Tackle manufacturer,
Savage Gear Americas, has
announced that Jay Harris
has joined the company
and who has been tasked
with building a sales team
to further develop regional
and national accounts. Jay
Harris has worked in the
outdoor industry for the last
twelve years, having spent
the last four years as a Sales
Manager at O. Mustad & Son
where Jay was instrumental
in introducing several new
product categories along
with maintaining, growing,
and acquiring new accounts.
By joining the team as
Savage Gear opens its new
entity in the US, Jay can
continue with his success.
Jay joins Savage Gear
Americas as National Sales
Manager to continue Savage
Gears success and consistent
growth in the North
American market. Following
his appointment Jay said, “I
am truly excited to start this
new challenge and to have
the opportunity to help grow
an already amazing brand. I
am more than fortunate to
be associated with a brand
like Savage Gear that prides
itself on innovation and
quality.”
Savage Gear’s Vice
President, Magnus
Gunnarsson said, “Jay’s
industry knowledge and
reputation has already
made him a great addition
to the Savage Gear team.
Bringing him on is a sign of
our commitment to building
one of the strongest brands
in the industry. Increasing
demand from our customers
has driven us to continue
pushing the limits of
innovative lure building. We
have exciting new products
coming out and I am very
confi dent that Jay will play
a signifi cant role in the
success of these.”
American Fly Fishing
Trade Association (AFFTA)
president, Ben Bulis, and
the Board of Directors are
pleased to announce the
appointment of Art Webb
and Sam Lungren as Ex-
Offi cio Board Members for
2018-2019.
Ben said, “We are very
excited to welcome Art and
Sam to the team. With IFTD
moving back to Denver as a
stand-alone show in 2019,
and the evolution of the
AFFTA brand in response
to the tremendous growth
we’ve experienced in the
last fi ve to eight years, their
respective experience in
marketing, brand-building,
and media/publishing will
be a signifi cant
asset with the
work ahead of
us.”
With almost
40 years in
advertising
and marketing,
Art has held
positions from
Art Director to
Creative Director
to Owner, crafting
marketing
communications
for brands such
as Jack Daniel’s, Budweiser,
Mercury Marine, Volvo,
Jaguar, Six Flags, Kodak,
Sheraton Hotels, Orient-
Express Hotels, The British
Virgin Islands, Aspen
Colorado, and more. A
veteran guide as well, Art
is an obsessed saltwater
tournament angler and now
co-owns and produces the
Emmy Award-winning show,
Silver Kings (Discovery
Channel & Fox Sports
Sunday), along with Captain
Jared Raskob. The married
father of two has caught
over 90 species of fi sh
around the world on a fl y
rod, is a regular speaker at
IFTD and the AFFTA Dealer
Summit, and calls the
Florida Keys home.
Sam Lungren, who
previously served on the
AFFTA Board, is the editor
of Backcountry Journal,
the quarterly publication
of the conservation nonprofi
t Backcountry Hunters
& Anglers, an organization
he has been with for the
last three years. With a
master’s in environmental
journalism and natural
resource science from the
University of Montana,
years of commercial
salmon seining in Prince
William Sound, and a
passion for public lands,
trout on the fl y, elk
hunting, and skiing, he
also contributes freelance
writing and photography
to several other fl y fi shing
publications, including
The Drake, Gray’s Sporting
Journal, The Flyfi sh Journal,
Fly Rod & Reel, and Stonefl y.
Ex-Offi cio positions are
advisory in nature, carry a
one-year term, and have no
vote in Board proceedings.
www.tackletradeworld.com 07
Sam Lungren
Art Webb
NEWS | OCTOBER 2018
Savage Gear Americas Hires
New National Sales Manager
Art Webb and Sam Lungren join
AFFTA as Ex-Officio Board Members
/www.tackletradeworld.com