In 1999, I met up with the Cloudveil sales rep, Blaine Miller, in Atlanta, GA, and we proceeded to drive roughly 1,500 miles through the Southeast introducing our brand to some of the very best outdoor retailers in the country. We gave clinics to the few who had bought us and walked through the doors of those who had never heard of us. It was an epic five-day journey that left a long-lasting and incredibly positive impression on me.
In January ’26, one of my very best friends invited me to his farm in Alabama to go hunting for a few days. I had some time to kill between another trip with some old college teammates to Little Cayman, and 27 years later the 1999 sales trip was still fresh on my mind. Funny how you find yourself in a similar position–starting a new brand and wanting to introduce it to the right people. As a result, I decided to replicate a mini version of this road trip for the three extra days.
Mississippi
I reached out to my old friend Bob McCain, owner and operator of Buffalo Peak Outfitters in Jackson, MS. Bob was one of the very first retailers I connected with in ’99 and had become a friend over the years. It had certainly been a hot minute since we had talked due to all the boring things that happen when PE gets a hold of your business and makes changes. So, when I made the plan and walked through the door it was like time had stood still.
The shop looked great, the staff were so nice, and then I bumped into Dave, who has been the footwear buyer for 30 years. I wasn’t walking in to give a line presentation, I was walking in to say hi to some old friends and to gain some knowledge due to the time I had been away from the business.
We went to The Mayflower Café for lunch, which Bob’s son Cody co-owns, which is filled with insane Jackson history. We caught up about fishing, travel, family, and their business. In the end, I of course introduced them to 3Bird and know they will consider bringing us in when the time is right.
Florida
I jumped into the car and headed to the panhandle of Florida to see some old friends from Wyoming for the night. Just a quick six hours from MS. Got up early the next day, banged out some work, and then walked the beach with my friend Jon Wylie.
This was two days before the Southeast winter storms were going to roll through so it was not warm on the beach. However, it was still 50-55 degrees so of course we brought a few rods down to see if any birds were feeding on bait, which usually means fish could be there too. Yes, the birds were there but we couldn’t reach any of them with a spin or fly rod. Regardless, Jon looked stylish in his all-blue attire of the Migration Pant and one my favorite styles ever, the Frigate Windshirt.
Georgia
I headed up to Atlanta that afternoon to have lunch and check out some shops with more old industry friends, who I had worked with years ago. I met Ditta Hamby in ’98 as a buyer/manager of High Country Outfitters and then walked through the door in ’99. For some reason a kid from Massachusetts and woman from Georgia hit it off quite well. It’s been a tell it like it is, no bullshit kind of friendship ever since–the best kind.
Ditta decided to become a sales rep, which only heightened our friendship because we worked together in this capacity too. Her current business partner, Mitch Davis, was also an old rep friend too and his wife and my wife went to high school together. Of course, I needed to be reminded of that, which made me feel like a forgetful loser. It’s so crazy how small the world can be as you get older.
We had lunch at the OK Café, another amazing and historical southern establishment. I tried my best to eat a heart healthy lunch, but I had to indulge just a little into southern cuisine. Apparently, Mitch had come across 3Bird on his own, did a little digging, and then told Ditta he thought it was me, the old X brand guy. Ditta reached out, I was coming through Georgia in January, we made a plan to get together, catch up on life, visit some stores, and to see if our businesses were cohesive again. Once again, time had stood still and it was so refreshing.
The Road, Then & Now
This quick trip through the southeast reinforced what I have known through the years. I’ve been in this business for 30-plus years teaching, learning, playing, guiding, selling, creating/telling brand stories, building supply chains, designing product, writing business plans, building friendships, raising capital, and navigating all the good and bad that goes with it. It has always been, and will always be, about the people and the friendships made along the way. Life, and definitely business, are empty without the right people.
Find out more about Noah & the 3Bird founders:
https://3bird.com/pages/from-the-founders
