to our retailers and consumers by combining the unique capabilities of the three companies while maintaining their individual identities.” “It’s the logical next step,” added Campbell “and is where we’ll be concentrating our efforts in coming months.”
The promotions for both men are effective August 1, 2008.
For further information, please contact Marc Bale at mbale@sageflyfish.com or 1-800-533-3004.

Far Bank Enterprises, Inc. is wholly-owned by the Joshua Green Company, which is a Seattle, Washington based investment company. Far Bank is a holding company that has as its subsidiaries, Sage Manufacturing, Inc. and RIO Products Inti., Inc. Through these subsidiaries, Far Bank is engaged in the manufacturing and sale of fine fly fishing rods, reels, lines, leaders, tippet material, and apparel.

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Boost in Numbers Could Boost National Fish Habitat Action Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. Bill Taylor, chairman of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC), is encouraging all members of the Fish Habitat Partners Coalition to recruit one organization or business for the alliance before April 24. That’s the day AFFTA will introduce the coalition’s National Fish Habitat Action Plan to members of Congress and officials with the Bush Administration during the annual Congressional Casting Call (see “Casting Call for Today’s Leaders and Tomorrow’s“).

The SFBPC is spearheading the partners coalition membership drive, and the goal is to double the coalition’s membership. Currently, there are more 382 organizations that are members of the partnership. With an increased membership, coalition leaders are hoping to show that the action plan has wide support among businesses, grassroots conservation organizations and individuals, and that these members are willing to put the plan into effect.

The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is an effort to focus national attention and resources on common fisheries priorities set at the local and regional levels. While the plan is national in scope, it harnesses the energy, expertise and power of existing partnerships between state and federal agencies, conservation organizations and related industries. Fish Habitat Partnerships, the plan’s action arm, will be established voluntarily by willing partners and stakeholders to address local, regional, and national fish habitat needs through on-the-ground projects. In time, this network of partnerships will improve the state of fish and fish habitats on all levels across the country. If you’d like to support the NFHAP, here are three things you can do right now:

1) Join or recruit members for the Partners Coalition. The coalition consists of local, state and national organizations, government agencies and businesses that stand behind the action plan. By joining, you can participate fully as the National Fish Habitat Action Plan is put into action. Sign up to join the Partners Coalition at www.fishhabitat.org.

2) Investigate opportunities to support local freshwater, estuarine, and marine projects in your state.
Existing partnerships are already underway. Local efforts such as the Western Native Trout Initiative, Southeastern Aquatic Resources Partnership, Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, Matanuska Watershed Partnership and Driftless Area Partnership may provide opportunities for you to contribute on the ground now. In addition, other local projects are developing that will foster additional grassroots efforts in key watersheds throughout the country. Your state fish and wildlife agency leaders know about this initiative and can inform you of local fishery needs and how you can help. Take the time to find out how you can be a catalyst at the local level through involvement with state agency priorities, local watershed councils and other partnerships.

3) Be prepared to support Fish Habitat Partnerships
and funding.
A long-term goal of the action plan is to use and leverage existing funding more effectively and increase funding for Fish Habitat Partnerships nationwide. Already the effort has resulted in a Congressional appropriation of $1 million to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for fiscal year 2006 to be expended primarily for on the ground National Fish Habitat Initiative projects and to support the development of the Action Plan and a Presidential budget request to Congress for $3 million more in fiscal year 2007. Additionally, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has initiated a fundraising drive to support National Fish Habitat Action Plan projects. To find out more, visit www.morefish.org. For more information about the Fish Habitat Partners Coalition, contact Doug Hobbs (703-358-2336; doug_hobbs@fws.gov).

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AFFTA and ISE Partner for Exciting New Opportunities

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) and International Sportsmen’s Expositions (ISE) will be partnering in two locations to expand the fly fishing exhibits and educational opportunities at ISE’s consumer events. Starting in January 2009 and for at least three years, AFFTA, the fly fishing industry’s trade association, will become a sponsor of the ISE events in San Mateo, CA and Denver, CO. The two organizations completed the agreement in late April at AFFTA’s board meeting and annual National Casting Call event in Washington, D.C.

“AFFTA’s primary strategic objective is to support our members by growing consumer demand for fly fishing products and services,” said Alan Gnann, AFFTA Chairman. “This agreement with ISE, producers of the largest and longest-running outdoor consumer events in the marketplace, creates the most powerful promotional and educational platform our members have ever had. The highly regarded show concept showcased at our January 2008 consumer Expo in Denver will be used as the model for our collaborative efforts with ISE to produce the finest fly fishing events in the country.”

“This is a great opportunity to expand ISE’s product offering of fly fishing manufacturers and retailers,” said Brian J. Layng, ISE President and CEO. “The lodges and outfitters that have participated in our shows for the past 32 years will be thrilled to see the support and commitment from the fly fishing industry. Many AFFTA members are among the more than 1,600 active accounts that exhibit in the ISE shows, and we look forward to expanding the number of companies that promote fly fishing.”

Terms of the AFFTA-ISE agreement include the following elements:
AFFTA will merge its successful Denver, CO consumer event into the 32-year-old Denver ISE The San Mateo and Denver ISE will feature a distinct AFFTA-sponsored “Discover Fly Fishing Center”, including booths for products and services as well as interactive educational areas Working with AFFTA, ISE will expand its fly fishing specific advertising and promotion for both events
2009 dates for the AFFTA-sponsored ISE:
San Mateo, January 8-11, San Mateo County Event Center, San Mateo, CA
Denver, January 22-25, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association represents more than 2,000 manufacturers, retailers, manufacturers’ representatives, travel companies, media producers, as well as education and conservation organizations with a mutual interest in fly fishing as a lifelong pursuit and business.

Established in 1975, International Sportsmen’s Expositions produces the five largest fishing, hunting and travel consumer shows in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah. Each ISE includes 400 to nearly 600 exhibiting companies, interactive show features, large youth-activity area, and special events such as the ISE Best-of-the-West Distance Fly-Casting Contest.

For more information, contact Mischa Jones at AFFTA, 303-604-6132, info@affta.org or www.affta.org and John Kirk, International Sportsmen’s Expositions, at 800-545-6100, info@SportsExpos.com or www.SportsExpos.com

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