Welcome to "Eye on Orvis!"

Welcome to the April edition of “Eye on Orvis” where each month, we focus on an associate or team that embodies the heart of Orvis! This month, we feature District Manager Paul Range who joined the Orvis family in 2001.  

Born and raised in Texas, Paul realized early on that he loved the outdoors. His dad was a huge Orvis fan, so Paul grew up fly fishing, epitomizing the Orvis aspiration of connecting generations to nature. He grew up on a farm near Fort Worth, where his family kept four thousand pigs, cattle, and a flock of sheep. Although it’s leased out, the family still owns the farm, and Paul enjoys telling the funny story of when President Jimmy Carter landed in the maize field during the Great Drought of 1980 (if Paul shares the details, you’ll get a chuckle out of it)! 

Paul began his Orvis career as a part-time associate in the Dallas store. This was supposed to be a “temporary” path, but Paul went on to become a Fishing Manager, Store Manager, Outdoor District Manager, and he now currently works as a District Manager, covering nine stores throughout the South and Southwest regions. As it is for all District Managers, the geography is substantial and they work hard. Paul is a huge part of the team that designed and implemented “Fly Fishing 101” back in 2010, working alongside Rob Tibbett and Tory Myler and under the direction of Jim LePage, former VP of Retail, and Joe Carpenter, now VP of Retail, UK and Men’s. The program was created as an informal way to introduce people to the sport of fly fishing, and to demonstrate that it doesn’t have to be intimidating...or expensive. Staying true to the company mission to make fly fishing simple, fun, and affordable, FF101 classes are free at local Orvis stores and dealers and have created well over 100,000 new avid anglers!

Paul’s contributions to Orvis didn’t stop there. In 2014, he reached out to Becca Klein, Planned Giving Officer and Founder of the Becca Sue Klein All Kids Fish Program and former Development Director for the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (the CRK). The CRK’s mission is to educate, advocate and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, as well as to conserve its ecological health for the people and wildlife that depend on the river system. Paul felt a calling to support the CRK, especially given that Orvis customers enjoy the river’s incredible recreational opportunities. In 2016, a dynamic partnership was formed, and the “Quality Hooch” campaign was born. The Atlanta and Alpharetta stores now work yearly with the CRK to raise money for water-monitoring stations and cleanup efforts. In 2023, Orvis and its Atlanta market customers will be raising money to help with trash-collection stations on Chattahoochee streams. These “trash traps” remove floating litter from tributaries and use floating booms to guide trash into a collection area where it can be captured and emptied. Last year, CRK’s traps collected over 1,800 pounds of trash, of which nearly 30% of the volume was recycled. Paul’s efforts and dedication are part of the Orvis company-wide commitment to community efforts through our “Give Back Days,” held annually at our stores. And in honor of Earth Month, watch for an additional story on our work with the CRK.

As if he wasn’t busy enough, you’ll also find Paul being a devoted Dad to his son and daughter, both of whom keep him running with baseball, soccer, orchestra, swimming, and of course, fly fishing. He reiterates to them what he believes to be the recipe for success at Orvis: take the initiative. Paul says, “Orvis wants you to be successful and believes in their associates. You can create your own path to success by being creative and taking ownership of your role.” This is also the advice Paul would offer to a new associate, just beginning their career at Orvis. “Don’t wait to be told what to do. If you embody the culture and values, you will be successful.” Paul is certainly a testament to that.

Congratulations on your success, Paul, and we’re thrilled you are on the Orvis team!

Author: Laurie Barrett, National Recruiting Specialist