"[Conservation advocacy] is just the right thing to do. It's only benefited the brand through and through. Not that people don't disagree with us, but we've become known as a brand with a focus on conservation."— Ford Van Fossan, First Lite Conservation, Content And Digital Merchandising Manager Ford Van Fossan is a Conservation, Content And Digital Merchandising Manager with the technical hunting clothing company, First Lite. You all may recall my conversation with First Lite cofounder Scott Robinson a while back. In that episode we got to hear about the first 5-6 years of First Lite, the challenges and what it’s taken to build the brand. Ford shares that story over the last few years, where the brand has really scaled and has moved into new spaces. We’ll hear about the brand’s expansions, and also Ford’s background as a conservationist. That’s a researcher and technician, working with US Fish & Wildlife Service and universities to study wildlife and habitat. There are a few take aways from this interview. For me, I take away the importance of knowing your customer, and knowing them well. First Lite is a great case study on caring and truly interacting with the people who pay their hard earned money for your product. I don’t know of many brands who do that. Another takeaway is the importance of finding the right way to give back. At the end of this show, Ford talks about some of the initiatives we can expect to see from First Lite over the coming years. If you’re a gear head, this show is for you. If you’re a hard core hunter, this show is for you. And if you’re interested in conservation, how to get involved and how research on wildlife is done, this show is for you.Show LinksInaturalistFirst Lite WebsiteScott Robinson, First Lite Cofounder  interview on Restless NativeCoyote Predation Study Mortality Rates with Young Bucks