Bonefish & Tarpon Trust will honor business leader and acclaimed author Robert E. “Bob” Rich, Jr. at the 13th Annual NYC Dinner & Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2024.
Rich, Senior Chairman of Rich Products Corporation, will receive the Lefty Kreh Award for Lifetime Achievement in Conservation, which is BTT’s highest honor, in recognition of his support of fisheries conservation. He will be joined at the event by the cast of the forthcoming film, Blood Knot, which is based on his 2015 novel, Looking Through Water, and stars Oscar-winner Michael Douglas and his own son, Cameron.
An avid flats angler and BTT Founding Member, Rich was first exposed to the art of storytelling around campfires in northern Ontario. Growing up reading Hemingway, Melville and Cervantes inspired him to write, and living on the shores of Lake Erie and the Florida Keys provided a wealth of his own tales to tell. In addition to Looking Through Water, he is the author of Fish Fights, The Fishing Club, and The Right Angle, and is the coauthor of Secrets from the Delphi Café.
In addition to his leadership of Rich Products Corporation, the largest family-owned frozen food manufacturer in the United States, Rich owns three minor league baseball teams and is a member of the South Florida Fishing Hall of Fame. With his wife, Mindy, Rich founded the Rich Entertainment Group, which produces theatrical entertainment, including the Broadway show, Water for Elephants.
“Bob Rich is known for his dynamic leadership of one of the country’s largest corporations, yet it’s his passion for fishing that’s played an important role in shaping his life,” said BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie. “Bob has taken that ‘pull’ he feels from the water and channeled it into stories that entertain and inspire. We appreciate all that he has done to celebrate fishing and to conserve the resources on which it depends.”
The BTT Circle of Honor recognizes legendary anglers, fishing guides and conservation leaders who have made significant contributions to the conservation of the flats fishery. It is housed in the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center, located in Islamorada, Florida, and features an annually rotating exhibit about those honored as well as educational content about the significance of the flats fishery.
Tickets will be available soon. In the meantime, save the date for an unforgettable evening. We look forward to celebrating with you and advancing our mission together.
