It all started in the summer of 2008, when I was introduced to fly fishing while working at the A Bar A Ranch in Encampment, WY. During that summer I fell in love with Wyoming, with its cool meandering rivers, plentiful trout and abundant wildlife, which was totally foreign compared with the expansive salt marshes, ancient live oaks and tailing redfish of Savannah, GA where I was born and raised. I grew up fishing, but Wyoming is where I became, perhaps unhealthily, obsessed with fly fishing. During that summer, I also happened to read “Let My People Go Surfing” by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and that was my “ah-ha” moment as I discovered that I could use business as a vehicle to protect the planet. So, I decided to stay “out West” and I set out to find a way to use business as a tool to protect what I love, and my dream of marrying fly fishing and sustainability was born.
After that fateful summer, I started looking to gain any experience that I could in the sustainability field, so I started installing solar panels while living in Jackson Hole, WY, then earned an MBA in Sustainable Business from Marylhurst University, and worked in the renewable energy and green building industries for a few years before deciding to marry my passion for fly fishing and sustainability when I launched Emerger Strategies in 2016. With a little luck, Flood Tide Company and RepYourWater became my first client’s in the fly fishing industry, and I was living my dream guiding companies on their sustainability journey. Today, we work with leading industry associations, member organizations and individual companies who are choosing to measure their environmental and social performance, but need experienced sustainability support to make the business case for sustainability.
Our vision is a socially just, economically inclusive, and environmentally restorative planet for the benefit of future generations.
Our mission is to measure and improve your company’s sustainability performance, all while boosting profits.
Along the way, I created The Sustainable Angler podcast (2018), which is an award-winning podcast whose purpose is to educate and inspire anglers to protect the planet. In 2020, I founded the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance, which is an alliance of fly fishing guides, shops, lodges, brands and nonprofits committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. In an effort to lead by example, Emerger Strategies has been a proud 1% for the Planet member since our inception.
Today, I am thrilled to get to help companies who need help simplifying sustainability while making the business case for sustainability. Through my formal education (MBA in Sustainable Business from Marylhurst University), as well as through my continuing education (Sustainability Excellence Associate & Sustainability Leadership Initiative Fellow), and I am able to provide my clients with world-class sustainability consulting that never wavers on quality.
I found my life’s purpose when I discovered fly fishing and “sustainability.” Fly fishing taught me that everything in nature is interconnected, and that we are part of nature, and not separate from nature. Sustainability taught me that we cannot exploit nature indefinitely. Just as a mayfly, a sipping trout, and a river ecosystem are connected, so are our businesses and the planet, and I have a vision of businesses and the environment thriving together!
Helping my clients measure and improve their sustainability performance is my life’s work, and I am grateful for every step of my journey.
Protect what you love,
Rick
Want to talk sustainability? Book a free 30-minute consultation or email Rick: rcrawford@emergerstrategies.com
About Me
Rick Crawford – Founder & President
If you have made it this far, then you already know my professional journey, but more importantly, I am a proud husband and father. When I am not working, you can find my family and me kayaking, surfing, fishing, and spending time at the beach.
I love getting to serve my community, as a Board Member for The Sustainability Institute who is making Charleston a more sustainable and equitable place to live and work. I also love volunteering my time by participating in litter sweeps and rebuilding oyster reefs with recycled oyster shells with nonprofits like The Sustainability Institute, Charleston Waterkeeper, and Lowcountry Land Trust.
I am truly grateful to be living my dream of marrying fishing and sustainability, getting the opportunity to serve my clients and my community, but I am most thankful for my healthy wife and children.
