A good man and a good product
Oct 14th, 2016 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Oct 14th, 2016 at 12:00 AM
Fishing. It’s fun. Fishing is not really a serious endeavor. Of course, those who fish tournaments want to win and give it their all. Fishing guides want to work hard to get their clients fish. The family vacationers want to fill their stringer with some tasty piscine treats. However, none of it is serious in the sense that it involves helping those in need or saving lives.
Still, I bet there are a few of you out there who would love to yell back and say, “Fishing is serious!” It’s good for the soul and all of that stuff. Maybe you’ll toss out quotes from your favorite poet or songwriter explaining the wonders of fishing. Okay, but still it’s not serious. But maybe there are people in the fishing industry who make a difference. Oh yeah, philanthropists like Bassmaster Pro Randy Howell with his King’s Home Charity work. Several other top-notch anglers work with various charities as well. John Crews works with Autism charities, Mike Iaconelli has his Ike Foundation geared up to get more kids involved in fishing. All great endeavors. So maybe fishing can be a serious business.
Now, there is a fella named James Haworth. Most of you have never heard of him, and that’s just fine. James and his wife Lisa own a tackle manufacturing company, Tackle Industries. It’s based out of Le Mars, Iowa. They make fishing lures and also produce a line of fishing rods, Vexan Rods to be exact. This company creates everything from bass to ice fishing tackle. Pretty cool and diverse stuff.
So what, you say? Well, here’s the skinny on this little company. They give away over half their profits to kids and veterans charities. They are a family business, not a monster corporation. To date, they’ve given over $600,000 worth of donations to various organizations.
“We give away a lot of product each year to pretty much any kid or veterans charity,” said Haworth. “I’m sure I’ve been scammed over the years, but I love providing these charities with product to either provide access to gear the people otherwise couldn’t get or for them to auction off to make more money for their organization.”
Well, that’s all great you might think, but what is the motivation? Some sort of tax deal? Well, the motivation may surprise you.
“So, my daughter was diagnosed with a disease that often leads to death,” said Haworth. “She is still with us thanks to the great work by the people at the Gillete Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“My wife and I spent a lot of time going to that facility and noticed all sorts of kids who were all alone. Parents couldn’t afford to get there, all sorts of reasons.
“We were driving and decided we needed to do what we could to make a difference. Instead of buying myself a new Ford F-150 or my wife a new Mercedes from our profits through Tackle Industries, we decided to start donating product to almost any charity that needed our help. Now I just run my vehicles into the ground before I get a replacement.
“It was the right thing for us to do.”
Okay, so there are some serious bits and pieces in the fishing business and some seriously wonderful people who take what they love and help others.
This year Tackle Industries/Vexan rods launched a new series of ice fishing gear. Who knows what else these charitable folks will create in the future, but when you buy your new Vexan ice fishing rod or bass flipping stick or muskie lure, just know that you are helping a lot more people than your local retailer or Tackle Industries’ bottom line.
It sure feels good to be serious once in a while.