Laurie Lane

I always wanted to be a fashion designer, but that didn't feel like it gave me enough opportunity to help people, so I changed to marine biology. Then I fell in love with photography instead and transferred to art school, where I got my BFA degree and won a bunch of awards. I started in commercial photography in 1979, when Target hired my studio in Minneapolis to shoot fashion for them - I was one of the first women to do that work. At that time, it was mainly a male-dominated field, so I just kept pushing forward and asserting myself and believing in what I could add to the industry. After doing that for a long time, I wanted to do something beneficial for the environment. As a long-time fly fisher, I started a company called Trout & Company, where I make STEM-to-stream kits to engage, educate, and enrich lives through the sport of fly fishing and conservation. I got a patent for my kit, and I sell them all over to schools, museums, parks, recreation centers, and boutique shops. I'm also a board member of Trout Unlimited, where I volunteer with youth teaching them about the environment and how to protect clean cold water through the Trout in the Classroom program. I raised $30,000 in less than 30 minutes from the community for that program by making a video and personally asking for the give. I'm pretty much a one-person shop - I handle emails, prepare wholesale orders, create new products, and it's non-stop. I create art that I believe in to inspire people to get more involved in protecting our land, public lands, and clean water. My father was an industrial designer, painter, and fly fisher who had great influence on me. I'm never stopping learning, I'm researching all the time, and I'm now turning back towards painting or a combination of photography, product design, and art.