This year for International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the outdoors and those who make it a better place for all. We want to shine a spotlight on some amazing women in the outdoors – leaders, role models, mentors, mothers, sisters, and daughters – by sharing their stories, words of advice and encouragement for other women. We want to uplift and empower all the women who share the outdoors. One of the women we are proud to lead Savage is Jess Treglia, our Senior Brand Manager. This is her story!

Jess Treglia

I’m currently the Sr. Brand Manager for Savage Arms, which has become a roundabout way of saying I manage the product life cycle and overall strategy for our firearms. Being in this position gives me the opportunity to drive product strategy in the industry and also focus new products and innovation towards female hunters and shooters to ensure we’re being included. It’s easy to include products and features that work for myself and other women where we’ve otherwise didn’t have fully adequate gear and equipment that compared to what was available for men. I’ve spent nearly 13 years in this industry, which never feels like long enough, but it has given me the ability to start from scratch, learn, and then help others. I’ve been able to develop a passion for shooting and hunting and use what I’ve learned to help other women get into the sport.

I didn’t have the luxury of growing up in this industry where traditions, lessons, and stories are handed down. I grew up in a suburban New England family with no exposure to firearms. I then took a part time job at Colt Defense one summer in college and ended up making it my home for over 5 years. I knew nothing and yet wanted to know everything I could. At the time I worked closely with a group comprised of all men and instead of getting irritated by my incessant questioning, they supported me, they showed me the ropes and they taught me how to shoot and hunt. They each took me under their wing in different ways, offering shooting lessons, armorer’s courses, land to hunt on, business advice, and introducing me to lifelong hunting friends and people in the industry I’ve grown to call some of my best friends. A takeaway from my time spent at Colt was “don’t be afraid to ask questions”. Everyone I have come across in this industry is more than welcome to share their knowledge, their experience, and to teach others. There is always something to be learned and not everyone is an expert, so asking questions and learning new things will only help you grow.

Being a female in a male dominated industry comes with its challenges. But there are resources available to us now more ever. When I first started shooting, I worked closely with A Girl and a Gun local chapter to try out different pistols and get comfortable shooting. I felt more comfortable learning to shoot with other women and openly asking them questions without feeling embarrassed by what felt like very simple questions. Women approach shooting and hunting differently than men, especially when it comes to teaching others so it may feel more welcoming than asking a male friend or colleague to help out. Ultimately, I always feel like women have to do 10 times the work of our male counterparts in order to prove ourselves, so I always tell people to put in the work. Ask the questions. Do the research. Get hands on. Eventually your comfort level will grow with whatever discipline you’re looking to get into, and don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way. We’re all here for each other.

Read more Women in the Outdoors stories!