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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
I am not a fisherman. I've never been fishing. But, that will probably change after my recent visit with Chris Hendershot at Gitzit, Inc. in St. George. This was a great visit. I had a wonderful time as I walked about with Chris and had him show me the tens of thousands of fishing lures that are manufactured in this small, world-renowned factory.
The company was originally called Bass'n Man Lures. Chris took over the company in 1992 and brought it out of a bankruptcy. This was a new, different experience for Chris but a natural because as a boy he loved to fish and took great pride in his equipment. He would regularly clean his tackle box, sort his gear and take great pride in his collection of lures and fishing paraphernalia.
Gitzit has over 20 people working in the factory. There are 15 other Washington County employees who do piece assembly work in their homes and another 24 employees in Mexico. They work very hard making the varied lures in the extensive Gitzit inventory. I was blown away as I saw box after box of hundreds of different kinds of lure. Some workers were packaging a lure called Little Tough Guy. Chris told me they sold over 300,000 of this particular lure. When I expressed surprise, he quickly said "Oh, that's not our best seller."
I know. I know. This is radio and you can't see me. But right now, I have in my hand a lure that is about five inches long. It is molded from soft plastic and it looks and feels exactly like a small fish. The movement in my hands seems so life-like and I can visualize how it would look to a fish in the water. The gills are red, the painting and speckles are so real and the eyes on the lure look like they are looking right at me.
I told you I am not a fisherman but I really had a great time visiting with Chris Hendershot and the people at Gitzit. I would think a fishing enthusiast would have to dig a trench for the saliva if he had walked through the plant with me.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
