Tate Cui

Chief Executive Officer

Tate earned his MBA at Syracuse University in New York on a full scholarship. At the age of 25 he was a key founding partner and driving force behind creating the company. As CEO, Tate has an exceptional background that has clearly played a role in the enormous and rapid growth of the company. Tate says, "I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have an opportunity to establish a business that I could only dream about. I’m grateful to all our fans around the world. Their enthusiasm, love, and support are the ultimate motivation for me to take KastKing to another level. I’m amazed to see several fans put a KastKing logo tattoo of on their bodies. I tell my team and myself repeatedly, if the customer is willing to ink the KastKing logo on their skin, we must engrave our customers on our hearts. We can’t take anything for granted from our fans. Their everlasting satisfaction is our top priority!" As a marketing specialist he has an extensive work history with industry giants. He is fluent in Chinese and English and splits his time between the US and China, and travels extensively around the world.

Tom Gahan

Chief Marketing Officer

Tom is not only recognized as one of the co-founders of KastKing, but also as the ‘Father of KastKing’ after having coined the brand name. His unique background and more than 40 years of varied marketing experience, including digital marketing and team building expertise, helped to launch the fledgling KastKing brand to unthinkable heights. Additionally, many know him as recipient of numerous awards including two citations from the U.S. Congress for positive economic impact and being named Civic Leader of the Year in 2009 for his humanitarian work. He is a saltwater angler and a lifelong resident of Long Island, New York. Tom and his wife have five adult children and four grandchildren.

Al Noraker

Vice President of Business Development

Al says, "I graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman with a degree in Film and Television. After college, I moved to the State of Washington for a short time and then to Oregon where I spent more than 20 years building a career in traditional retail merchandising. In 2001 I accepted a position with one of the oldest brands in fishing. I spent 15 years with the Wright & McGill Co./ Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle in Denver, CO. "After more than 35 years working in either traditional retail management or manufacturing for traditional retail, it was clear that E-Commerce was the way of the future. So, in 2017 I decided to join the KastKing team to be part of this exciting and progressive business model. I couldn’t be happier with my decision!" Al has fished from coast to coast and has held two fly fishing records, with one still current. He and his wife live in Colorado. They have three children and two grandchildren.

Scott Thomas

Product Development Manager

"Growing up in north central Iowa, I have always enjoyed the outdoors and developed a passion for hunting and fishing," says Scott. "I currently live near the north Georgia Mountains with many rivers, streams, and lakes to fish and a relatively short drive to the beach. I have fished saltwater and freshwater for everything from walleye to tarpon to 400lb sturgeon. "I have an Engineering background and a passion for sports and the great outdoors, which led me to a career developing innovative products and more than 10 patents. I have developed products for a number of fishing, hunting, and sporting goods companies including Lew’s, Hunters Specialties, Pure Fishing, Escalade Sports and True Fitness Technology."

A.J. Gore

Media Host

"A life on the water was something I always knew, my father was an OMC master tech," says AJ. "He was known to take test runs before returning the boat to his customers, which meant frequent fishing trips while testing. This is where I gained my love and passion for fishing. Later in life I found I was a natural people person and took easily to sales and management. I worked in marketing in the MMA (Mixed Marshall Arts) industry promoting for several notable mixed martial art apparel companies. It was time to change direction and pursue my lifelong love for fishing on a more professional level. Joining the KastKing marketing team was a perfect fit for me! I love sharing the message and love for fishing that KastKing message on social media." AJ and his wife live with their two children in Arizona.

Helen Liu

Eposeidon Creative Coordinator

Helen joined KastKing in 2017after graduating with a degree in Visual Communication Design. Helen works with the Eposeidon design team to complete packaging design and visual product displays. She disseminates product design concepts to customers. Helen says, "Letting customers know about KastKing products and helping them understand the design of the product is my mission. I hope KastKing customers can feel the care we take in designing our products."

Paul Quigley

Office Manager

"Born and raised on Long Island I started fishing in the mid 1960s. It did not take long to realize that fishing would be my life’s passion," says Paul. "From that point on I fished every chance I got. From local ponds to the various saltwater hot spots and party boats on Long Island I honed my skills learning from old timers while keeping up with new techniques and trends. "During the winter months I spent my time making custom rods and modifying fishing reels as gifts for friends and family. Some of those rods and reels are still being used today. "In the early eighties I began working at the airlines. The pay was not great, but a perk at the time was you got to fly for free. That allowed me to fish almost anywhere in the United States, Canada and overseas, and I did so on a regular basis. I have really found a home at KastKing surrounded by rods, reels and fishing tackle."

Jason Chen

International Sales Manager

Jason serves as Supervisor of the AliExpress, eBay, Lazada, and Wholesale Departments. Since his start with the company in 2013 he has accomplished numerous achievements such as KastKing becoming the number one seller on AliExpress, and the fastest growth fishing brand on eBay, and works with dozens of KastKing distributors around the world. "We will always try our best to provide better service and products to our precious clients," says Jason.

Jessica Rhodes

North America Customer Relations

Jessica offers assistance with a smile in Customer Service and Office Coordination. She also serves as part of KastKing’s Digital Marketing Team. With twelve years of corporate hospitality experience, and unlimited creativity, she offers an innate ability to ensure KastKing customers are taken care of and a creative spark within the KastKing social media team. Living in the panhandle of Florida, she is a wife, mother, multi medium artist and an avid angler.

Sandy Wang

Customer Relations Manager

Sandy graduated college in 2012 and joined KastKing in 2015. "I never fished before I joined KastKing, but since then I learned to love fishing very much," says Sandy. "I also spent a great deal of time interacting with many anglers on social media and learned a lot. The fishing community is just like a huge family! I often tell my team, ‘Make friends with each customer, help them solve problems, share the fishing experience, have fun with fishing and enjoy our lives together.’" Sandy’s team manages the operation of www.kastking.com and placed third in the 2019 KastKing Excellent Departments Awards.

Stella Zhan

Operations Director

"Even though there were many opportunities for me to choose my career after I graduated college, I am very proud that I made the right decision to be a member of the KastKing family." says Stella. "In its friendly and shared working atmosphere, I learned a lot which I could not have learned at school. At the beginning the company was much smaller than today, and everyone had to wear a lot of hats. I believe, ‘No pain, no gain,’ so I did many different jobs at KastKing, such as sales, customer service, purchasing, logistics, packing, shooting photos and so on."

Vivian Li

Amazon Sales Manager

"I joined the KastKing Team in 2014 and watched our rapid growth," says Vivian who oversees all functions of the KastKing Amazon sales team. "I pride our team on our ability to meet client requests with enthusiasm and passion while continuing to provide affordable creative fishing gear. I am always happy to be here. My colleagues are not only my working partners, they are also like family."

Frank Villa

KastKing School Program Coordinator

Frank is KastKing’s School Program Coordinator and is also a competition angler from Colorado. He offers KastKing sponsorship to youth fishing clubs, High School clubs, and College clubs. At the age of three Frank began his angling, hunting, and outdoor activities with his dad. His dad instilled into him the importance of conservation, environment, and the importance of sharing experiences and teaching our youth. He teaches his own youth participants the importance of being an ambassador of the sport of fishing and sharing our experiences. Contact Frank at frank@eposeidon.com to learn more about our school/club sponsorship program.

Girmay Solomon

Warehouse Supervisor

"I started working at KastKing more than three years ago and have watched the company grow tremendously in that time," says Girmay. "Running a warehouse with so many items to ship on a daily basis is certainly a challenge, but my 30 + years of warehouse experience and hard work keep our warehouse running smoothly."

Nichole Delio

Communications Specialist

Nichole says, "After an honorable discharge from the Army, I received my degree in criminal justice. Because I wanted to help people and make a difference, I became a Deputy Sheriff. After sustaining an injury on the job, I had no choice but to retire my uniform. I started fishing as therapy, and it brought out a huge passion I didn’t know I had. I have always been a writer at heart. So, I started combining writing and fishing, and began writing for Fishbrain and Bassin Magazine. I started to fish competitively and made 15th place in the nation for the Big Bass World Championship. I was the only female to ever compete in the tournament. Through all of it I was able to find KastKing, or rather, they found me. I finally found a home with them. I love my KastKing family." Nichole lives in Florida.

Christin Kruger

Marketing Specialist

Christin Kruger from Charleston, South Carolina serves all Eposeidon brands in her role of Marketing Specialist. Christin, a graduate of College of Charleston, was formerly at KastKing in the position of Environmental Spokesperson. She is an avid angler who has fished around the world, including fly fishing the Spey River in Scotland, fishing for Tiger Fish and giant Vundu on the Zambezi River in Africa, and is often seen along the coast of South Carolina targeting saltwater species both large and small. Christin is also a certified open water scuba diver. “I have always loved this company,” says Christin Kruger. “I’ve always seen the brand as a company with a heart that cares about people, the environment, and doing the right thing.”

Jose Cinco

Brand Ambassador Manager

"Born and raised in San Diego, California, my father was a passionate saltwater sport fisherman," says Jose. "I was always walking around with a rod and reel in my hand. After retiring from the US Army (Jose served for 16 years and retired Sargent First Class), I moved to Oklahoma with the passion for fishing that was instilled by my father. Working with KastKing has been a dream of mine. I am able do what I love and use my years of experience and leadership to help other fishermen. Fishing has allowed me to heal and connect with my family."

Gus Onebear Batista

Brand Ambassador Manager

Gus has worked with many large predatorial mammals, crocodilians, and catching nuisance alligators for over 35 years in the Florida Everglades. Onebear was the name given to Gus by the Native American Seminole Tribe after fighting off a black bear and surviving the attack. Gus also has been in many TV shows; his most recent was Swamp Men on Nat Geo Wild. He's a licensed airboat Captain and freshwater fishing guide. Gus loves everything outdoor related and enjoys spending his free time out on his boat in South Florida with his wife.