New boat companies fortify FLW’s associate sponsor team
MINNEAPOLIS – Two of the biggest names in bass-fishing boats have joined the fold of FLW Outdoors sponsors: Champion and Stratos.
FLW Outdoors announced Monday that Champion and Stratos boats are among the latest corporations to attain associate-sponsor status for the bass-fishing organization’s 2003 season. With Champion and Stratos coming on board, FLW’s ironclad boat sponsorship – led by primary sponsor and industry leader Ranger Boats – will be further fortified.
Just as professional anglers have admired the craftsmanship and design of Champion and Stratos fishing boats through the years, these companies recognized the quality of the bass-fishing tournaments organized by FLW Outdoors. Having Champion and Stratos – renowned for their bass-fishing boats – come on board as tour sponsors was a natural fit.
“The Wal-Mart FLW Tour is without a doubt the most prestigious and lucrative tournament circuit ever,” Gary Clouse, president of Champion and Stratos, said. “Champion and Stratos boats are proud to be a part of it.”
FLW Outdoors President and CEO Charlie Hoover said the associate sponsorship deal with Champion Boats and Stratos Boats will benefit every corporate entity involved. Champion and Stratos boats are companies that have become synonymous with bass-fishing boats.
“The association with Champion and Stratos – companies that have come to symbolize the best in bass-fishing boats – can only boost FLW’s reputation,” Hoover said.
With an estimated 55 million anglers casting lures into rivers and lakes across the country, corporations have noted professional fishing tournaments as a strong marketing force. Some of America’s leading corporations have come to recognize the potential of partnerships among a fishing organization like FLW Outdoors, anglers and a strong sponsorship team.
Since the introduction of the high-stakes Wal-Mart FLW Tour in 1996, bass fishing has become big business and a powerful marketing tool for sponsors aiming to reach the angling masses. As the FLW Outdoors sponsorship family continues to grow, so do the cash and merchandise purses offered by the organization at each tour event; the FLW Tour increased its total prize purse from $5.1 million in 2002 to $5.5 million in 2003 without increasing registration fees. As much as $22 million will be awarded among the 170 tournaments that comprise FLW’s many fishing circuits in 2002.
Clouse, a former tournament angler, said he felt “a little bit jealous” after seeing his first FLW Tour event because there hadn’t been a professional fishing event like it when he was pitching jigs 20 years ago.
“The ability of FLW Outdoors to bring in high-profile, non-endemic sponsors such as Wal-Mart, Kellogg’s, M&M’s and Mars, and Fujifilm – bringing our sport to a new level – is something no other marketer of fishing tournaments has had the ability to do,” Clouse said.
Hoover elaborated on his belief that Champion and Stratos boats, like Ranger Boats, are seemingly tailor-made for association with FLW Outdoors. He said quality boats are a pivotal part of a positive bass-fishing experience.
Champion Boats and Stratos Boats are headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Primary sponsors of FLW Outdoors angling circuits in 2002 are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Conseco, Eagle Electronics, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, GARMIN, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan/Weedeater, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, Stren, US Bank and Yamaha Outboards.
For more information, contact Gary Clouse, president of Champion and Stratos boats, at (615) 895-5190, ext. 387, or Bill Petrowiak, vice president of communications for FLW Outdoors, at (612) 337-1945.