American Bass Anglers expanded its national staff today, adding two new positions and filling two open positions. Below are those additions and what duties they will be performing.
Alton Storm is ABA’s new Southern Bassmaster Weekend Series Tournament Manager. He is a graduate of Auburn University who studied fisheries biology. An avid bass angler for many years, he previously worked for the Alabama Department of Natural Resources. His team will operate the Alabama North division, the Tennessee Central division and both the East Kentucky and the East Missouri divisions.
William (Billy) Benedetti is ABA’s Southeastern Bassmaster Weekend Series Tournament Manager. He has a lot of experience in operating bass tournaments at the regional level. Benedetti and his team will operate the Alabama South division, Florida, Georgia and the South Carolina divisions.
Troy Jens of Guntersville, Ala., is joining ABA as a Media Support Specialist. Jens is a well-known writer and has guided anglers for many years on Lake Guntersville. He will be working with all forms of media for ABA, including the Web site, the ABA magazine and special media events.
Ken Garner of Decatur, Ala., is ABA’s Event Coordination Specialist. He will work with sponsors, host communities and tournament crews in preparation for events. His special pre-event and post-event duties will include dealing with the Bassmaster Weekend Series, the American Fishing Tour Series National Championship, the annual Military Team tournament, the American Couple Series Championship and other special events, including the Early Times Kentucky Whisky Barbeque Cook-offs.
“These are some quality individuals who will increase our overall ability to operate, market and communicate bass tournaments,” said David Hagood, vice president of American Bass Anglers. “Each one of these gentlemen possesses their own special talents in specialized areas and that is why we sought out and have placed them into these positions. A company like ABA requires a lot of personal commitment and hard work from individuals that want to see the company succeed and these are that caliber of individuals.”