Like many of you, I am spending the last few days of the year reflecting on 2017, and I am grateful for all that Emerger Strategies accomplished. I am also humbled to be fulfilling my dream of marrying fly fishing and sustainability and for the opportunity to work with the greatest brands in fly fishing! Here are a few highlights from 2017:
Clients
We renewed Flood Tide Co. and brought on new clients RepYourWater, Green Badger and Veg Out Gardens. All of our clients are successfully implementing the sustainability and marketing strategies we created and are minimizing their environmental impacts while increasing their growth! Thank you for your business!
Community
Emerger Strategies became members of 1% for the Planet, which I am very proud of. I knew that when I started Emerger Strategies that I wanted to give back and also build my own purpose-driven brand, and 1% for the Planet has enabled my company to do just that by donating 1% of our sales to The Sustainability Institute (SI). SI is a nonprofit located in Charleston, SC that is “empowering South Carolinians to conserve energy & reduce our environmental footprint where we live & work.” Additionally, Emerger Strategies became members of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) whose mission is to “promote the sustained growth of the fly fishing industry” and we are proud to be AFFTA and 1% for the Planet members.
Events
Another big highlight was having the opportunity to present a Business Seminar at the International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) show in Orlando called “Sustainable Business Practices in a Changing Climate Environment.” It was huge honor to have the chance to educate the companies attending the show on sustainable business, and that while threats like population, policy and pollution are negatively impacting fisheries, these are also massive business growth opportunities.
I hosted a series of Sustainable Business Seminars at Lowcountry Fly Shop where local businesses had an opportunity to learn more about sustainable business practices and the many associated benefits.
Emerger Strategies also co-hosted an “Earth Day Shindig” with Flood Tide Company to raise money for our nonprofit partners, SI and Charleston Waterkeeper and premiered the film, “Finding Fontinalis.”
Emerger Strategies was also proud to have supported the Orvis film, “The Balance” to educate and create more awareness about the dire situation that the Everglades are currently facing because it’s Now or Neverglades! If you haven’t already, please sign the Now Or Neverglades Declaration.
Looking Ahead to 2018
2017 was a wonderful year and I was fortunate to make new friends, visit with old one’s and make new memories on the water. I caught my first snook and baby tarpon on the fly, had a difficult flood tide season with redfish and even wet a line in the Indian Ocean. I learned that my wife is a better surfer than me, and that time on the water is always time well spent, especially with friends and family.
Looking ahead to 2018, Emerger Strategies will continue to work with companies to minimize their environmental impact of their operations and products, and turn their sustainability and social achievements into powerful marketing stories resulting in: mitigated risks, enhanced brand value and increased growth. We will also be launching some new services and launching a new blog series discussing the topic of climate change with fly-fishing industry leaders like: Hilary Hutcheson, Jako Lucas and Todd Tanner (with more guests to come)! We have some other BIG NEWS in the works for 2018 so stay tuned!
In closing, I would like to sincerely thank all of our clients, friends and family for your support in 2017 and I look forward to seeing what 2018 has in store as Emerger Strategies strives to protect what we love and bring sustainability to the fly-fishing industry!
Cheers,
Rick Crawford