Ep. 70: Pheasants, Quail and Baseball with President & CEO Howard Vincent

In this episode recorded prior to COVID-19, host Bob St. Pierre visited with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever President and CEO, Howard Vincent. The two discuss how Howard moved from volunteer accountant to the organization’s director of finance, and eventually became the second CEO of Pheasants Forever. During the episode, the pair discuss the many “touchpoints” throughout Howard’s career and his joy of leading a team of people passionate about the organization’s wildlife habitat mission. Episode Highlights Include: · Bob and Howard start talking about their baseball backgrounds. From there, baseball symbolism, metaphors, and analogies abound. Bob even likens Howard’s leadership style to Johnny Bench. · Insights into Howard’s vision for the organization and how its’ habitat mission is always more important than the brand behind it. · We learn the importance of handshake deal for Howard, from a bar in Kansas to the creation of the Sage Grouse Initiative. · Bob and Howard also discuss the lessons learned from introducing wildlife to the Farm Bill in the 90’s that has led to new legislative language just last year in the Transportation Bill. · We learn the origin story of Quail Forever and the effort to engage a new community of volunteers in local habitat restoration and engagement. · Howard also talks about the agriculture community’s sustainability movement and how water quality is the key to the future for all of humankind. · Finally, the duo discusses the future of the organization and the need to foster a conservation ethic in future generations. · Along the way, Howard tells stories about some of the amazing people he’s met through his career and even cuts open a few veins giving a look inside his heart.