Permit To Think Mike Dawes, IRONBOUND Media

Al Perkinson has been an executive in the outdoor industry for the past 20 years.  He is a brand builder and growth agent who believes that social responsibility and great storytelling are keys to building beloved brands.

Al is the founder and CEO of Bajío Sunglasses, based in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.  Bajío designs and builds performance sunglasses for anglers and other water enthusiasts. It is a privately held company with a mission to operate sustainably and contribute to addressing environmental issues faced by the world’s oceans. 

Prior to starting Bajío, Al was in senior management roles at Huk Apparel and Simms Fishing Products and owned a consulting practice whose clients included, Orvis, Trout Unlimited, Guy Harvey, and Pure Fishing.  

Al was CMO for Costa Sunglasses for 12 years, where he was responsible for business strategy, brand, marketing, e-commerce, and apparel.  He helped the brand achieve a 20% annual growth rate and a sales price that was the highest multiple ever paid in the industry.   

Al was named by Outdoor Life magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in conservation, received the Lefty Kreh Sportsman of the Year Award from Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and was named Angler of the Year by Fly Fisherman magazine.  Al was elected to the Explorer’s Club in New York City and is an active member.  

I first met Al while we were both fishing the Permit Tournaments in Key West back in 2016.  Al’s willingness to think outside the box, commitment to the resources we are lucky enough to work in and on, and entrepreneurial spirit & vision are all traits that I have tremendous respect for.  I look forward to diving deeper into Al’s story today and hearing more about his wild ride with Bajio that he had been on since launching the company in 2021.  Without further adieu please welcome Al Perkinson to the show.

In this episode I sit down with my kids and we take a little detour from the regular format as we did last season for the family interlude. The thought process behind this idea is more thoroughly explained in Episode 11.  The summary would be: It would be very interesting and cool  if one day you wanted to go back and reflect on who you were when you were younger and had access to an annual snapshot of yourself as you grow and change. I am going to sit down with my children once a year and do a short show for those reasons, until they will no longer have it, hopefully that will not be the case. 

In this episode I sit down with Boots Allen. Boots is a third generation fly fishing guide who each year guides 130-plus day on the waters of the Greater Yellowstone area.  He is the author of numerous publications including Modern Trout Fishing (Lyons Press) and Catching Trout in All Conditions (Graphic Arts Books) and top finisher in numerous fly fishing tournaments and contests over the years.  Boots also hosts trips to destination lodges in South America, the Caribbean,  the Pacific, and gives talks at fly fishing events throughout the country.  His popular fly patterns are available through Montana Fly Company.  In addition to his guiding Boots is also the Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator at the Snake River Fund a fund whose mission is to promote stewardship of and recreational access to the Snake River Watershed in WY with an emphasis on partnerships education and public outreach.  Boots is an amazingly well respected guide, father and husband and currently lives in Victor ID.  Without Further adieu please welcome Boots to the show!!
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In this episode I sit down with Brian Matthews.  Brian was the first guest on PTT and now he is the first repeat guest on the show.  To listen to Brian’s full introduction please go back to episode #1 and get some more color on our journey together.  Brian is one of the 3 partners at the  Harmonic Growth Fund, a Venture Capital firm with an investment strategy that identifies incredible entrepreneurs and gives them growth capital to pursue their visions.  He specifically focuses on founders in several markets, namely enterprise SaaS, FinTech, consumer internet and healthcare IT.   He currently sits on numerous boards but still finds time to hang with the family,  fish, ski, bike whenever possible.  Brian lives right here in JH with his wonderful family.  Without further adieu for the first time, the second time, please welcome Brian Matthews back to the show!

In this episode we sit down with Harry Tebay. Harry has been quietly running around the greater teton/yellowstone region with a fly rod or a set of oars in his hands for the last 25 years. In the offseasons Harry has also quietly mixed in a 15 year plus career guiding in the Florida Keys. Originally from West Virginia and spending much of his youth in Wilmington, NC Harry’s passion for the outdoors was sparked at a very young age through his Father’s influence. After receiving a BA in painting from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL in 1993 Harry found himself in Wyoming shortly thereafter and has been here ever since. I have known Harry for a long time but it wasn’t until the last 5 years or so that we started spending more time together on and off the water. Yet again just another example of why this platform is so valuable to me, why not take it a step farther and ask some questions I have never had the time to ask. Harry is a very thoughtful, passionate, considerate and quiet persona who cares deeply about the people and the resources around him. Harry is still guiding today for the Wyoming Angling Company (with our previous guest AJ Sanders) and additionally spends time as a carpenter, artist, fly tyer and most importantly a husband and a father. Harry lives in Jackson WY with his wife Jodeen and his sons Emerson and Emerson. Without further adieu please welcome Harry to the show!

In this episode I sit down with AJ Sanders. AJ grew up on the rolling plains of Iowa. He came to Jackson, Wyoming to ski for a season after graduating from St. John’s University in Minnesota in 1996. Like many, he has never left. Owing to a youth spent canoeing and fishing along the Minnesota/Canadian border, AJ began working as a paddling instructor for Rendezvous River Sports in 1997. In 1999 he transitioned into a drift boat as a fly fishing guide. Today he continues to share his passion for these watersheds in a drift boat as a guide, but is also the owner of Wyoming Angling Company, a veteran full service outfitter steeped in the history of JH. Winter brings him full circle, back to working where the water originates. AJ is a guide, trainer & examiner and a ski instructor at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Additionally he works as a heli-ski guide at Alaska Rendezvous Lodge in Valdez, Alaska.