GLoomis, and Shimano ROCK ICAST 2010!

[DanIsaac]

I believe it was 5 Best of Shows out of 7 Categories entered, with GLoomis NRX Best of the BEST!

Nice job GUYS!

Dan

[Andy Lippert]

I believe it was 5 Best of Shows out of 7 Categories entered, with GLoomis NRX Best of the BEST!

Nice job GUYS!

Dan

It's a good thing that the NRX did get best of show after loomis took a crap on every rep and pro-staff member they had last December. Any good publicity I suppose is a good thing? It's funny that it took them this long to finally join the rest of the rod industry in incorporating modern rod characteristics, especially after guys like Dobyns tried to get them to do so YEARS ago. I don't care how good of a rod it is....I'll never buy another Loomis.

Andy Lippert

[j10b]

I believe it was 5 Best of Shows out of 7 Categories entered, with GLoomis NRX Best of the BEST!

Nice job GUYS!

Dan

It's a good thing that the NRX did get best of show after loomis took a crap on every rep and pro-staff member they had last December. Any good publicity I suppose is a good thing? It's funny that it took them this long to finally join the rest of the rod industry in incorporating modern rod characteristics, especially after guys like Dobyns tried to get them to do so YEARS ago. I don't care how good of a rod it is....I'll never buy another Loomis.

Andy Lippert

Joined the modern rod technology? Looks like they BLEW it out of the water. You need to work the NRX and feel every fiber of the carpet and wish you had 475 to buy it.

So they fired their prostaff so you are mad? I had a long conversation with a guy looking to get a product on the market. He had about 50 people trying to get free product. That was last week at a boat show. I looked through the contacts... never heard of one of them. Not saying thats how you are but sometimes you need to start all over. Especially when the Company Changed Hands

[Andy Lippert]

I couldn't give two sh*ts really about the pro-staff. The bigger issue is that they straight up crapped on the guys that were repping/marketing their rods for 20+ years, and helped make the company what it is today. That's what gets me. Call me old fashioned, but taking care of those that have worked their tails off to ensure your success, would be a top priority of mine if I owned a business, especially the ones who had been doing it for quarter of a century or MORE. You'll never be able to convince me that profit margins outweigh loyalty, and maybe that's while I'll never own my own business. I still buy most, if not all of my tackle from only ONE tackle shop, and have been ever since I started bass fishing, regardless of whether or not it's cost-effective(I have to travel quite a distance to go to the shop if I don't get my stuff shipped to me)....because of LOYALTY. Is that a bad thing?

Even if the NRX could feel Hitler's emotions, I still wouldn't buy it.

P.S. I AM one of those no-name anglers out there(not one of the 50 you mentioned), that you speak of, but what I am NOT is someone who sits silently by while a company screws the people who helped make the company what it is today, in order to make an extra buck.

Andy Lippert

[DanIsaac]

Andy,

Each of us is entitled to our opinions. However, you are not quite stating the facts as they actually occured.

Each Rep group was informed last summer that their contracts would not be renewed for 2010. That's a six month notice, and any of us out here that work for a Corporation understands that this is way beyond the norm.

Anytime any Corp decides that their strategic business plan neccesitates change, it will impact someone. It's unfortunate, but
that is business.

Personally, from where I stand, I've never witnessed the excitement
amongst GLoomis people, that I have these past days. These people are committed to taking Gloomis to infinity and beyond.

As far as lagging behind the rest of the industry. Perhaps that is what neccesitated change?

Dan

[j10b]

amongst GLoomis people, that I have these past days. These people are committed to taking Gloomis to infinity and beyond.

As far as lagging behind the rest of the industry. Perhaps that is what neccesitated change?

Dan

Damn it Dan I was about to say that. All the best to Gary at Kistler. The Zbone looks cool

[bantam1]

Andy,

There were a lot of decisions made based on facts that I cannot post. Lets just say that some of the reps were not doing their job well. For example I know of one large dealer that did not see a rep for almost 5 years! GLoomis lost all its rack space because of it. Now our current rep has to work twice as hard to gain that business back. The reps are individuals that work for a larger group typically. One or two bad apples can take down the whole tree sometimes.

Loyalty is great and we certainly appreciate that. Work ethics need to be the most important. The reps need to call on dealers. Simply not visiting a dealer is not acceptable. Even a small dealer should be seen at least a few times a year. We are using our established rep groups that sell Shimano product. Its amazing that many have been able to gain market share in areas where we have not done well in the past. And they have grown smaller dealers into larger dealers. That tells me that the rep was not doing his job well in that area.

Unfortunately this is business as Dan stated. Some people will get hurt. I assume one of your friends was a rep, or maybe you were a rep. If so then I do feel bad for you or your friend. Unfortunately business plans can and do change, especially in a tough economy. People much smarter than me made these decisions based on several variables. The goal is to always be better and sell more products. "Good enough" is not an attitude we have here. We pretty much had to restructure the entire system. There have been some hurdles to overcome, but the brand will be stronger in the end. The future of GLoomis is very bright. There are several good plans in the works with several good people helping to make it all happen.

On a positive note some of the previous individual reps were picked up to work for our current groups. It's safe to say they were great reps for the company.

As far as the product is concerned...well you have your choice to buy whatever you like. This is why this country is so great. Competition, free market, etc; We made the NRX to establish GLoomis as the premier rod company in the US once again. I know that several customers will love the new rods.

[Andy Lippert]

Dan, I understand that that is "just how it has to be". However, just because it's that way, doesn't make it right. There are great people up in Woodland, that I'm sure have an extreme passion for their line of work...they're not the ones who made the decisions.

I guess I should've just expected it, after Shimano bought them in '96. That's when the hometown small business feel began to morph into mass production and profit concerns. It was no longer about the passion for fishing (IMHO), and they solidified that feeling when they cut everyone loose in December.

Andy

P.S. No I am not/was not a rep.

[sker13]

There are some rods I can't live without and two of them are GLX's. It has my interest peaked regarding the NRX. One thing about Loomis hasn't changed. When I send in a broken one. I get a brand new one fast and with minimal charges! There is a reason why my toolbox is filled with Snap On and MAC tools and not crap from harbor freight. We could slam almost any large company for doing what is right for it as a whole and not it's employees or representatives. I am a guy who appreciates the "best tool for the job". I would have to be convinced that my GLX isn't the best rod for ME for a couple of techniques. That would be a very tough sale. Until then I will go with tried and true.

[gunnie2]

It wasn't that they cut us loose. It was the manner in which they cut loose every pro-staffer. Us local boys never received any notice whatsoever. Then Loomis and the regional reps wouldn't return phone calls or emails. To this day I have never received official word from ANYONE. It was a pretty crappy way to treat to us after years of pushing your product.

I still love Loomis rods, but I certainly won't go out of my way to promote them.

[Andy Lippert]

It wasn't that they cut us loose. It was the manner in which they cut loose every pro-staffer. Us local boys never received any notice whatsoever. Then Loomis and the regional reps wouldn't return phone calls or emails. To this day I have never received official word from ANYONE. It was a pretty crappy way to treat to us after years of pushing your product.

I still love Loomis rods, but I certainly won't go out of my way to promote them.

+1

[bantam1]

I saw the letters that were sent out to every pro staff member and guide that Gloomis had on file. There were several on the list. I don't know why everyone didn't receive the letter. It is possible that there were names that were not on the current list. As I stated this was not something I had a part of. I am simply relaying what I have been told or seen first hand. We are working on restructing the pro staff and guide programs for next year. GLoomis didn't even attend any shows this year other than ICAST. There was no need to have pro staff when there was no booth or events happening.

People in Woodland were not let go to my knowledge. Some people just changed positions within the company. Several moved over to production and others doing new things within the company now. Some people left on their own as well.

GLoomis made the decision for us to take over operations. They wanted to focus on being a manufacturer again. The same people design and build rods that have been doing so for a long time. We helped tighten up their quality control and streamline manufacturing after purchasing the company in 1997. We recently took over sales, marketing, distribution and service. Believe me this has been no easy task for us either. It has been an uphill battle for us in service.

I wish I could tell you more things about how it all works and why many changes were made. It simply is not public knowledge and never will be. Trust me when I say the changes were made for a reason. We didn't just draw ideas out of a hat. Many things were just wrong looking at it from a business perpective. The changes were made out of necessity more than anything else. Some were made to work with our system now that we have taken over different aspects of the company.

[rzone]

Last year I bought my first 2x GLoomis rods, a drop shot spinning rod and a bait caster rig. I got them in the fall when the local tackle store had a promo.

The in spring I bought a Dobyns DX 701SF, there is no comparison. Time and time again I go for that DX 701SF.

I went back and bought the DX 702SF today, and based on my experience with the Dobyns rods, I know where my money will go in the future. I have never paid so much for a fishing rod, but they are worth every penny.

I will look at this new GLoomis though, because competition drives progress.

[sro114]

I'm anxious to get my hands on one and see for myself. From the photos I'm not impressed with the split grip design (not much of a split) but I'll hold final judgement on that until I look one over in person. Also the rod will have to do some pretty good parlor tricks to warrant that price....but the Loomis warranty is pretty darn hard to ignore and if they are that sensitive I will have to bite the bullet. It's only about twenty-five cases of beer

When are these going to be on the market?

[DanIsaac]

I believe the initial rellease will be August 13th at select GL00mis DEALERS.
The only one I'm sure of is Outdoor Pro Shop Rhonert Park.

Dan

[DanIsaac]

I checked on previous post, and OPS is the site of the unveiling in this area. Also, with regards to the split grip, wait until you feel the balance of the rod until you make a final determination. Everything will make sense when you feel the "finished product" in person.

Dan

[Rod Wynn]

I looked at all the pics on the net and seen fore grips on all the rods..
Do they plan on making any without any fore grip?

[hippie]

who has over 500 bucks for a rod? I only buy 1 brand of rod now. I love shimano but I aint paying 500 bucks for an over priced shimano I dont care how sweet and light the rod is.