I have been corresponding online with Kirk Blaske, the owner of Performance Hunter - a supplement designed to improve your eyesight. Kirk was kind enough to send me a bottle to try, so no report yet, as I have just started. I will be sure and keep you posted. Anyway, Kirk’s product looked interesting, and his enthusiasm piqued my interest. I offered to do an interview.

1) How’s business? Talk about your growth plan.
Well Marshall after our first year I would say that business is good. This is a new company and a new product and we have just celebrated our first anniversary. In recent months, I do think that the overall state of the economy and rising fuel prices have hurt us. I think many of us (myself included) are cutting costs and saving money where we can. I am optimistic that things will increase by the end of the summer as we near the election and we get closer to hunting season. This past year we have primarily concentrated on internet sales and getting the name out there at trade shows. Now that we have a good internet base, we are shifting some of our focus to small local distributors to get the product out there in the local gun, hunting and archery shops. We have developed a small counter top display for these retailers and seeing some great initial results. We are also currently actively seeking local distributors across the nation. Once we have established the product in the smaller markets we are planning to target some of the larger retailers. This is a small company and we are being careful to take it step by step and not do too much at one time. If any of your readers are interested in becoming a local distributor, I would be interested in talking to them. I have found it is a great way to develop relationships with my local retailers that I always end up spending a lot of my money with as well as put a little money in your pocket.
2) How do you maintain Quality Control?
Our quality control is maintained through our Manufacture in Utah. Each bottle is stamped with a specific lot number. Once we designed the product we really did our research and shopped around for the best company to produce our product. I am proud to say that is 100% American made.
3) Care to address the skeptics?
In anything you do, you always find many skeptics. I will be 40 years old in less than a month, and I am like any other hard working American out there who loves the outdoors. About 2 years ago two things happened in my life that brought me to research and develop this product. The first is that my Mother in law, at age 66 was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration. Secondly, I myself began having to move things farther away to read them as I aged. This is a condition known as Presbyopia and it eventually happens to all of us somewhere around the age of 40. I had always prided myself on having excellent vision and I was really bothered by this. For me it happened just before my 38th birthday. I guess what they say is sometimes true; “necessity breeds success”. Anyone can benefit from this product, but as an avid outdoorsman, I choose to first focus on my fellow shooters, hunters and archers. So, to any skeptic I always say “give me three weeks to make a difference”. We cannot control the aging of our eyes, but we can certainly give them the best nutrition possible. Most of our diets do not contain enough Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which are vital anti-oxidants that protect macular tissue in the eyes. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are the only two anti-oxidants that the macula can actually reabsorb. This leads to increased focus, clarity and overall visual quality. These nutrients are found in our everyday diets, however one would have to eat 2 large bowls of raw spinach each day to get the amount needed for healthy eyes. Other benefits are faster visual reflexes, and increased night vision. I have personally found that I am able to say on the stand 15 minutes longer at dusk, and we all know how valuable this time is.
4) What do you say to 30- and 40-somethings that claim their vision is “fine”? Are their preventive qualities to your supplement?
I am right there with you on this one. It seems like there is a “pill” for everything out there today! Eventually everyone will experience these symptoms, it is a simple part of aging. I, however value my keen vision that I have had for years and want to hold on to it for as long as I can. In addition to the immediate effects of the product, it also takes great strides in preventing Macular degeneration. As we age, and our exposure to the sun increases, our fragile macular cells can be damaged and lead to both Macular Degeneration and Cataracts. By taking this product, you help to keep your eyes in a healthier state as we age. Statistics say that AMD (age related Macular Degeneration) affects more than 1.75 million individuals in the United States. Owing to the rapid aging of the US population, this number will increase to almost 3 million by the year 2020.
5) Any plans to add products, or are you going to stick with what you have?
At this point Performance Hunter has plans for one additional supplement, a sub-lingual spray or liquid involving increased energy and the B complex vitamins. The B complex vitamins have a poor absorption rate when taken in the pill form. Many individuals see great results and peaks in energy when taken this way.
6) Talk about some of the challenges involved in producing and distributing a product such as this.
Initially there were many challenges in developing this product. While being in the Medical field myself, I have a good knowledge base of nutrition and chemistry, but we worked very hard to find just right company and Chemist to further develop this cutting edge product. In addition to the ensuring the greatest quality out there, we also worked very hard to make it affordable to the average individual. We are very proud of the recipe and combinations that we developed. There were certainly other opportunities to manufacture this product outside the country, but ensuring the quality of the product was vital to us. Distribution has been probably the easiest part of it all. The product is small and compact and ships very well. The product stores well and has a lengthy expiration date.

Please stop by Kirk’s site. Check out his Testimonials. If you have any questions, he is very accommodating and responsive; no BS. With the money we hunters spend on optics, it makes sense to start with the optics we were born with.