In the "Making It" column, The Washington Post Magazine
profiles residents of the Washington, D.C., region who succeed with unusual careers or through a creative invention or business idea. On April 20, 2008, the subject of the column was Dickinson alumnus Ben Wilson '96, who sells handmade fishing lures in partnership with his father.
The Post article
describes how Ben and his father John, a retired teacher, learned to make the wooden lures because of their interest in fishing. Other fishermen asked where the lures came from, so they thought about starting a business. When his wife Megan Garrett Wilson '97 took a photo of Ben fishing with his dog, it led to the name The Lonely Angler and a logo for the new business.
Ben and John sell the lures at trade shows and in tackle shops. In July 2007, former president George H.W. Bush
bought three of the lures during a fishing outing in Maine with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sales have increased steadily since 2004, with the profit going back to building up the business.
An economics major and ROTC cadet at Dickinson, Wilson reflected on the ways in which his liberal-arts education prepared him for his experiences both in and out of the corporate world:
"As a director of commercial management for an S&P 500 Company as well as an entrepreneur, Dickinson was only the first of many steps in what some call a 'hectic' life. Dickinson's variety of coursework and dynamic approach to education has allowed me to be focused and remain calm. While not really a business school, Dickinson was very much in tune with allowing students to be unique and fostered more than just 'textbook thinking.' The mature approach that Dickinson takes with nurturing and allowing students to pursue their own interests (such as multiple extracurricular, social and educational activities and events) always kept things interesting; that's what is still leading me down my path."
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Wilson is the second Dickinson alumnus to be featured in the "Making It" column. Drew Greenblatt '88, CEO of Marlin Steel Wire, was profiled in August 2007 about his efforts to respond to competition from China by capturing a niche market for his company's products.
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