Brenden Coady-Reese is a 17-year-old rising senior at Viera High School. He’s also the owner of a successful fishing lure enterprise. Through his company, JBC Jigs & Tackle, he handcrafts high-quality jigs available at many Brevard County tackle shops.
The story of JBC’s success follows a familiar theme in the fishing industry. With a passion for the sport that has grown since he was a toddler tagging along with Dad, Brenden identified a need and set out to fill it with good old American entrepreneurial spirit.
“I wanted to be able to customize jigs more,” Brenden said. “I wanted to create an excellent product with high standards.”
Brenden’s statement is similar to what Coastal Angler Magazine has heard over the years from industry leaders like Patrick Sebile (A Band Of Anglers), Gary Loomis (G. Loomis) and Flip Pallot (Hells Bay Boats).
As avid anglers, they each sought access to products superior to what was available. They couldn’t find it, so they made it. This is innovation. It is the cornerstone of American enterprise.
To see this effort from a 17-year-old is truly remarkable. Dreaming up and crafting something for personal use is one thing. Bringing that product to market is more difficult. It requires tenacity, vision and fearless dedication.
Brevard schools are responsible for giving JBC a jump-start. The Business and Finance Academy at Viera High School assigned students a project to create a business model and plan. Since Brenden was already making and selling jigs to friends, he and two other classmates decided to use his lure concept as their class project. Brenden’s project was not merely theoretically making a plan. His was an exercise in “plan your work, work your plan.”
Through a series of presentations, Brenden and his project partners, Chandler Ratcliff and Cooper Liston, took second place in the 2020 Junior Achievement Business Blastoff Challenge, which rewards Brevard high school students for their entrepreneurial spirit. Brenden came out of the project with direction for JBC, $1,500 in cash and a $10,000 renewable scholarship to FIT, which over four years totals $40,000.
Coastal Angler Magazine salutes Brenden for his tenacity, love of fishing and his awesome entrepreneurial spirit. His jigs can be found at local tackle shops throughout Brevard County including:
- Strike Zone
- Black Dog Bait and Tackle
- Harry Goode’s Outdoor Shop
- Man Overboard Bait and Tackle
- Buck Tail Bait and Tackle
- Chum It Up Bait and Tackle
As Space Coast anglers, we owe it to ourselves to get behind this young man and help him fulfill his vision. Oh…by the way, these jigs catch fish!
Find JBC Jigs & Tackle LLC online at jbcjigs.com or on Facebook and Instagram; contact them via e-mail at jbcjigs@gmail.com or call or message them at (321) 525-0306 or (321) 368-6321.
~ Ben Martin, Editor in Chief