MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 7, 2005) - Watkins Incorporated, one of America's first gourmet flavorings and natural apothecary personal-care manufacturers, has signed on as a sponsor of FLW Outdoors, beginning in 2006. Watkins' sponsorship with FLW Outdoors will feature and promote its Vanilla Extract and pure gourmet spices such as its Purest Ground Cinnamon and Purest Granulated Black Pepper, which were all awarded Grand Prize Gold Medals at the 1928 World Expo in Paris, France.
Watkins has been in business for over 137 years and was the first company in the United States to manufacture vanilla. Watkins will sponsor FLW Outdoors' entire freshwater portfolio of competitive fishing circuits including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League.
As an FLW Outdoors sponsor, Watkins will be featured in a variety of media formats, including the "FLW Outdoors" TV program on FSN. Watkins will also benefit from prominent advertisements in FLW Outdoors Magazine and on FLWOutdoors.com. Further marketing opportunities with FLW Outdoors include sponsor-specific product displays and sampling in the Family Fun Zone, signage at tournaments, angler-award programs, and other promotional and public-relations materials. Watkins will also have the opportunity to use the "Proud Sponsor of FLW Outdoors" logo on its products, which are now available at Wal-Mart stores.
Trisha Blake, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for FLW Outdoors, said: "It is a privilege and an honor for us to have such a great company like Watkins Incorporated, with its rich heritage and outstanding reputation for producing the world's finest spices and extracts, as one of our new sponsors and partners. Watkins' rich 137-year history of premium quality surely puts them in a unique class as one of America's original consumer product brands. Watkins is a great symbol of the comfort experience of family fishing, having been connecting generations with comfort products since 1868. FLW Outdoors welcomes Watkins Incorporated into our family of distinguished sponsors."
J. R. Rigley, vice president of sales and marketing for Watkins, stated: "We are very excited to feature our award-winning all-natural vanilla, pepper and cinnamon through our 2006 sponsorship agreement with FLW Outdoors. There can be no doubt that Watkins' customer base and demographics fall right into the 55 million anglers and their families. Watkins not only plans on being a sponsor of FLW Outdoors, but we will work hard to promote and market fishing as one of America's greatest family values and participation sports. Like FLW Outdoors, Watkins and our premium quality ingredients are all about family values."
Rigley further stated, "Watkins is committed to being a strong sponsorship partner to FLW Outdoors and a good citizen and friend to the 55 million anglers and their families throughout America."
Founded in 1868 as the J.R. Watkins Medical Company, Watkins manufactures gourmet flavorings and natural apothecary personal care at its historic factory in the Mississippi River Bluff Town of Winona, Minn. Watkins products are sold at major retailers throughout North America. For more information, visit Watkinscorporation.com.
Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com's sponsor page.
For more information about FLW Outdoors tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Advertising