Josh Chrenko

Josh Chrenko is the co-founder and President of Achigan Brand, an Indianapolis lifestyle brand built around smallmouth bass fishing. The name comes from the French Canadian word for the species, and the tagline — "For those who bleed bronze" — references the fish's coppery color.

Before Achigan, Chrenko worked in medical sales and founded 2 Circle Medical, a distribution company serving central Indiana and the Louisville area with orthopedic rehabilitation equipment.

Chrenko started Achigan Brand in 2021 with two artist friends, selling smallmouth-themed apparel through Shopify. A podcast he launched seven years ago, Smallie Talk, connected him with a tight-knit smallmouth community and convinced him a niche brand could work. The company has since expanded into an online fishing board game and a lure line launched in 2025. In 2025, Achigan missed the $100,000 sales mark by about a thousand dollars, with apparel still accounting for most revenue. The lure line has sold out quickly, and Chrenko is looking for a contract manufacturer to scale production.

Chrenko has won both the Kayak Adventure Series Championship and a Bassmaster tournament. Achigan advocates catch-and-release through its "Free the Fighter" sign-off. He brought his own challenge to the Advice Line: how to step away from 2 Circle Medical and go all-in on Achigan without disrupting his family's lifestyle.