Ardent Growth Produces Expanded National Sales System
Ardent, the only manufacturer of freshwater fishing reels and accessories that are Made in the USA, has expanded its sales staff in the U.S. This expansion is in response to what has been a banner year for the Missouri-based company.
Online, January 5, 2010 (Newswire.com) - St. Louis (January 2010) - Driven by increased sales, Ardent, the only manufacturer of freshwater fishing reels and accessories that are Made in the USA, has expanded its sales staff in the U.S. This expansion is in response to what has been a banner year for the Missouri-based company, which has seen a significant sales increase in spite of the economic recession. Ardent has more than doubled the number of dealers carrying their product line, which prompted the addition of national and regional distributors, some of the industry's most respected manufacturers rep groups and new hires to its sales system.
"When we introduced the XS reel in 2005, we were a new Missouri company with a goal - to give serious anglers high-performance reels and reel care products that are Made in the USA," said Michael J. Brooks, President and CEO of Ardent. "The angling community has embraced Ardent and that is making us one of the fastest growing names in fishing tackle."
One of the most significant actions has been the hiring of Tim Golden as Director of Sales, and Tom Cole and Jake Tippee as Sales Representatives. Golden has 16 years experience in the sporting good industry and will be responsible for key distributors in the United States and national retail chains including Big 5 and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Cole will have sales responsibilities for Florida, South Carolina and Southern Georgia. Tippee will be responsible for Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Northern Georgia.
Ardent has contracted with eight premier manufacturers rep groups to cover the remaining geography of the United States, as illustrated in the following chart:
Manufacturers Rep Group States Representing
Haynes-Florance & Associates CA, NM, AZ, NV
Southwest Marketing TX, AR, LA, OK
The Hammond Group NE, KS, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH, MI
TK Marketing ND, SD, MN, WI
Ken Jefferies and Associates, LLC WV, VA, NC, KY
J & K Fishing Specialists ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, PA, DE, MD, RI, NY, NJ
Active Marketing OR, WA, AL
Jeff Arbogast CO, UT, WY, ID, MT
Ardent has also added a number of distributors to its sales system that will be joining Big Rock Sports, who has carried the Ardent product line since 2007. Folsom Distributors, Farris Brothers, Maurice Distributing, Sportsman's Supply and Triple S are some of the national and regional distribution companies that will be carrying the complete Ardent product line.
"This greatly expanded sales system illustrates the tremendous sales growth and opportunities that customers are realizing with the Ardent product line," said Brooks.
About Ardent
Ardent, which is headquartered in St. Louis, designs and manufactures fishing reels and fishing reel accessories that are Made in the USA. Ardent was founded on the principle of creating high-performance fishing reels that can endure the test of time. In addition, every Ardent reel is hand-assembled and performance-tested prior to shipment from its manufacturing facility in Macon, Mo., and is backed by the industry best three-year warranty. For more information, please visit www.ardentreels.com.