Meet Gene Campbell | Owner – Angler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gene Campbell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gene, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
End goal? That’s an easy one. I want to be part of making a difference. I really feel that in today’s world, it’s a challenge to find sound evidence that supports the narrative of the individual contributing to the overall direction of things in the world. It seems many times that money and influence directs our nation, the policies, the rules by which we are all supposed to abide, and so on. I’ve always been a believer in the philosophy of big change must first take place on a small scale, then grow, if its going to sustain. I am beyond grateful and fortunate to be in a position to do what I do for a living with competitive fishing. My circumstances are such that I have been able to chase my dream of competing and attempting to work my way up to the highest level of bass fishing. During this very short journey however, I realized that I’m not in my 20’s any longer and my timeline is much shorter than a large portion of my competitors. So there has always been a sense of urgency. That urgency was put into perspective after spending time with some Purple Heart Recipients with the Warrior Bonfire Program. I realized over the course of a week that the bigger picture is something that’s been in front of me all along and it is where I should be putting my focus. Serving others.
By simply sharing my passion for fishing and the outdoors and being willing to give my time and attention to a sector of our community that needs and deserves it, I can help them on their journey. The healing benefits of getting outdoors and engaging in activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, or even bird watching, are well documented and even more amazing when you witness them first-hand. Couple that with the testimonies of those heroes that participate in these retreats or events, and you have all the proof and motivation you need.
Veterans, first responders, and their families give their lives to public service. They have all made the conscious choice to help the communities where they live and even to people they have never met. They all sacrifice and give so much so that goofballs like me, can go chase their dreams. It only makes common sense to me that why not spend the lion’s share of our time giving back to them and reminding them of how important they are in our communities. We could speak for days about the injustices to these real heroes in our communities but to be honest, that’s not my focus. My focus is on them and finding ways to give back to them. We need to remind them how important they are and how loved they are in our society. I don’t want to imagine a society without these warriors or heroes or with diminished numbers. We need them and they should be reminded of that daily.
We provide help to nonprofits that provide services to veterans, first responders, and their families. Our help is in the form of advertising, promotions, guided fishing trips, special event appearances, digital media, and in many cases, just general volunteering. During my off season, I go and clean horse pens (mucking stalls) at the Allegiance Ranch. I have also done some administrative busy work for the Warrior Bonfire Program in the form of initial online research for services that could be available to the participants of the retreats. Anything that I can do to help these amazing organizations is something I am willing to do.
Our business goals are to be in a position where we can provide administrative, promotional, and eventually financial assistance to the three main nonprofits we work with. With that in place, we should be able to be in position to provide similar services to just about any nonprofit that is legitimate and reaches out to us for help. To accomplish this, we need to continue to build our portfolio of services and continue to improve our network of supporters. A large network of businesses supporting this initiative and working together can make it very easy to accomplish. The more supporters we have the smaller the financial obligation becomes to each individual supporter. The concept of together, we can make a difference, is one that I believe whole-heartedly.
Our end goal is to get GC Fishing into a position so that someone else can take the reigns and continue the work. Running a close second is to make this a business model that is sustainable and can be duplicated should someone else have the drive and desire to do so. There will come a time where I am unable to commit to the crazy schedules and travel requirements. My urgency now is in getting these services in place and making it easy for someone to take the controls. The heroes and warriors we serve, are our motivation in this mission.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The majority of my career has been spent in the I.T. Industry. Along the way however I’ve had the chance to work in the capacity of a first responder for emergency services and I coached youth athletics for almost 20 years. I worked with kids from forth grade all the way to Varsity. I realized there was a disconnect when my greatest moments where in the volunteering portions of my life. I felt accomplished and knew in my heart that I was doing good in the big scheme of things. After several college degrees, I realized that my time in IT was limited. I was burning out and needed to change gears. My wife’s career has allowed me to start this small business and invest for the next couple years in an effort to get established and up and running. Our success will be hinged on successfully laying the foundation and building relationships along the way that are beneficial and sustainable. The easiest part of our work is convincing folks of the importance and need to help America’s warriors and heroes on their journey. Pretty much everyone agrees that they deserve all the assistance and support we can muster. The challenge is in impressing upon businesses how taking a small financial part of that becomes so vital. The Covid situation has killed advertising budgets and that is what we fall under. So we take it upon ourselves to create value and purpose behind their hard earned budget monies. As a for-profit company providing services to nonprofit organizations, it can seem a bit foggy. I spend a good portion of my time explaining that and helping people understand that working with us is NOT a donation. We considered going nonprofit but to be honest, that would put me in direct competition with my primary customers, the other nonprofits. It would actually be more confusing and challenging that way.
The hardest part in this process is being willing to accept rejection and then regroup to fight again the next day. While there are some similarities to other businesses with that, there is a factor in play that really makes this a bit more difficult to stomach. The factor I am speaking about is that I believe in our mission at my very core. I KNOW the impact and importance of the nonprofits and our services to them. I have seen and experienced first-hand the life changing interaction that takes place and the healing powers of sharing time outdoors. These heroes deserve so much more than they have been given and I take it almost as a civil responsibility to get out there and help rally communities to support them properly. In many cases, their lives are depending on them receiving support or just simply knowing how important and valuable they are to all of us. So when someone tells me they are not in a position to help, they are telling me that they simply don’t have the funds to direct that way and I fully respect and can understand that. However, being human, I am usually taken aback with thoughts of rejection and udder confusion. “How can you say no to these heroes? “ Thankfully, I am aged and more experienced to know that is an emotional response and not the truth at all. I believe that everyone would help if they were in a position to do so. However, some businesses just aren’t financial setup to handle extra advertising costs right now. The point is, the rejection hits home EACH and EVERY time. Keeping my mental focus together and turning that rejection into motivation is the challenge. I simply tell myself I need to get better at explaining it and showing the need. The nonprofit partners, vets, first responders, and their families are counting on me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m sure its not a surprise I would take them someplace outdoors. There are countless little reservoirs and ponds to hike around and go fishing at. Additionally, here in the front range of Colorado, the mountains are just a traffic jam away and you see them on display every day. I would admittedly also probably take them by the Allegiance Ranch and Rescue. The people that run the rescue are amazing and the ranch is like a slice of honest, real life amongst a concrete jungle. It’s worth visiting and taking in the experience, first-hand. After living in the upper mid-west for 10 years, I am sincerely appreciative of the cuisine offers here in Colorado. There are so many to choose from its very hard to name only a few. We love going to little places that are less commercial and more intimate. Friendly atmospheres and good food are what we are looking for.
I am fortunate enough to live on the north end of the Denver metropolitan area. We are close to everything and with some creative navigation, you can get where you want to go with minimal pain.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without a doubt and not even a question, my best friend is the motivation and support system behind my choices in business. I’m very lucky to call my best friend, my wife, Julie Campbell. Beyond the obvious support (financial) that she provides our family, its her caring, wisdom, humor, intelligence, grace, and perspective, that is so critical to our success. First, there isn’t a decision made without me taking a minute to run it by her. Her unbiased view provides me with a perspective that I can’t get anywhere else. When I run an idea by her and I see her eyes light up, I know I’ve hit something good. When I run an idea by her and there is no change in her demeanor, I usually go back to the drawing board.
My two kids, from a previous marriage, have always been the center of my universe. There was a portion of my life where I felt as if that would never change, and I was going to be a single retried guy with a pile of cats and dogs running around me long after they grew up and moved out. When Julie and I reconnected, it was like a meteor struck my planet. There she was, after 25 years (we dated for a couple years in our early 20’s) I realized what was missing.

I wouldn’t change my life path for the world. It brought me many memories and experiences that formed who I am today. It also provided me with two amazing kids that are even more impressive human beings. But I can also admit that Julie and I reconnecting after so long was a rebirth of sorts for my soul. Julie, Morgan, and Ryon are my support system and without a doubt, they are the center of my existence.

Website: www.gcampbellfishing.com

Instagram: @GCampbellFishing

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gcampbellfishing/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTj2xZpFBQU7fV2gxfPdCGA

Other: Our new website will be live within a week and our new online store will be going line. All of that will be located at the same web address: www.gcampbellfishing.com

Image Credits
All Terrain Tackle Allegiance Ranch and Rescue Warrior Bonfire Program Dan Timmons John Ebbe