The current home of Tackle Warehouse, and the third facility the company has moved to in just five years

While Jared went on to find success on the tour Rich graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The very same University that both Zander and JIP graduated from, in fact they actually went to school at the same time. After graduation Rich knew he wanted to do something within the fishing industry and traveled back east for two years looking for an opportunity. When nothing really presented itself Rich returned to San Luis Obispo to work at the same company he had worked for during his Cal Poly college years, Tennis Warehouse.

Rich talks to Zander in the Tackle Warehouse retail store

It was here that he had a vision, to create a online tackle retail store that really served the consumer in terms of giving consumers an easy to navigate site, providing a better look at the products that consumers are actually buying, more in depth information, and a higher level of customer service than anglers were used to receiving.

 
A look at the retail store in front of the warehouse

Rich focused on bass tackle first because of the ability to reach a broad audience not just in the US, but internationally. With saltwater fishing the tackle and techniques are much more regional, and while the company may one day expand into saltwater focusing on bass fishing made the most sense for Tackle Warehouse in the company’s infancy.