As all seasoned fly fishermen know, rivers tend to reach a kind of perfection in the waning light of the day. The drift boats have left the water, wind that foils a back cast often subsides and the mercury-like water of the river reflects the greens, browns and yellows of the surrounding grass, brush and poplar leaves.
Fly-fishing is among the fastest growing segments of the outdoor category. COURTESY OF SIMMS
The magic window starts slowly as trout begin to feed on hatching insects, dimples pockmark the surface as if light rain is falling. Then, the feeding reaches what appears a boiling point that reveals seemingly impossible numbers of fish. Many outdoor pursuits have a golden moment during the course of a day, and for dry fly fishermen — the highest form of the experience — this is it.
Too, as any business consultant will tell you, being ready for opportune moments in life is a key part of success — however you define it. For Vista Outdoor CEO, Chris Metz, a part-time Montana resident and avid fly fisherman, studying Bozeman, Montana-based Simms Fishing Products was something that began nearly a decade earlier. The iconic company makes a wide variety of clothing and gear designed for discriminating anglers. Simms was the metaphorical 27-inch brown trout that lurked in the shadows and only surfaced occasionally and, cast as they might, no one was able to land.
Vista Outdoor and Simms share a corporate philosophy that championing conservation efforts is an important part of running a company in the outdoor industry. COURTESY OF SIMMS
That is, until Metz recently closed the deal by making the perfect cast at the right moment. You don’t get to be CEO of one of the world’s largest outdoor companies (some 40 brands in the portfolio with nearly 7,000 employees) without a deft presentation. He got to know Simms owner and executive chairman K.C. Walsh over the years, and it became clear that Walsh was most concerned that the company go to the right owner — one that shared the company’s vision to engage in the fly fishing community and continue to support conservation causes.
“Across Vista, we lean hard into conservation and supporting our lands and waters,” says Metz. “But we try and make our brands as bi-partisan as we can. I don’t care if you’re left-wing or right-wing, we have no interest in alienating anyone. To do so, in my opinion, is no-win. I’m not a legislative expert and that’s not our job.”
Vista Outdoor CEO Chris Metz believes Simms has the potential to be the next North Face with Vista’s help. COURTESY OF SIMMS
For Simms chairman K.C. Walsh, making certain the company went to a buyer who shared the company’s conservation philosophy was key. COURTESY OF SIMMS
The functionality, durability and good looks of their clothing and gear have been the hallmark of the brand for years. Put on a pair of their waders (made in the USA, by the way) or one of the Guide Jackets and your tendency is to become a brand ambassador. Therein lies much of the success of the company.
“We think Simms has the potential to become the next North Face,” says Metz. “Fishing is one of the more vibrant areas in the outdoor space but fly fishing — though smaller as a category — is growing faster than other sectors of fishing. It seems to be recession resistant as well.”
With lockdowns forcing people out of cities across the country, Americans have been flocking to the outdoors and Vista is one company that has been a beneficiary of the broader movement to get back to nature. Profits in 2021 and the first half of 2022 were robust, and the company has completed seven acquisitions in the last 18 months, banking that the trend of people wanting to get outside isn’t just a fad.
“We see Simms as an anchor to a new fishing platform within Vista Outdoor,” says Metz. “Think of fly fishing as the center of the dartboard — not far outside the bullseye could be rods, reels, lures and the like as we go broader within the category.”
Casey Sheahan will remain at the helm of Simms after the transition. COURTESY OF SIMMS
For Metz, it’s a two-way street. “We look at it both from what we can bring to Simms and what they add to Vista Outdoor. We build what we call centers of excellence and thought leadership within the company,” he says. “We ask what technology, platforms and data trends we can leverage to create more effective loyalty and affinity programs for companies that we acquire…to say nothing of our ability to source merchandise from more and better suppliers.”
As many companies across the outdoor industry scramble to build direct-to-consumer channels, Vista Outdoor will take a methodical approach. “As we acquire brands that have retail storefronts — like Simms,” says Metz, “we are organically becoming more direct-to-consumer. In the past, we relied on others to tell our story, but now we want to control the narrative. We want to be anywhere someone wants to shop. We also want to be mindful that we’re a consumer products company first, not a retail company, so we’ll be careful and thoughtful about how we approach retail.”
Much the way he landed Simms.
Hard-cover along with a companion DVD set (2 hours) and colorful dust jacket. 304 pages, signed by Chris Dorsey.
From one of the world’s most widely traveled fly fishermen and the largest producer of outdoor television in history comes the first of its kind celebration of the planet’s greatest fly angling. Chris Dorsey’s new book and film set, Casting Call, takes readers and viewers to epic fly waters from the American west to Alaska, across Canada, to the fabled flats of the Bahamas and Belize to the jungles, marshes and highlands of South America and many points in between. Buy Now
