Interview with Eric Gill, owner and manager
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: We have both been obsessed with fly fishing and the outdoors for ever. After owning numerous nets of different brands that all fell apart, we started building wooden landing nets in my garage for personal use and quickly realized that there was an entire industry and a market that was in desperate need of a quality product. High prices and crummy craftsmanship led us to do more research, test our product, compare ours to other brands and make the needed adjustments.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: People will say, “a wooden net is a wooden net.” That could not be further from reality. Truth is, there are many reasons people run into wooden nets falling apart on them quickly after they get wet. Most are mass produced without any attention to defects in the wood used, construction of the net or consideration to the longevity of the types of wood. We use only quality hardwoods that are handpicked and are properly acclimated to our western climate. We put extreme care in crafting each net. This also guarantees even our standard nets are each one of a kind. The second big thing that sets us apart is our custom artwork. We will put any logo, name, saying, portrait or anything you can think of on a net. The third and maybe the most important thing is that each of our nets comes with a lifetime warranty, and once you own one, we will fix, recoat or replace the rubber net bag at our wholesale price.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: No doubt working for ourselves, but the biggest plus is being able to be so close and involved in the sport and industry of fly fishing, which all of us here at Native Nets have a ridiculous, borderline insane passion for. Having to always fish to keep up on quality control is not an issue for us.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: The biggest challenge for us is keeping Jon and I in the wood shop, on the production line and out of our waders and the river. Im kidding of course — we face the same challenges that all small businesses face. From keeping up on marketing to pushing product evolution and, of course, keeping our government happy, there are lots of daily challenges. One of the biggest day-to-day challenges we face is teaching novice, stubborn or set-in-their-ways fishermen the absolute importance of using a landing net with the proper netting material for the health of the fish, since the health of the fish is most important.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: At the ages of 35, co-owner Jon and I have been building things and been good friends for every one of them.
Profile
Business: Native Nets
Address: 5985 Lamar St., Arvada
Hours: Typically 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, call first
Founded: 2012
Contact: 720-556-8207,
Employees: 2
