For decades, Bass has grown the Bassmaster Classic into the nation’s premier fishing event. Commonly known as the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” the 2011 Bassmaster Classic took place in New Orleans, drawing tens of thousands of spectators and a torrent of media coverage. Organizers turned to Ragusa to manage the public relations for the event because of his deep local and widespread national media relations experience.

At the foundation of the event’s success was Ragusa’s segmented communication strategy that included aggressive media relations to reach the largest possible audience. The owners of Bass remarked that the media day Ragusa coordinated was the most successful in Bassmaster Classic’s 30-year history. Ragusa garnered more than 5.6 million impressions and more than $7.7 million in publicity value.