Question & Answer
Written by Kirk Deeter
AFFTA’s new GM, Ben Bulis
Q&A We like Ben Bulis, the new general manager for AFFTA.
AnglingTrade.com / June 2012
He jumped right into the fire after being hired several weeks ago, lobbying in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Bristol Bay, and has kept that momentum going. He wrote about his “First 30 Days” on affa.com, and you can check out what he’s been up to there. But we pressed him about where he plans to go in the future. Here are our questions, and Bulis’ frank answers: AT: You’ve obviously “hit the ground running” since you came on board... not to keep the squeeze on you, but what does the rest of your summer look like? In other words, what are your priorities going forward? 34
Bulis: So far, things have been busy, to say the least. In mid-April the AFFTA board of directors held a spring meeting and retreat in Montana, which involved some pretty in-depth discussions and brainstorming new ideas for the future of the organization. It was an incredibly productive few days. I was able to leave the retreat with a pretty solid blueprint of what needs to happen in the weeks and months ahead. My immediate plans as AFFTA’s new G.M. involve a “retailer road trip” that will take me through six Rocky Mountain states to meet with and talk with dealers, shop owners and others. This trip will allow me to introduce myself to retailers, outfitters, guides and manufacturers that perhaps have never had an AFFTA staff member personally visit their places of business. I am someone who believes that a handshake and a face-to-face conversation are essential business practices. I also will be calling members that I won’t be able to visit to introduce myself and to ask for their input on what AFFTA should be focusing on for the future. 2. You no doubt realize that, for whatever reasons, there is a contingent of retailers out there that is skeptical about AFFTA and what the organization does on their behalf. What do you think you have to do to win their trust, and ultimately, earn their participation in AFFTA (and the IFTD show)? There is no doubt that AFFTA has struggled in the past to create meaningful and valuable programs that directly impact the specialty fly shops and the specialty retailers and our industry. This is a small trade organization that has always struggled with funding and resources, while at the same time being run largely by an allvolunteer board. It is important that we remember that. Recently, Randi
Swisher was asked to wear the hat of AFFTA president while also organizing, promoting and delivering an annual trade show for the industry. All of this when the show alone is a full-time job! With the recent reorganization of the full-time staff at AFFTA, we are hoping to accomplish more in the near future. I will say that even with the challenges of past years, AFFTA has done a pretty darn good job lobbying for its members and the industry on government affairs issues. There was a lot of good work done on Montana and Utah stream access bills that, if they had passed, would have been devastating to the industry and would have set a precedent for continued public access legislation in other states. The lobbying effort to save Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine project is a top legislative issue that AFFTA has worked hard on and will continue on behalf of the entire industry. The reauthorization of the Farm Bill is also a legislative priority for AFFTA, as well as such conservation programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) (all programs that play a critical role in protecting and improving the quality of our nation’s fisheries). These are just a few of the legislative issues on which AFFTA lobbying efforts have a direct impact on retailers and the industry. They are not always the sexiest or most interesting issues, but I can promise you that AFFTA’s work and attention on these issues are crucial for our sport and our industry. 3. One of the great challenges with tackling a new position is that everybody wants everything at once... the reality is, you probably need to prioritize and go