October 3, 2008
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced today that Plano Molding Company will serve as a sponsor for the IHSA’s newest activity, bass fishing, which will contest its inaugural state tournament on May 8-9, 2009.
“This is a monumental day for bass fishing at the IHSA as we begin a partnership that we believe will be beneficial for everyone involved,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “To be able to align ourselves with a company that is so respected and innovative in this field is exciting and the fact that they are an in-state company only makes this more rewarding.”
Plano Molding Company is among the initial companies to sign on as an IHSA bass fishing sponsor and the first sponsor whose organization produces fishing products.
“From the time that it was brought to my attention that the IHSA was adding bass fishing, it is something I knew we wanted to be part of,” said Plano Molding Company Director of Marketing Jesse Simpkins. “The IHSA has done a wonderful thing for its students by adding fishing and I cannot tell you how pleased I am for Plano Molding Company to be involved as a sponsor.”
Plano Molding Company was founded in 1932 and continues to house its operations in Plano, a city of over 6,000 residents located about 60 miles southwest of Chicago. The multitude of fishing supplies Plano Molding Company produces include tackle boxes, bait storage systems and reel cases. The company developed the first waterproof tackle box in 1952 and has continued to be a vanguard in the industry with its trademarked Guide Series boxes and bags, ProLatch organizers, Flipsider and Softsider Systems and TackeLogic equipment.
Simpkins went on to talk about the importance of the state ties between the IHSA and Plano Molding Company. “Being a company based in Illinois and having the IHSA as the nation’s pioneer in high school bass fishing really made this deal a no-brainer,” Simpkins said. “It is important as an Illinois company to support these competitors as this program grows and we are proud to not only be a part of the nation’s first high school bass fishing state tournament, but that it has happened here in Illinois.”
The IHSA became the first high school state association in the country to sponsor a bass fishing tournament when the IHSA Board of Directors voted to approve the Terms and Conditions for the Bass Fishing State Series on June 9, 2008.
“I wish this was a program that was around when I was in high school,” added Simpkins. “The fact that the IHSA is at the forefront of fishing at the high school level gives me a great deal of satisfaction as a fisherman who has grown up and worked in the state.
The IHSA is currently reviewing bids for the bass fishing sectional and state final sites and expects to announce the hosts following a Board of Directors meeting on October 14.