MINNEAPOLIS – Pedigree, the No. 1 pet-food manufacturer in the world and a leader in dog nutrition, recently announced the members of its professional angling team that will hit the waters at FLW Outdoors tournaments in 2004. Team members include Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., and Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala.
The Pedigree brand began its partnership with FLW Outdoors for the 2003 season and has realized the benefit of sponsoring professional fishing, a sport that draws more than 52 million Americans to the water each year. To enhance its sponsorship program, the team members will compete along various FLW Outdoors tournament trails in Ranger boats that will display the Pedigree-brand logo.
Kennedy, a rookie on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour in 2002, began competing in FLW Outdoors tournaments in 1992 in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League. At Kentucky Lake, the fifth of six regular-season stops along the 2003 FLW Tour, Kennedy was named champion. His $100,000 win more than doubled his prior FLW Outdoors career earnings of $91,678. His highest FLW Tour finish prior to this year’s Kentucky Lake tournament was 16th. After his big win, Kennedy was joined onstage by his wife, Julia, and their Jack Russell terrier, Louie, who can always be seen at tournaments wearing his custom-made FLW Tour and Pedigree doggie sweaters. Kennedy will compete in a Ranger boat with Pedigree-brand decals on three tournament trails during the 2004 season: the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the EverStart Series Northern and Eastern divisions, and the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League.
Pugh made his FLW Tour debut in 2000. His career in FLW Outdoors circuits – including the BFL, the EverStart Series and the FLW Tour – includes 10 top-10 finishes. In 2001, Pugh was a Ranger Cup winner. For the 2004 season, in addition to the FLW Tour, Pugh will compete from a Pedigree boat in the EverStart Series Central and Eastern divisions.
Masterfoods USA – the U.S. food, snack and pet-care operations of Mars Inc. – is one of the world’s leading food manufacturers. The combined food, pet-care and snack segments are symbols of excellence for quality brands. Headquartered in Hackettstown, N.J., Masterfoods USA owns some of the world’s favorite brands, including M&M’s® Brand, Snickers® Brand, Uncle Ben’s Brand, Pedigree Brand Food for Dogs, Whiskas® Brand Food for Cats, Seeds of Change®, and Flavia® Beverage Systems.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.
For more information about FLW Outdoors tournaments, browse this Web site or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about M&M-Mars, visit Mars.com or call (800) 551-0702.