I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors. I was fortunate to grow up on a cattle ranch in Oregon and spent most of my childhood doing what I love most, fly fishing and exploring. In 1993, I graduated from Oregon State University with a Construction Engineering Management degree, and accepted a job in Salt Lake City.

My first day there, May 15 1994, I went to Western Rivers Flyfisher to buy a fishing license and met Andy Fitzhugh.

A week later, I made the trip to Silver Creek to fish the Memorial Day opener.  After the last of the morning hatch, I was the last man standing in the creek, when Andy strolled by.  He recognized me, asked me to take up camp at his spot, and we were virtually inseparable the next 16 months I lived in Salt Lake City.  It seemed no weekend passed that we weren’t together fly fishing Silver Creek, the Provo, Henry's Fork or some other stream or lake.

I moved back to Oregon in 1995 and took a job in industrial construction. After 25 years in a fruitful construction & engineering career, marriage, raising families, and generally working our tails off, Andy and I had big plans to work a lot less and fish a lot more. 

But that all changed in February 2021 with a phone call. Andy had suffered a major stroke and within a week, he was gone. The devastating loss of Andy set in motion major changes in my life. I left my full time job and became a part time consultant, intent on spending more time with my young family and evaluating my priorities.

In Helena, at Andy’s memorial, July 2021, I met his friend Eric Gomes. Eric had a gig making & selling belts.....and I loved them.  In fact, I bought 5 belts on the spot. Looking back, I know meeting Eric was no coincidence. In summer 2023, I received a message from Andy's wife Rebecca (still in Helena) that Eric was looking to sell the belt business. Within 30 minutes of talking, we came to terms.  Eric saw the market, conceived the design, and I could not have inherited a better product.  My promise to Eric was share his vision and get after it.

My daughter and I drove to Helena in September of 2023 to assume the business. We loaded up a JUKI bar-tacking machine, a tote of remnant webbing, and a box of buckles. The new venture was off and running.  I rebranded as DRIFT belt, partly to define the product, partly because I like to drift down rivers and around the countryside....but mostly to honor Andy and the article he wrote in the Big Sky Journal about he and I fishing the Mo, "Perfect Drift".

For Andy.....

Jesse