ORVIS CEO LEIGH ‘PERK’ PERKINS, JR. — -AW C’MON, NOW

I’ve always taken a dim view of preppies and their nicknames, not to mention their mannerisms, general overall behavior and particularly their sense of entitlement.

Unfair of me I know.

Every individual has bestowed upon him/her — for better or for worse — genealogy and upbringing.

I mean I hail from the Biblical forename etymology of Abraham (Abe), Isaac (Ike), and Jacob (Jake).

And Hymie and Mort and Milt and Murray and Saul (Solly)and Eli and Seymour (Cy) and Morris (Mo or Moe) and Sidney and Leo and Harold and Bernie and Benny.

And even Glory-be-to-God, Sheldon.

(Sam and Max would also be included were it not for their present-day popularity and shameful overuse. Historically outstanding tribal names just the same).

“Whooah…Heyyyy…Rudy…Rudeness…Rutabaga…Hooooh…Heeeyhah, Heeeyah, Heeyyy…” Sounds like a slightly more polished version of something cascading from the twisted lips of Beavis and Butthead.

Every playful moniker or greeting ends in a “y” or an “er.” “Hey er, Kapper…Kappy…Then there might be Kapman…Kapster…Sir Kap…”

Please.

Allow me to turn up my starched Izod polo collar, saddle-soap my limited edition Sperrys and choke on my silver spoon while I claim Mommy and Daddy’s millions and insist that I in fact made the coin, when we all know it was bequeathed to me.

Right Bitsy? Muffy? Liv? Hilly? Pippa? Posie? Missy? Sissy?

Isn’t that so Chip? Kip? Topher? Finn? Hays? Ollie? Pearse? Seb? Trip? Wells?

Surely I jest.

My kidding is not intended to sound or to be mean-spirited.

Every culture has its own distinctive bent, a piercing and omnipresent uniqueness which makes it what it is.

And diversity is good; it should be celebrated, not maligned. The broader, the better.

We all learn from each other. It rounds out our thought processes and perception(s), expands our thinking and ultimately grows us.

It opens our minds, makes us think and opine more creatively, outside the box a little.

It helps us as human beings.

Or it should.

But that is precisely the point. Why would anyone not only settle for conformity but strive to achieve and embrace it? To be the same? Like everybody else?

(I suppose there is some comfort in that, especially for those of us who tend to be a bit insecure).

Make no mistake, I’m all for preserving hallowed tradition and perpetuating it. It’s important to know our roots and proudly honor our heritage.

One way to accomplish that is to pass on the family-given forename. Fifty or sixty years ago boys named after their fathers was as commonplace as the nightly dinner regimen of meat, potatoes and beans.

And centuries of history birthed, buttressed and supported the practice.

Today Junior is likely to be the only one in his kindergarten class filled with Bradens, Kaydens and Schmaydens.

But that’s not the way it was back in the day.

Martin Luther King, Jr.; Sammy Davis Jr.; John F. Kennedy Jr.; Cal Ripken Jr.; Harry Connick Jr.; Ken Griffey Jr.; Cuba Gooding Jr.; Freddie Prinze Jr.; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Ed Begley Jr.; Floyd Mayweather Jr.; William F. Buckley Jr.; Mel Kiper Jr.; Al Gore Jr.; and Larry Mullen Jr.

Celebrity Juniors all, to name but a few. And a very small sampling at that.

Which brings us to Orvis CEO Leigh ‘Perk’ Perkins Jr., fly fisherman, wingshooter, canoeist, cross-country skier and bird-watcher nonpareil.

He’s an “ace, a crackerjack,” as his brethren might be inclined to describe his acumen with respect to his varied outdoor pursuits.

(“Avid” and “accomplished” would be words more suitable to me, but that’s just me).

Regardless, he’s a guy it seems you gotta like.

And as much as I admire and respect those who succeed in business — as Orvis CEO since 1992, the company’s sales grew from $88+ million to $340+ million in 2013 under his leadership, and it’s a safe bet that the company has made money and continues to do so — it’s not solely about that.

The man doesn’t talk; he does.

He acts.

He puts that money right where his pie-hole is.

He and his organization expend considerable energy and dedicate capital (5% of pre-tax profits) to conservation and to its ongoing support.

Says Perkins, “If we are going to benefit from our natural resources, we must be willing to take action to protect them.”

He calls his unwavering commitment to conservation “an obligation,” embellishing, “It’s my pay-to-play — my price of admission.”

It would not be a reach for the even mildly jaundiced to surmise that Orvis’ and Perkins’ support of conservation is nothing but a thinly-veiled ruse; the desire to increase business is the engine which powers this locomotive and if good-will is generated in so doing, well then, all the better.

Without a healthy environment Orvis would not have the successful business that it does. A long-term investment in their market, their niche is as prudent as it is vital.

But Perkins lives for the outdoors; he is the outdoors. For him it’s even bigger than business, pardon my naivete.

He notes that he is [incredibly] “…inspired by people who devote their lives to promoting and protecting nature…so I try to do a little bit every day to make my life, and the lives of others, more compatible with the natural world.”

His professional mantra is that Orvis succeeds when people connect with the outdoors.

“Business” yes, but real and deep-rooted. His lifetime connection to the wild — through the lenses of hiking, fishing, paddling or diving to name several — is his heartbeat.

In 1975 Perkins climbed into his beloved red Jeep with buddy and college roommate Will Parish. They spent twenty months traversing here and journeying there, exploring everywhere — they crossed five oceans and seas, visited 35 countries and traveled enough road-miles to circumnavigate the earth twice — compiling their entries in journals and letters to family and friends which were edited and published (“Around the World in a Jeep” — Welcome Books, 2008).

Believe me, the book does not need my endorsement nor am I promoting it; it’s hardly any focus of mine.

And I’m no shill for Orvis.

Simply, this is a matter of a man (men) in tune with and enraptured by their natural surroundings and habitat. In and of itself, impressive, admirable and highly commendable.

More striking is that Perkins does something about it.

So yet again the role one’s upbringing plays in one’s life can never be overstated.

Leigh Perkins Sr., who purchased The Orvis Company in 1965 and took the small fly-fishing outfitter from $500,000 in annual sales to nearly $100 million annually when he chose to retire in 1992, paved the way for his progeny on many levels.

He remains Chairman of Orvis and still manages to hunt and fish nearly 300 days a year, one of the sporting life’s great ambassadors.

Where do you think Junior and the rest of the family learned this stuff?

And who wouldn’t be proud to carry on the family name?

Furthermore, who really cares what somebody else names their kid(s)?

But Leigh ‘Perk’ Perkins, Jr.? Aw, c’mon now.

[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in March 2017.]