as
the demand for tournament jerseys exploded, so has the number of companies rushing in to fill the void. Within this busy and highly competitive marketplace Rayjus Outdoors has established itself as an industry leader in not only dye sublimated apparel but also in professional angler marketing products.
Rayjus is the result of synergy between Ray Odom and Justin Romines. Ro- mines, an avid angler with a background in information technology, met Odom, a long time Chicago area radio personality while working together for a softball uniform company. It didn’t take long before they discovered they each had a passion for bass fishing. “We started with two desks and a display in a corner space of the local Ranger boat dealership. Sam Rosefksy, the owner of Bedford Sales was very supportive and let us set up shop on the showroom floor and would not accept any rent,” recalls Romines. Romines first shared his idea with Odom to create jerseys for anglers after viewing them on the pages of a national fishing publication. Using their contacts and resources from the sports uniform industry, the duo began designing and producing angler jerseys. “I approached our boss with the idea of creating a fishing apparel department,” recalled Romines. “After he turned down our proposal, Ray suggested that we make a go of it on our own. Ray and I have always worked well together so it was not a hard decision.” Today, Odom looks after the art and design end of the business and Romines han- dles the sales, and opera- tional side of things.
TWO DESKS AND A DISPLAY
Summer 2013
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