Who do you consider to be the largest "pioneer" in the business?

Bill and Kathy Love
Stan Chiras
Hank Molt
Bob Applegate
Steve Osbourne
Bob Clark
Ron Tremper
Randy Grey
Gary Sipperley
Ernie Wagner

that's a start.

It is kind of unfortunate that the options you have put in your poll contain many people who have been in the business or hobby very short term and have done little more than work with one species. What about the originators in the 60's and earlier who did this when there was no money to be made and not many genetic projects to work with? You seem to have been going by who is spending money on advertising or putting the most self promotional articles in magazines.

People like Mark and Kim Bell have been in this industry a very long time and have worked with many many species and morphs at the ground floor. But then how do you explain putting Willbanks and the Sutherlands in that same list? No offense to those people, they are very nice people have great looking animals, BUT what have they done and how long have they been doing it? You leave off your list people like Applegate from the old days and people like Barczyk from current times who have done so much more. I think you need to re-think your choices for your poll and maybe do some research into "pioneers". Evan Stahl

I also agree with Evan.
IMO It's an impossible list. Is it Raymond Ditmars, Carl Kauffeld or Clifford Pope; who wrote books that everyone from the 70's can relate to and got most of them dreaming about reptiles. Was it Bill Love, Rich, Tom Crutchfield, Bill Gillingham, Steve Osborne, Bob Applegate and many others; that started in the 80's and early 90's(and they continue on today). There's a lot of names in this business and they were all contributers.
Are the pioneers of America the ones that traveled to California or those that crossed the Atlantic. Which was more important?

How about the guy that started the first national expo and still to this day the largest expo in the country if not the world...that breeders of all species look forward to each and every year...Wayne Hill

If we are considering the genetics perspective of what we are breeding, my vote would have to go to Dr. H. Bernard Bechtel. No contest.

Originally Posted by NiCoLe L RuSSeLL

Bert Langerwerf aka Agama International

I agree with this quite a bit, but as far as who has helped out this hobby more than almost anyone I know, sit back and think about how much the BOI has helped out or hobby, probably got rid of alot of scammers, and built a good reputation for thoes of which deserved it.

Originally Posted by cornsnakekid92

I like how no one put Rich Z, he has done a lot for corns....

Here here!

Not only has Rich (Webslave) produced & founded MANY of the cornsnake morphs we currently have...But he founded THIS VERY FORUM that has been a priceless tool to the reptile community as a whole.

I don't want people to think that the names that were left off the list were or are insiginficant, instead ones that were never mentioned in the conversation that we had. I only thought to put the ones we brought up, the reason that I left an others option is becasue I knew there would be some that I either missed or didn't even know about.

Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes.

jeff ronne of the boaphile

Philippe De Vosjoli.

Originally Posted by TripleMoonsExotic

Here here!

Not only has Rich (Webslave) produced & founded MANY of the cornsnake morphs we currently have...But he founded THIS VERY FORUM that has been a priceless tool to the reptile community as a whole.

Yeah Rich is the dude I was referring too, I am not much of a corn snake person, but congrats on the corns Rich.