Lon Williams is a man that most all of us can relate to.
He is a 67-year-old hunting and fishing fanatic from northern Michigan. He spends the mornings that he’s not on the water or in the woods down at his local restaurant drinking coffee.
Three cups. No cream. No sugar. Just black. “Like God intended.”
His entire life, Lon has spent his time that wasn’t spent on the clock for his day job out in nature. Just walk into his house. You’ll find trophy mounts of whitetail deer, northern pike, and even a sizable caribou staring back at you.
He lives in a place that most outdoors people would dream of, too. He has a cabin tucked back in the cedars of northern Michigan. When you come down his driveway between the months of November and April, you’re likely to see fluffy snowflakes falling and a wisp of smoke coming out of the chimney.
“This is my little slice of Heaven,” he said. “Back here, it’s just me, my wife, and our two labs, Cedar and Grizz. Our most frequent visitors are the grandkids…they’re up-and-coming woodsmen themselves,” he said with a smile.
Lon worked for what he has…and he’s proud of that.
“I appreciate good work when I see it,” he said. “I’ve tried to do good work my whole life, so I know good work when I see it, and I really think that over at Millennium, they do good work,” he said.
Williams has been a customer for as long as he can remember, and gives credit to Millennium for being constant in their work and never letting up on quality.
“I own probably three of the Millennium locking stands,” Williams said. “Those things are quite mobile. I really had to buy them initially because they’re as light as a feather. My back is kind of going on me at this age, and I wanted something that I could move from tree-to-tree with. With the aluminum that they build those with, I can bounce around and not feel like I need to see a chiropractor the next day.”
Lon said that he is thankful for the independence that Millennium has kept in his life.
“I kind of worried as I aged that I’d be unable to hunt the way that I used to,” he said. “These stands have kept me mobile. I’ve never been a guy to hunt from one place, and still being able to tell my friends that I hunt multiple trees…now that’s something to smile about.”
Williams enjoys the pursuit of fish too, and uses the Millennium rod holder on his salmon boat, one of his most prized possessions.
“Those salmon still get my heart going whenever I light into one,” he said. “It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when that rod slams downward and you feel that initial blast of the fish. Up here, we get fish that are over 35 pounds, and strong. Those are the ones that keep you coming back.”
As for the Millennium rod holder, Williams says that it has changed the game for both him and the fish.
“It just makes everything so much simpler, you know? Everything from changing baits to changing rod style is simpler…and there is so much more space on deck.”
Williams mounted his rod holders on the sides of his boat, far enough forward to be out of the way, but far enough back to be accessible.
“If I need a new rod, I just do a quick swap-out up front. I’m two steps away from my other lines, and I don’t have to jump up to reach my extra rods. It’s a lifesaver,” he said.
Millennium’s line of marine products, coupled with their cornering of the tree stand market, has turned many consumers into repeat customers just like Williams. For him, though, it’s personal.
“I guess that I wasn’t necessarily expecting to end up with the same company that saved my back in both the woods and on the water,” he said. “That was a pleasant surprise. What I can tell you is, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m happy with my purchases.”
Williams said that he’ll be a customer for life.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’ll definitely keep buying their products. They help me out, so I’ll be glad to return the favor.”