Vendors say economic improvement seen in Sportsmen’s Expo sales


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SANDY — From early indications, more people are going to the 2014 International Sportsmen’s Expo than in years past. Some vendors believe it's a sign the economy has turned for the better.

Scott Jorgensen, who owns Pybus Point Lodge, is one of those vendors. He’s happy not only because he owns a fishing lodge in southeastern Alaska, but it seems there are a lot more people at the Sportsmen’s Expo who are willing to pay him to go there.

“The crowd here today is probably at least twice, if not three times what it was in ’09,” Jorgensen said.

The economy for an Alaskan fishing trip wasn't so good five years ago. Jorgensen, who lives in Utah County, would know. He bought his lodge just a couple of months before the economy collapsed.

“Our guest count that we shoot for is usually around 350. We literally ran 2009 with only 120 paid guests,” he said.

That meant cutbacks, tough decisions, and an operating budget tighter than a fishing line; but now Jorgenson is so happy he stuck with it. Since 2011, business has steadily gotten better, he said.

Almost every vendor at the Sportsmen’s Expo has a similar story.

“It’s been very rough. About ’08 through ’09 it got really bad. The last couple of years it’s come back pretty well, and we’re expecting a nice year this year,” said Dean Brewer, with Petersen Marine.

In fact, Brewer said Petersen Marine has $1 million boat for sale in Draper that they never would have brought out just a couple of years ago because nobody would buy it. This year, though owners expect to sell it.

The fact that many vendors say they're having the best year in five years, to them, shows the economy is getting better. Many of these hobbies aren't cheap; they're luxuries.

Ryan Foutz, who runs Kings Camo in Lindon, says his business continues to grow because the economy continues to grow.

“I think over the course of the last couple of years we’ve seen a resurge in people’s confidence in spending, and in spending some of those dollars to go have fun,” Foutz said.

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