Drake Shipman Bridges Career and Coaching with GVSU Bass Anglers
Not all passions stop at the office door. Just ask Drake Shipman, EHTC Tax Senior Associate.
Drake is the head coach of GVSU Bass Anglers, a competitive bass fishing club sport at Grand Valley State University. This year, his two worlds converged in a meaningful way: EHTC signed on as the title sponsor of Bass Anglers’ 2025 competitive season.
The investment is about more than placing the firm’s logo on the Bass Anglers jersey. It’s a show of support for an employee’s passion and a reflection of EHTC’s core belief that people do their best work when they’re encouraged to live fully, both on and off the clock.
The World of Competitive Club Bass Fishing
Bass Anglers is an intramural club sport at GVSU, but don’t let the “club” label fool you. “It’s one of the biggest programs, if not the biggest, in the country among Division II schools,” Drake explained in a recent interview.
The team competes across Michigan and nationally through circuits like the College Bass Tour and the Bassmaster College Series. Each boat enters a tournament as a boater and co-angler pair, competing to bring in the heaviest five-fish bag.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Drake said. “During the winter months, we’ll pull up the schedule, look at each lake and time of year, and try to predict fish patterns in a big group brainstorm.” In the days leading up to a tournament, angler pairs are out on the water from before dawn to after dusk figuring out where potentially winning fish are biting.
While the team aspect is crucial, each boat competes individually, giving students the opportunity to shine while still contributing to the club’s overall performance.
Grip and Grin: Drake Shipman shares his catch of the day in a GVSU Bass Anglers hoodie.
From Student Angler to Coach
Drake’s relationship with the club started like many do, with Campus Life Night as a freshman. “I saw a big wrapped GVSU boat and thought, ‘I better go check that club out,’” he recalled, amazed at the realization that he could take his love for fishing to the collegiate level. From there, he dove headfirst into tournament fishing by learning from more experienced anglers, gradually building his skills, and eventually serving as club treasurer.
His coaching role started just after graduation. “The club president came to me and said they were looking to add coaches to each club sport. He asked if I’d be willing, and it took me about ten seconds to say yes.”
Today, Drake leads by mentoring: “My involvement as the coach is more of life mentor and sharing the knowledge I picked up from my time on the team.” While maintaining a team atmosphere is key to his leadership style, he finds elevating individual successes to be equally important in competitive bass fishing. “I try to make sure the team is operating both as a team and that individual competitors are able to go out and earn their winnings.”
Drake Shipman on the rooftop patio of EHTC’s new Ada headquarters.
Drake, The Accountant
As an EHTC Tax Senior Associate, Drake supports clients as a self-described generalist, but with increasing focus on pass-through entities and private client services, including estate planning. “I really enjoy a closely held business, a small business,” he said. “I’ve been added to quite a few jobs this year that follow where I’d like to take my career.”
What he finds most rewarding, though, is teaching, and he makes it a large part of his day-to-day. “I want to give the people who are up-and-coming the same toolbox I was given and figure out how to make it even better.” Drake ensures that his peers not only get an answer to their question but that they leave with a greater understanding.
The parallel between teaching at work and mentoring Bass Anglers members isn’t lost on him. “Balancing the individual side of tax work with the team aspect of it is kind of like coaching. I see a lot of overlap.”
EHTC Goes Fishing
Sponsorship conversations kicked off during annual budget planning discussions. As a club sport, Bass Anglers receives partial funding from GVSU, but most members must self-fund their participation in what Drake calls “one of the most expensive sports out there.”
“Every year we’re looking for sponsors, and I honestly hadn’t even thought to ask EHTC,” Drake said. But when he approached leadership with the idea of “an EHTC billboard on the Michigan waterfront,” Drake was amazed with their immediate support.
“I don’t think there are very many workplaces that are going to sponsor your second job,” he remarked. “How great is it to work for a place and to work for people that want you to pursue those passions outside of work?”
GVSU Bass Anglers will wear a long-sleeved performance hoodie jersey featuring EHTC’s logo in 2025.
The firm’s title sponsorship supports a variety of club needs during the 2025 season, with most of the funds helping lower the cost of tournament travel and lodging for anglers and their boats.
This year, the team will field its largest-ever competitive fleet at an estimated 10 boats. “We’ve always hovered around 40 members, but more are competing now than ever before,” Drake beamed. “This is a big year.”
Vision
Drake’s dream is for Bass Anglers to eventually become a varsity team at GVSU. As of May 2025, Adrian College is the only school in Michigan with a varsity bass fishing program. “Adrian’s number one in the country…I want that spot.”
His vision? A program that attracts students not just to GVSU, but because of Bass Anglers. “I want students to say, ‘I want to go to Grand Valley for your fishing program,’ not just, ‘I go here and happened to join the fishing team.’”
That kind of visibility takes both time and support. And it’s part of why this year’s sponsorship means so much.
We asked Drake for photos and he obliged, smiling over memories of past fishing trips and favorite recent catches.
Passion for Living
Drake’s story reminds us that employees bring their whole selves to work. At EHTC, we believe that encouraging personal passions strengthens our team in all aspects of life.
As Drake put it, “We talk the talk and walk the walk.”
The firm’s sponsorship is more than just an investment in a jersey logo. It’s a celebration of one fisherman’s love for life, the great outdoors, and the students that look up to him.
How You Can Support Bass Anglers
Want to show your support for Bass Anglers? Here are a few ways to get involved:
Donate: Visit the GVSU Giving Page and be sure to select "Bass Anglers Club" from the dropdown menu.
Share your expertise: The club welcomes guest speakers at biweekly team meetings.
Stop by a tournament: Bass Anglers competes throughout Michigan and often appears at expos like the Ultimate Sport Show at DeVos Place.
Buy merch: Support the team by picking up some club gear at shows.
Follow along online: National College Bass Tour weigh-ins are often streamed live, and you can follow Bass Anglers social accounts (Instagram: @gvbassanglers).
Contact Drake: Reach out to Drake directly at drake.shipman@ehtc.com if you’re interested in supporting the team in any capacity.
Drake’s Happy Place.
It’s a privilege to support Drake and the GVSU Bass Anglers as they cast off for the club and express their love for sport fishing. As the club season nears its June launch, this is one more way EHTC is committing to a future where passion and profession don’t compete—they complement.
