R.L. Winston Rod Co. has appointed Andy Wunsch as its new general manager, and Karlie Roland joins the company to lead sales for the Winston and Bauer brands. Adam Hutchison has overseen sales, marketing, and dealer services for the past five years and has become the national marketing manager for the two brands.
The company reported that Wunsch has been involved in the outdoor and fly fishing industry for over thirty years, with strength in experience in the supply chain, sales, marketing, and team leadership. He worked previously with REI, Simms Fishing Products, Sitka Gear, and Duckworth. Most recently, he was the vice president of sales, marketing and product development at West Paw.
“I am excited to be back in the fly fishing industry with Winston and Bauer,” said Wunsch. “Throughout my career, I have had the unique opportunity to partner with iconic brands like REI, Simms Fishing Products, Sitka Gear, and West Paw. I have spent the last 12 years focused on developing supply chains, sales operations, leading teams, and improving the dealer and customer experience. I’m proud to be part of the Winston and Bauer team and look forward to future opportunities.”
The company said Roland has been a dedicated industry professional and hardcore angler for the past ten years for fly fishing businesses, including Emerald Water Anglers, Trout Hunter Lodge and, most recently, for Umpqua Feather Merchants as its Northern Rockies territory account manager.
“I started working in this industry because I am obsessed with fishing, and I cannot imagine my life without it,” said Roland. “Between retail, guiding and repping, I’ve had the opportunity to constantly work at doing what I love most, supporting fly shops. I am excited and very honored to join the Winston and Bauer family. I’m not only impressed by the product but also by the legacy and core values the brand and its employees have maintained as true fishermen. I look forward to contributing to the future and continued success of our brands and customers.”
David Ondaatje, chairman of the Board of Directors, R.L. Winston Rod Co., offered, “We are very happy to announce that Andy and Karlie will be joining Winston. Both bring extraordinary experience in the flyfishing industry and further reaffirm our commitment to supporting our network of the finest fly shops around the world. Together with Amanda, John, Hank, and the rest of the great team at Twin Bridges, Andy and Karlie will help continue our long and storied tradition of excellence in designing, building and ultimately sharing our extraordinary fly rods and reels. With the recent fantastic successes of our new Air 2 and Air 2 Max fly rods and additional new products in the pipeline from both Winston and Bauer, our future has never looked better!”
Ondaatje said these additions allow Adam Hutchison to focus on implementing key marketing strategies, ramp up brand presence and broaden the reach of Winston and Bauer across social media, print and other avenues as its national marketing manager.
“It’s really exciting to see our sales and marketing team grow,” Hutchison said. “These strategic staffing additions bring an incredible amount of experience and passion to our already stellar team and allow Winston and Bauer to become more specialized as a business. I’ve never been more excited in the 14 years that I’ve been with Winston.”
Image courtesy R.L. Winston Rod Co.
