Z-Man Fishing Products added and updated its fishing tackle talent with one new hire and a promotion to a new role.
Six-year company veteran and previous sales manager Ryan Harder was promoted to the newly created brand manager position this past summer. A lifelong angler with “decades of experience in fishing retail and sales,” Harder’s role bridges the gap between product development, marketing and sales.
“Since Ryan first joined the Z-Man team, he’s exhibited a keen understanding of our business, the fishing industry and our customers’ wants and needs,” said President Daniel Nussbaum. “Ryan’s new role as brand manager will absolutely leverage his skill set, highlighted by a smart, clear-minded approach and an easygoing touch while working with all the various people and personalities at Z-Man. No question, his abilities are already helping us accelerate our product line growth and retail footprint.”
Harder, who started as a sales rep for West Marine and Grady’s Great Outdoors, is reported to be a “highly esteemed friend of the fishing industry and a familiar face at events, including ICAST, Bassmaster Classic and other national sales exhibitions.”
“Fun to recall that I actually met the folks at Z-Man through friend, colleague and now Z-Man pro-staffer Brian “B.Lat” Latimer,” said Harder, a South Carolina native. “At the time, B.Lat and I both worked at Grady’s, a high-end independent retailer in Anderson, SC. It’s been exciting to watch our careers grow, evolve and yet remain aligned, even after all these years.”
Nussbaum added, “Having Ryan in a role where he can bridge the gap between our product development, marketing and sales teams will enable us to bring more new products to market faster and in a more impactful way. Ryan is a great guy and a true team player, so I’m thrilled to have him embrace a larger role here at Z-Man.”
McKellar joins the company from the company’s home office in Ladson, SC to backfill Harder’s former role. McKellar will work directly with National Sales Manager Glenn Young.
“Ryan has been a huge help to me over the years,” said Young, who has guided Z-Man’s sales team since 2009. “So, we feel really fortunate to have found Brandon McKellar to step in and contribute immediately. Brandon’s professional, outgoing, easygoing nature is already proving to be a great fit for our team. Like everyone here at Z-Man, he’s a diehard angler. Beyond that, his diverse background will serve him well while running a sales territory.”
A native of Ninety Six, SC, McKellar grew up bass, crappie and tournament fishing on nearby lakes like Hartwell, Murray and Clarks Hill.
“All those years, I lived ten minutes down the road from the lake where the ChatterBait rose from a local legend to a worldwide fish-catching sensation,” noted McKellar. “Pretty cool how things have come full circle, placing me with the same great company that continues creating new, fish-catching ChatterBaits to this day.”
After earning an education at Winthrop University, McKellar taught high school science and social studies for seven years. Before his teaching career and while attending college, McKellar sold hunting, fishing and outdoor equipment at Academy Sports and Sportsman’s Warehouse, each providing invaluable retail and outdoor industry experience. Meanwhile, he competed in local and regional tournaments as a co-angler and enjoyed entering night tournaments on nearby Lake Wylie, helping develop his angling skills, particularly with ChatterBaits and ElaZtech finesse baits.
While bass fishing and tournament circuits remain on his radar, McKellar has developed a passion for pursuing inshore saltwater fish. “These days, the visual and sensory appeal of wade fishing the shallows—watching for tailing redfish—is among my favorite ways to catch ’em. Can’t think of a better way to do it than casting a 3-inch Z-Man MinnowZ.
As a sales manager, McKellar will serve as the first point of contact for Z-Man’s six sales rep groups in the U.S. and Canada as well as its major distributors. In addition, he’ll provide sales and promotional support at annual tradeshows and sportsfishing conventions.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Brandon into the Z-Man clan,” added Young. “His diverse background, skillset and angling experience set him up for immediate success, no doubt. His love for fishing and the fishing industry will be a valuable addition to an already impressive Z-Man team.”
Photos courtesy of Z-Man
