FLW's GARY BRADFORD unsure of future without Charlie Evans
As you would expect from any event that includes the stepping down of a corporate CEO, there is much more to the story than you’ll find in the press release. That sure sounds like the case with FLW announcing that long-time fixture Charlie Evans is stepping down as CEO after more than 25 years with the company. (click here)
I don’t think this happened overnight. Some fishermen returning from the Forrest Wood Cup hinted there may have been some friction in the hierarchy of what has been a powerful challenger to the world of B.A.S.S., though that could have been 20/20 hindsight.
On the other hand, with new money there may be new expectations, including a makeover of certain ways that bass fishing is being marketed. Although he has only been on the scene since 1984, Evans is old-school bass fishing, closer to Ray Scott than much of the younger generation WalMart may be trying to sell to, and this may have contributed to the break-up.
When asked what to make of the Evans deal, Gary Bradford (often seen at the FLW weighins and a Canyon Lake resident) said, “I’m not sure; I don’t know.”
From a practical standpoint, thinking of the televised weigh-ins, he observed, “They have to have somebody up there.”
In that regard, he mentioned that the week before the FLW National Guard event in Payson, Ariz. they were to have a preview event with kids and the pros. “I usually do those,” said Bradford, but just recently, he noted, “Charlie said he was going. Obviously that’s changed.”
But more than that, you could pretty much write your own script, according to Gary. “I do still have a job,” he said hopefully. “We’re going to have to wait and see.”