Staff Bios

Matt Janes and his wife, Dana Janes, started Second Amendment Sports in 1993 with six cases of ammunition, and things just took off from there. He is impassioned about what he does, because he loves the outdoors. He involves himself in the entire outdoor sports industry. He has hunted upland game and big game in many western states with firearms and bow. He fished both salt and fresh water for multiple species: his repertoire of fishing including fly and bait fishing on the entire Pacific Coast, including three trips to Alaska. He is a Martial Arms graduate, has a CCW, and has owned almost every firearm imaginable! As for his camping background, Matt is an Eagle Scout who has attended three national and two world jamborees. He also has extensive backcountry experience in the entire Upper Kern Plateau. His most recently acquired skill is mastering the compound bow --so that he can extend his hunting opportunities. Matt used most brands of paintball markers, but in 2000, he slid into a bunker and blew his right knee out. “Recball has tapered off since,? he jokes. In 2005, he was honored with the title of “2005 Kern County Sportsman of the Year.? Needless to say, Matt puts his whole heart, mind, body, and soul into providing Kern County with the most comprehensive, progressive, one-stop outdoorsports store.

“Raised with basic family values and many early outdoor opportunities, I stayed close to my desires while honing my business skills with my father/mentor. Then I took those family business and relationship skills and applied them to the outdoor industry. Continually surrounding myself with good people and loving family has allowed me to find a creative outlet at Second Amendment Sports. I appreciate all my association with you over time, and I hope to continue to share this passion with you!

Brendan joined Second Amendment Sports in October 1999 as a Sales Rep. This was his first job in retail, but caught on quickly and he found that he really enjoyed spending his days and nights with clients and co-workers that were all "like minded". After proving himself for a couple of years as the Assistant Manager, he was promoted to General Manager in January 2001. Prior to coming aboard with SAS, he was an Infantry Man (Grunt) in the US Marine Corps. He learned a lot about the world participating in military operations in Asia, Middle East, East Africa, and on the U.S. Boarders. Brendan is now an avid hunter and outdoorsman who loves spending as much available time as possible in the outdoors. Supporting the outdoors as a conservationist is another one of his time consuming passions. He works with 14 wildlife oriented non-profit organizations and sits on the committee for 6 of those. Brendan also spends time polishing and maintaining his tactical firearms skills to insure he is prepared to defend himself, family, and co-workers. As the general manager of SAS, Brendan continues to set the standard of professionalism, enthusiasm, and continued education in the industry for the entire staff.

Joshaua Beck has worked with us since 2004, and in the beginning of 2007, headed south to start up our new store location in Tucson, Arizona. He is a Lead Sales Rep, and he is also the Department Head of Archery and the Archery Pro Shop. He comes from a well rounded outdoors background as both a bow hunter and a long gun hunter, specializing in deer and upland hunting. He was born and raised on the Kern River, fishing for Trout, Small Mouth, Catfish, and Striper, and he even took occasional offshore rock fishing trips. He does camping and rock climbing trips as often as time allows him. Josh has even spent four years pursuing the sport of paintball! He loves every aspect of the outdoors: “hunting, climbing, fishing, or camping trips are great excuses to leave the city and run to the hills for relaxation.

Keith Foster started working for Second Amendment Sports in 2000. Although he hunts hogs and exotics from time to time, his passion is martial arts –especially techniques that implement edged weapons. Keith’s 20 years of martial arts studies include concentration in Japanese and Filipino edged weapons training, giving him practical working knowledge of knives, cutting techniques, and knife maintenance. While people may only dream of being able to mesh their sports with their professions, Keith made it a reality. He has 16 years of retail experience in cutlery, and of those 16, he was the manager of two cutlery stores for 13 years. For the last 10 years, Keith has crafted his own knives part time, and now has his own line, Oni Knives. He has also trained with our rangemaster, Don Busse, in his defensive handgun Martial Arms classes, to round out the whole of martial arts training. Keith brings to SAS a multidisciplinary background comprised of his management skills and his practical experiences.

Thomas started working for SAS in the Spring of 2005. He has 9 years of firearms and archery hunting, 11 years of paintballing, and 19 years of camping and hiking experience. He is a former Boy Scout. Somewhere along his way, Thomas got trained in rock climbing, and took that up as a hobby, also. It his goal to climb every 1400 foot mountain in California, within the next two years. So far, he has climbed Mt. Langley, Mt. Whitney, and Split Mountain.

For Second Amendment Sports, Thomas is the Sales Floor Manager, Fall Goods Department Head,a certified Glock Armorer, and a Law Enforcement Sales Rep. He has trained with the Martial Arms Training Division in Martial Arms I and II, and has supplemented that with a Handgun Retention class. In 2005, Thomas was awarded 1st place in the Glock Shooting Sports Foundation shooting match held here, at SAS. Thomas continues training in all departments in the store and gaining product knowledge, to serve his clients better. “I have been fortunate enough to have over 9 years of experience in both retail and hunting. I am a very diverse hunter, with experience hunting waterfowl, upland game, varmints, and small and large game."

Joe "Alex" Escalante is a lead sales rep, Head of the Law Enforcement Division, and certified Glock Armorer, who has worked for Second Amendment Sports since 2005. Most of Alex’s outdoor and firearm experience comes from the four years he spent in the United States Army. His tactical knowledge and training is supported by twelve and a half months spent in Iraq. He DOES go out and hunt some upland game, mainly Quail and Chuckar. Ever since he was in kindergarten, Alex fished the Kern County area for Trout, Striper, Catfish, and Bass, with his family. SAS staff and clientele alike have benefited not only from Alex’s knowledge and experience, but from his bright smile and classical humor!

Ross Bacon was hired in 2007 as a salesman and promoted close to six months later to be the Archery Department Head. “I love to camp anytime I can. I have camped extensively throughout the Sierra Nevadas. I love to go hiking, but prefer multi-day backpacking trips. Hiking on the Grand Mesa in Colorado, my home state, tends to be the most rewarding for me. I am also skilled in wilderness survival as well as improvised first aid in remote areas. I have been shooting archery on and off for a few years, but have recently become more dedicated to the sport, since becoming Archery Department Head,” he says. In addition to his experience in the outdoors, Ross has also been in a few paintball wars, exercising his team strategy skills! We think his team skills have also translated into being a great member of our sales staff. Ross will assist customers in any category of the store –including law enforcement purchases, but will also be our customers’ contact for bow tuning and maintenance, and mount and boresighting of firearms.

Alex Bowman started working for Second Amendment Sports in August of 2007. A former sous chef in an earlier career, Alex can cook a mean campfire meal! He’ll be a great consultant for any camping cookware help our clients may need. Born into a family of outdoorsmen, Alex grew up in Northern California, and he was active in Boy Scouts. He shot competition small bore with the Scouts, camped, and fished, since he was 7 years old. Alex fished Salmon, Striped Bass, and Trout out of the Sacramento River, Clamouth River, the Carquinez Straits, and the San Francisco Bay, since he was 5 years old. He’s had some experience paintballing with friends. “Most of the things I know about the outdoors and firearms I learned from my dad and granddad, but I’m always looking to advance my knowledge. I love outdoors cooking and camping, but firearms are probably my biggest passion.”

I started working with Second Amendment Sports in the summer of 2002, and have recently been filling in some time on the sales floor, as a lead sales rep. I have no experience in paintballing or airsoft. I have been known to pick off squirrels with an air rifle, though. I have four years of experience as a competitor in Olympic style archery. Consequently, most of my experience is with recurve bows, but a lot of the basic principles of shooting cross over to the high tech compound bows that we sell. I’ve fished bass all my life with my father, at Don Pedro and Melones lakes. I have had the opportunity to catch shark and cod in chartered trips, and Steelhead and Walleye in occasional trips. As for camping and hiking, most of my camping has been car camping in places like Hume, Yosemite, the Kern River, Dinkey Creek, Prairie Creek, and Sequoia. In fact, on one of my trips, I literally camped IN my car –a Honda Element! I’ve done some long day hikes in Yosemite, but I have yet to hike into a spot and camp. Most of my firearms and self defense training has come from Second Amendment Sports. I have taken Knife I, Martial Arms I, Tactics, Handgun Retention, Shotgun I, the Womens Only Self Defense Options Seminar, and the CCW courses. I also trained with the Karate class for a time, and spent a year training in CSUB’s judo class. I have some practical experience that can help our clients make good choices, and I can find good answers for the questions that they may have.