Sam was introduced to the Blue Ridge Parkway during family vacations to escape the heat of south Alabama. During those trips he learned to fly fish its waters and hike its trails. He quickly fell in love with the Parkway, and his affinity for it has only grown over the years. In 2019, he authored a “First in Class” book: Fly Fishing the Blue Ridge Parkway – NC Section - forwarded by Mark H. Woods, Superintendent, Blue Ridge Parkway (retired). He also cohosts a webcast series on the Wild Bearings Zoom and YouTube Channels about traveling, hiking and fly fishing the Parkway. He has served on the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Board of Trustees since 2021.
In his work life, Sam splits time between serving as Chairman of the Board of a large Indiana-based RV manufacturer, a Partner in the national business advisory firm of Nautilus Strategy Group, and finally, co-hosting and executive producing Wild Bearings Outdoors, a TV series aired across the country via a Nashville-based TV network. Aside from his outdoor interest, Sam is a seasoned C-level executive leader and board member, with deep experience with clients in industries ranging from banking, printing, RVs, and brewing, to aerospace, packaging, software,and auto parts.
Sam attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a football scholarship where his tightend position coach was UNC’s own - Mack Brown. Following graduation, he moved to Atlanta, and for the past 30 years has lived with his wife and pack of Siberian Huskies in Dahlonega, Ga. In his spare time, he is a freelance writer for American Fly-Fishing Magazine, member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and the Georgia Outdoors Writers Association. He is a juried member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild in Asheville, where he makes bamboo fly rods for anglers and collectors worldwide. Finally, Sam has been a bagpiper for more than 20 years, is a member of John Mohr Mackintosh Pipes & Drums in Atlanta and is a past Games Events Director of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.