Sportsman's Paradise

Louisiana is known as a "sportsmen’s paradise" because of the
abundant fish and game that make for good hunting and fishing.
And that’s created something of a culture – one, admittedly
shared by many states in the south and the west—that loves to
hunt and fish.


All sports require organization. And specialty equipment.
Football, for example, is arranged by leagues - from high school
through the NFL - and requires pads and helmets. Tennis is
typically centered on clubs, and requires balls and racquets.
Hunting and fishing trips are most often arranged informally by
friends, and require rifles, rods and reels.


Stephanie's guests on Out to Lunch today are involved with
updating the organization of hunting and fishing trips, and the
sale of equipment required for hunting. Namely, firearms.


Laurie Lipsey Aaronson is President and CEO of Lipsey’s, the
Baton Rouge-based company that has grown to become the largest
firearms distributor to licensed firearms retailers in the
country.


Lipsey’s was founded in the early 1950s as a wholesale hunting
and fishing distributor named S&S Sporting Goods. Laurie’s
father, Richard Lipsey, changed the name when he and members of
his family acquired the business in the 1970s and began to expand
it.


Today, Lipsey's leads the firearms industry in the collaboration
and distribution of exclusive firearms. Lipsey’s also sells
silencers, short barrel rifles and accessories.


Laurie - who by the way was one of our first ever guests on Out
to Lunch Baton Rouge - grew up learning the business from her dad
and became chairwoman and CEO in 1993. She also leads another
family business, Haspel, which created the original seersucker
suit in New Orleans in 1909 and now offers a vibrant collection
of men’s clothing and accessories that Laurie has helped expand
and diversify. 


Logan Meaux is founder and CEO of Mallard Bay, a platform for
sportsmen looking to book hunting and fishing trips with
reputable charters anywhere in the U.S. The platform is like an
Airbnb for sportsmen seeking accommodations with real-time
availability, secure payments, quality assurance, and help with
arranging lodging and meals along with their guided hunts.


Logan is a recent LSU graduate, who was inspired to create the
platform after having a particularly difficult time booking a
hunting trip for his dad’s birthday. Logan got together with two
friends, both then students at LSU, Joel Moreau and Wyatt Mallet,
to create the company. They then put together a team of business
and computer science students and alumni to help with
development. They launched in early 2022. In the short time since
then, Mallard Bay has won a pitch competition, attracted local
and national publicity and have their platform up and running and
attracting users nationwide.


This is all pretty impressive for a first gig right out of
college, but then Logan comes by it naturally. His dad is Chris
Meaux, founder of Lousiana's extraordinarily successful startup,
Waitr, currently known as ASAP.


Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the
Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Erik Otts at
itsbatonrouge.la.


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