Crains New York - August 12, 2013 - (Page 38)

Fishing trips lure business Continued from Page 37 saltwater fishing is available just a few miles off the shore of Manhattan,and the Hudson attracts migratory fish that are safe to consume. “It used to be a novelty, fishing with the skyline in the background or by JFK with planes flying directly overhead,but now New York City has solid fishing, and it’s getting more well known,” explained John McMurray, owner and operator of NYC Fly Fishing, which operates three charters in and around the city. With the Clean Water Act and fisheries in New York instituting tighter regulations, there has been a great improvement in terms of what can be caught. “It’s no longer like the Wild West out here, with people fishing things out of existence. People can catch some great striped bass, tuna and flounder right here,” said Mr. McMurray, who has been running fishing charters in the area for 14 years. The season goes from April to December or even January, with some of the largest fish, such as tuna, swimming in these waters in the late fall and early winter. Sandy’s effect Still, the industry has been running against the current in recent years. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, New York state had nearly 4.2 million recreational-angler fishing trips in 2011, either through private charters or party boats or on the shoreline. And while the pastime employed more than 4,100 people and added more than $212 million to the state economy in 2011, those figures were down from the peak of 6.2 million trips and $511 million in economic impact in 2007, before the financial crisis. Add to those woes Superstorm Sandy, which nearly decimated the industry last fall. Docks and boats were destroyed, and debris and oil were swept into the waterways miles offshore. Although docks in some areas still need to be rebuilt, the water is clear again, and fishing has mostly come back. Mr. McMurray said steady fishers kept his business afloat during the financial crisis, though many smaller and part-time charter boat operators went under. He said his business is just beginning to recover, and is up about 5% from a year ago, but still well below where it was in 2006 and 2007. John Fisher, the aptly named manager of Manhattan-based baitand-tackle shop Urban Angler, said that although his business has fully recovered from Sandy, it still has a way to go to get to where it was before the financial crisis. He estimated that sales fell about 40% during the depths of the recession. Eric Collins, general manager of Capitol Fishing Tackle Co., also in Manhattan, reported that his business is likewise improving and added that fishing is becoming hip with a new generation.“We are seeing a lot of first-time fishers come in here wanting to learn about what to buy and getting our advice,” he said. “It seems like it’s becoming the hot new pastime, particularly for people in their 20s.” For Chris Hessert, fishing was a lifelong passion that became a career. He spent much of his childhood living as an expat in Central and Latin America, where he learned to fish in the Amazon and ‘It’s one of those unique things clients remember’ THE FEMALE ANGLE and sons, but don’t count out women entirely. Juliana’s Anglers, a Manhattan-based group for women fly-fishers, has been reeling in female fans of the sport for years. FISH TALE: The The group takes its name women-only from Dame Juliana Berners, a Juliana’s Anglers 15th-century prioress and has more than 40 author of A Treatyse of members. Fysshynge Wyth an Angle, the earliest-known published work about fly-fishing. More than 40-strong, Juliana’s Anglers focuses on conservation and education. The largest such club in the city, Juliana’s Anglers has had a steady membership of 40 to 50 women since its founding in 1995, with new members quickly replacing those who move away. The group organizes fly-fishing trips in the New York metro area, including Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey, and offers a fishing school every spring for new members. Linda Hotchkiss, a principal at Wind Driven Marketing, a sales and marketing consulting firm, is the president of Juliana’s Anglers. She joined the group more than 10 years ago and found that angling is a great stress reliever. “Fly-fishing requires a lot of skill and technique, so the men in this sport who come across women who fly-fish have a lot of respect for them,” she said. “We’re on the same footing because it’s really the skills —JEN GELLER that matter.” istockphoto FISHING MAY BE a time-honored male-bonding tradition between fathers 38 | Crain’s New York Business | August 12, 2013 lakes in the Andes with his father. After college, he went to work on Wall Street as an equities trader, but after the dot-com bubble burst, he decided to start his own business running saltwater fishing trips around New York. With his wife pregnant with their first child nearly nine years ago, it wasn’t the ideal time to start a new business. And the first year was much harder than he expected. “I thought it would be so easy, just advertising on the Internet,” he said. “But the phone wasn’t ringing. It was really tough.” When Mr. Hessert began taking out old colleagues and clients, things started to click. Word of mouth spread, and the business grew from there. His charter, Manhattan Fly, docks in the Newport Marina in Jersey City and sails in the waters from the Hudson River to the Atlantic. Starting from scratch eight years ago, Mr. Hessert estimated he now takes out 70 to 90 charters a season, with weather being the biggest factor. His numbers have grown steadily. While repeat customers year after year are the backbone of his business, he has seen new business grow about 18% each year for the past several years. “A lot of what we do is catch and release, but some [fish] are great to cook up to eat,” he said. ‘Nice change of pace’ Bryan Donohoe, previously at Deutsche Bank,said the location of charters such as Manhattan Fly allows him to fish a lot more than he ever expected, living here. “From my apartment in the West Village, I’m at the boat in, like, 10 minutes,” he said. “It’s just a nice change of pace from sitting at a desk eight or nine hours a day.” Mr. Donohoe added that he found fishing a refuge during the height of the financial crisis. “I’ve taken some clients out, and it really is a unique experience for them,” he said. “So many people go out in a foursome to play golf. It can kind of get anonymous after a while. Fishing is one of those unique things that clients remember.” Mr. Prober, the hedge funder, said the backdrop of New York City adds to the wow factor. “We had some guys out here a few weeks back from Cleveland for work. We took them out. They were catching fish and looking right at the Empire State Building. It was very cool.” Mr. Hessert, who estimated that nearly 60% to 70% of his business comes from people who work on Wall Street, has seen some interesting patterns over the years. “By the time they are on the boat, the hard selling is usually done,” he said.“This is a chance for them to relax and spend time together. Still, the head honcho almost always catches the biggest fish.” Ⅲ SOURCE LUNCH: BRIAN GRIFFIN by Barbara Benson Bringing the Blues to new exchange B rian Griffin became president and general manager of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in January. The insurer first recruited him when he was 21 and a recent college graduate, tapping him for key Empire labor accounts. Mr. Griffin’s career includes being part of the startup team at U.S. Healthcare and chief executive of Medco’s international business, where he recently was based in Amsterdam. The father of three who married his high school sweetheart is leading Empire, a unit of national insurer WellPoint, during some of the most significant changes in health care in years.New York state is implementing the Affordable Care Act, and in October it is launching an insurance marketplace called the New York Health Benefit Exchange. For the first time, consumers can shop for insurance on the small business exchange (known as the SHOP exchange) or the individual exchange. What are the challenges of selling on the new insurance exchange? One of the exciting aspects of launching in the exchange model is to reach previously uninsured populations. We are switching from a business-tobusiness to a business-toconsumer model. We are making all the appropriate investments to capture market share. Does that mean you can market directly to New Yorkers now? That’s a significant shift as well. How do you reach multicultural, uninsured consumers and explain what the exchange is about? It is really a grassroots effort.We have a Hispanic initiative that accesses every level of communication—digital, print, phone calls—every way we touch a consumer. Our initial reach is into the Hispanic market because of its size. We just announced a relationship with Univision, leveraging their communications platform in TV advertising and print. What investment did Empire make to sell on the New York exchange? A significant one. I can’t share a budget, but I spend 50% of my time on ensuring we will be in a position to succeed. As a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, we’re the brand consumers recognize for providers,security,safety and choice.There’s a comfort level consumers have in the Blues name.We’re uniquely positioned as the trusted brand in health care, and as a result will succeed on the exchange. WHERE THEY DINED CAPITAL GRILLE WALL STREET 120 Broadway (212) 374-1811 www.thecapital grille.com AMBIENCE: Vibrant, a bit noisy; a pleasant country-club decor WHAT THEY ATE: Ⅲ Two Capital Grille Cobb salads TOTAL: $53.00, What are your concerns? There is an amazing amount of change occurring over a very short period. I feel good from a readiness perspective, but there is an enormous challenge in educating New Yorkers about how to gain access to the exchange. For this to be successful, we need to spend on public awareness. It is a logistical challenge to get that awareness. We’ve historically marketincluding tip ed to government, labor What surprised you most unions and corporate employers. The significant change is a about your first six months at Empire? shift to consumers, both on the The level of intense focus on the SHOP and individual exchanges. launch of the exchange. We are reorWe spent a significant amount of ganizing the entire company around time on how to reach consumers and the consumer. Transparency, health be successful in our communica- and wellness, culturally appropriate tions. It is a population we really had communications—that’s the shift in health care. That’s the challenge. little experience with. How is the marketing different? We tailor to consumers by providing information that helps them make decisions about our products and services. And on an ongoing basis we will have conversations about health information, positioning consumers to manage their own health care. After Medco was acquired by Express Scripts, that meant moving to St. Louis. Is that one reason why you joined Empire? St. Louis is a great city, but I wanted to stay in New York. I love New York. My family is here, and my heart is here. Ⅲ INSIDE TIP: The regulars at Capital Grille swear that the lobster mac ’n’ cheese is worth every calorie. http://www.thecapitalgrille.com http://www.thecapitalgrille.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - August 12, 2013

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
SMALL BUSINESS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
STEVE HINDY
GREG DAVID
REAL ESTATE DEALS
REPORT: SPORTS BUSINESS
FOR THE RECORD
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - August 12, 2013

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