BLIXTCO.COM - Key Persons
Born and raised in southwestern Sweden, son of third generation lumberman, a lot of David's childhood was spent in the outdoors. David's grandfather was a great hunter and breeder of the "Drever" hunting dog so his love for dogs and dog work, together with shooting established early.
Having been properly introduced to driven shooting in 2015 it became David's quest to make the shooting industry a part of his life.
His first working Labrador was acquired and a new world opened. Working and training dogs is now part of the weekly routine. Since January of 2019 David is part of Blixt&Co instructors training, first crop of instructors being taught how to instruct on game shooting.
Having been a loader, head loader, dog captain, server and footmen, David will be found up in the beating line doing gamekeeper work during 2020.
Elliott King was born in the southwest of England in the heart of driven shooting country. Elliott had a burning desire to be outdoors as soon as he could walk. At the age of eleven he decided that he wanted to become a professional gamekeeper. Elliott studied and graduated from Sparsholt agricultural college in Hampshire, a well renown college for its game and wildlife program.
Having the opportunity to see how many prestigious English shoots operate has given him a wide field of view for game shooting and he feels this helps him strive for excellence in his role on the Blixt team, pioneering driven shooting in America.
March 2018, Elliott's journey brought him to the Blixt & Co team, and to the US. Working as a gamekeeper is not a job for Elliott, but a way of life and he can't wait to continue on this epic quest.
Job Titles:
- FOUNDER, MARKETING
- Founder, Marketing & Hospitality
Born and raised in Jackson Hole, Mrs. Magnusson graduated with honors from Illinois State University, then returned to Jackson Hole in 2001 to establish a full-service graphic design and marketing firm. Her work as a designer introduced her to Driven Shooting and Mr. Magnusson.
An avid outdoors woman, she took up a shotgun and added some tweed to her wardrobe in addition to her fly rod and passion for the sporting life. Jen and Lars launched themselves full force into the effort to bring traditional driven shooting to America, and Jen into making guests comfortable. In addition to serving as Marketing Director, Jen also works diligently on all aspects of the hospitality experience and guest service. She also continues her efforts to encourage more women to participate in the shooting sports through the Blixt & Co. Ladies Syndicate. You will often find her and her daughter Emilia and son Oliver, in the afternoons on shoot days, picking up with the Magnusson dogs or ranging through the landscape as a part of the beating team.
Job Titles:
- Blue Sky Sporting Club Manager / Shooting Instructor
A native of rural South Central Utah, Kurtis comes from a long line of expert sportsmen. His talented, huntsman grandfather bestowed on him his first hunting rifle at the age of just seven weeks old. From that moment on, Kurtis began his passionate pursuit of everything outdoors. He has seized every opportunity to expand this knowledge and experience, learning from his grandfather as well as those around him. From the heritage of traditional wing shooting to the world of classic firearm gunsmithing, Kurtis has a passion for the sporting life.
Along with his passion for the outdoors, Kurtis enjoys helping and teaching people. His experiences as a captain on team sports and the two years he spent providing humanitarian service along with his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management-Finance have provided him with opportunities to use his expertise to enrich the lives of those around him. In 2017 he was introduced to driven shooting and recruited by Blixt and Co. Since then Kurtis has been mentored and trained by Lars Magnusson as a Loader, Shooting Instructor, and Manager.
In 2019 Kurtis moved to the Park City, Utah area with his wife Aubrey and their daughter Lela and Labrador Paisley to fulfil a Blixt & Co contract as full time manager of the Sporting Club and Shooting Instructor at The Lodge @ Blue Sky Utah,
Considering his ancestry, Lars' affinity for shooting comes as little surprise. His father is still an avid sportsman in the famed Scandanavian hunting grounds where Lars was born and raised. And his great-grandfather- Bengt Blixt - was a hunter and fisher of no small repute in the same region. His great-grandfather's name (Blixt means "lightning" in Swedish) was chosen for this latest shooting venture in homage to a family long steeped in the sport.
Lars' formal education in the sport began in 1993 at Sweden's first shooting school. Two years later he was recruited by the West London Shooting School, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious.
Following his time with the West London Shooting School, Lars helped establish the West Stockholm Shooting School in Sweden. This venture formed the genesis of his current activities, as he came into contact with a number of landowners seeking his guidance in the development of private shooting estates.
In 2003, Lars was approached by Griffin & Howe, one of the premier gun companies in the United States. He accepted a position as Managing Director of their shooting school at Hudson Farm in Andover, New Jersey. He held this position until 2006 at which time he ventured even further West to assist in the establishment of a private shooting estate in Idaho.
In 2008, Lars and his wife Jennifer established Blixt & Co. and began the pursuit to bring authentic Driven Shooting to America. The Magnusson's now live in Victor, Idaho, with their dogs
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Expert
Anders Roman is a recognized expert in management consulting with an emphasis on helping enterprises unlock the entrepreneurial power of their people, their products and their real estate resource. He is the owner of Acconia Resultatskap, a company focused on helping businesses hire, develop and retain staff, including recruitment and executive search. He also owns Romans Properties, AB, as well as a number of forestry projects that feature hunting and shooting opportunities.
Mr. Roman's career has included executive leadership in direct sales, production, aftermarket and management control, and he has served as CEO and president of several Electrolux companies. He has a MBA and has studied motivational theory and strategic management of international groups.
In addition to the Blixt & Co advisory board, Mr. Roman sits on the boards of Södra Skogsägarna ekonomisk förening (Southern Forest Owners Cooperative Society), Swedbank region Jönköping, Kanonaden Entreprenad and Stiftelsen Fria Media.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Solex Fine Foods began with Markus Draxler and his dedication to providing the most artisanal and unique products in the fine foods and hospitality industries. As the son of a fifth-generation innkeeper from Austria, the restaurant and hospitality industries run in Markus' blood. After graduating from the classic four-year hospitality apprenticeship in Austria, he spent close to a decade working in acclaimed restaurants, hotels, and cruise lines. His work took him around the world, from South Africa to Europe, and finally to New York City. It was there, under the mentorship of Chef Daniel Boulud as Maitre d' Hotel at Restaurant Daniel, that Markus refined his passion and appreciation for haute cuisine.
After pursuing other business opportunities across the globe, Markus found himself yearning to reconnect with the epicurean world of New York City. As luck would have it, Andrew Hamilton of Scottish Wild Harvest presented him with an opportunity to do just that, and Markus agreed to continue his legacy. Solex Fine Foods was founded in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Mike Bertelsen graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah as an undergraduate, then from the University's School of Law as the youngest-ever graduate of that institution at that time. He then moved from Utah to Washington, D.C., where he served as Counsel to the Banking Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
After leaving public service, Bertelsen took a position as Legislative Counsel to Beneficial Management Co., a multinational bank holding company with institutions in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Mexico. Following this he was hired as chief Senate Liaison for the Investment Company Institute - the trade association representing the U.S. mutual fund industry.
In 2002 he left Washington to return with his family to Utah. Bertelsen currently is Principal at Wasatch Potomac Advisors, a business and government relations consulting group. He is President of Cowboy Cauldron Company, a manufacturing enterprise that produces and sells high quality fire pits, grills, and accessories.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- CEO of Orvis
As CEO of Orvis, Perk Perkins seamlessly blends his appreciation for the natural world with how he runs his business. He institutionalized the company's commitment to conservation-leveraging customer philanthropy with 5% of pre-tax profits to support conservation projects and effective organizations-and his professional mantra is that Orvis succeeds when people connect with the outdoors. Perkins believes that without a healthy environment, Orvis wouldn't have the successful business that it does, so he considers the company's support of conservation to be a long-term investment in their market.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Roddy Richmond-Watson grew up on a Cotswold farm, attended Radley College, and studied agriculture at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, prior to joining the family firm of West London Shooting School, the third generation to do so. Having worked in all aspects of the business, instructing at the school and abroad in Sweden, Luxembourg and USA, he now runs the business as managing director.
During his time at the WLSS, he has expanded the opperations, adding a retail shop, a restaurant and, latterly, a sporting agency. A major re-landscaping of the grounds, building a noise barrier to screen noise from local residents was completed in 2001 incorporating a 4 x 4 driving course. Out of the game season the focus shifts to simulated game shoots which have been a hallmark of the West London since the mid 90's.
Beyond an undimmed enthusiasm for shooting, which has taken him to game shoots in Africa, Europe and the USA, Richmond-Watson has hunted hounds and ridden in point to point (amateur steeplechases) races for 8 years and in the Cresta Run several times. He continues to be closely involved in his other great interest of farming in Oxfordshire where he lives with his wife Rose and three children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
Todd Maclin is a JPMorgan Chase veteran, having joined the New York-based financial services firm in 1980. He held various positions of increasing responsibility and by 2004 had risen to CEO of Commercial Banking. Maclin is now Chairman of the JPMorgan Chase's Consumer and Business Banking, which allows him to nurture new talent. CEO Jamie Dimon has praised Maclin as a "person with impeccable integrity, a passion for customers and a leader in the communities we serve."
Todd is also a Blixt & Co Guild Member.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Senior Vice President Brand Development & Creative Services
Jessica Derrick is the senior vice president Brand Development & Creative Services, overseeing and developing all platforms within the Garden & Gun portfolio. Derrick joined G&G in 2008 and has had an integral role in growing G&G, including the inception and launch of the Garden & Gun Club; G&G Excursions; G&G Mercantile & Co.; and the Garden & Gun Jubilee, held in Charleston in early December. Her last position in publishing was as the associate publisher of Conde Nast's House & Garden magazine, where she partnered with the City of New York to host the first-ever citywide Design Week. Prior to that, she did in-depth promotional and brand work at Country Home magazine and worked on unique projects for Vanity Fair, Rachael Ray Every Day, Bridal Guide, Calvin Klein, and Earth Pledge, a nonprofit focused on sustainability.
Derrick grew up in South Carolina but spent a combined fifteen years in D.C. and New York City before returning to the South to join the visionary and talented team at G&G. She now lives in Charleston with her husband, Butler, and their growing brood of children and dogs.