The Grill | Dustin Carlson | Doug Garvey | Green Drake Outdoors
The Grill | Dustin Carlson | Doug Garvey | Green Drake Outdoors
Green Drake Outdoors is a Southern Rockies (Utah, Colorado, Wyyoming and New Mexico) based company that represents some of the finest manufacturers in the outdoor space. The Southern Rockies is often considered ground zero for the outdoor industry. It is home to a diiverse retail environment that includes big box retailers, large metropollitan retailers, major ecommerce operations, small independents, and great destination retailers. Dustin and Doug have spent years working in the retail space which gives them a unique perspective when working with retailers as reps.
Dustin lives in Draper, Utah with his wife, two sons, and two bird dogs. He loves many aspects of the outdoors, but particularly thrives on chassing odd species with a fly rod, chasing covey birds, and waterfowl. His wife has often accused him of being a serial entrepreneur. Dustin has lost track of the companies and products that have been created over the years. I always have at least a dozen brewing in my head. Founded out of a deep passion for fly fishing was Fishwest.
Fishwest was a pioneer in bringing fly fishing to ecommerce, as one of the first ecommerce enabled fly fishing websites in the world. I started it in 1997 and it quickly scaled to a full omni-channel operation, opening our brick and mortar retail store in 2007. While I exited stage left in 2014, Fishwest is still in operation today with two retail store locations and all the e-commerce outlets.
One of my favorite outcomes of my time with Fishwest are the relationships and opportunities that the fly fishing industry has provided. Ultimately, all of those experiences led me to where I am today. When I sold Fishwest, I did not want to leave the industry that I love, so I reached out to a good friend, Greg Pearson, who was a manufacturer’s sales representative and we decided it was time to work together. Greg and I brought Doug into the fold in 2017 and it was one of the best moves we ever made. While Greg has since retired and is enjoying life as an artist (www.gpearsonart.com), Green Drake Outdoors continues to carry the flag for some of the best brands in fly fishing.
Being a sales rep in the fly fishing industry comes with a lot of preconceived notions about how glamorous it is. Folks make comments all the time about how it is the dream job. My response is always, “Yeah, it is a dream job, if you like driving for hours by yourself and staying in hotel rooms alone.” It really can be a lonesome, solo pursuit at times. I also get comments about how I must fish all the time. On a recent Colorado loop, this happened again. I thought about it for a moment and realized that, even if I wanted to, I didn’t have the gear in my vehicle to fish. I could probably count on one hand the times I have fished while on a work trip. I love to joke that I get to drive past some of the most incredible trout rivers in the world.
All that being said, I truly do love this role. While there are times of year where it is absolutely go-time with 80+ hour weeks for weeks on end, there is a balance with some times of year that are slower and allow time to recharge. The perks are definitely there–invitations to unique fishing opportunities, seeing inncredible parts of the Rocky Mountains out my windshield, cool gear, meeting wonderful people, and helping our dealers live their dream job in a very fun industry.
It really is about the people and all the friends I have made along the way and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
Doug lives in the mountains of Conifer, CO with his wife and two dogs. We love getting out to float the rivers here in Colorado and generally just being outside. Fishing & floating rivers has always been a part of my life. I went to school in New Hampshire and I rented out an entire two car garage in college just to store my old Grumman canoe. If the river wasn’t froozen my buddies and I would be on the river. Once I graduated college, I packed up my things and moved to Durango where I get to live the Colorado outdoor lifestyle of fishing, hunting, backpacking, and exploring public land.
I fell in love with fly fishing on a float down the San Juan. Ever since then it has been full steam ahead. I moved up to Denver and worked as a tree climber for a few years where all I would do is dream of hitting the river after work or over the weekend. When I couldn’t get my fix on the nearest trout stream after work I would go and hang with the guys at the fly shop. Eventually they offered me a job and I never looked back. I worked at Anglers All as a sales associate and ran their travel program. I got the opportunity to travel around the world hosting groups of anglers who were great customers and friends. A dream job for sure!
Through working at the shop I met Greg & Dustin. We hunted ducks, chukar, and fished for muskies and steelhead. In 2017, when Greg and Dustin were ready to hire someone else, I got the call. Since I have been working with Green Drake Outdoors as a sales rep, I honestly can’t see myself ever doing anything else. I love working with all the shops in the Southern Rockies. I get to live vicariously through them and their fishing and hunting adventures. I have a laugh and a story with every shop. This industry is full of amazing people that really understand the importance of enjoying the natural world and sharing that with new sportsmen. So for me, the highlight of this job is definitely the relationships I have made over the years. I have made some great friends and look forward to making many more. I hope to see you on the water or in the woods some day.
