Boating Industry Insider Podcast

How to create a more engaged and loyal workforce

Americans aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re quitting their jobs at record levels. So, how can you battle employee turnover and create a more engaged and loyal workforce? In this episode we interview Heather Younger - the founder of employee engagement and leadership development firm Employee Fanatix - and hear about her new book called The Art of Caring Leadership. She argues that if you are looking for increased productivity, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and employee loyalty, you need to care for your employees first. As we hear, she says that means not only being concerned with what employees can do for you, but also caring about who they are and what they can become. "There has never been a more important time to lead with purpose, skill, adaptability, and resilience,” says Younger. “Even with budget restraints and a world that feels chaotic and challenging, your leadership team must have all the tools they need to stand out as an organization where employees can’t wait to help grow - and don't want to leave.”

National Safe Boating Week (and month) with Jim Emmons

It's National Safe Boating Week (and month), just before the start of peak boating season, but actually it's appropriate to talk about safe boating any time. Joining Boating Industry content director David Gee in this episode is Jim Emmons, Executive Director, Water Sports Foundation. Jim is also the former WSIA President and U.S. Coast Guard National Boating Safety Advisory Council Chairman. He will discuss the latest boating safety statistics, the impact on boating safety with a rise in the number of first-time boaters, and the part the entire boating industry can play when it comes to boating safety education. As he says, safe boating experiences are a critical component of positive boating experiences.

Chatting with Chad Lyon, Managing Director, Marine, Wells Fargo Distribution Finance

Chad Lyon was recently named to head the Marine group at Wells Fargo Distribution Finance, part of Wells Fargo & Company. The news follows the retirement of industry veteran Bruce Van Wagoner after 45 years in the industry and 33 years with Distribution Finance (DF). Shortly after the announcement, Boating Industry Content Director David Gee spoke with Chad via Zoom about his first thoughts after being named to the role, a little about his background, and what he sees as some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in the recreational boating industry.

Towboat Talk with Bill Yeargin

The towboat segment has been one of the shining stars of the recreational boating industry when it comes to year over year growth. But as Correct Craft CEO Bill Yeargin points out in this Boating Industry Insider episode with David Gee, the category only recently returned to pre-recession unit sales levels in 2020. In this wide-ranging discussion with an industry leader, find out when Yeargin thinks supply will align with demand, what he has to say on the “affordability” of watersports boats, what virtual boat shows meant to the industry and what the future holds for electric watersports boats.

Pontoons surge in popularity – and price

Pontoons these days offer better engineering, improved fuel efficiency, increased speed and space and all-around versatility. And that all comes at a higher cost of course. Some pontoon manufacturers are trying to mitigate sticker shock by offering different levels of pontoon lines that target different price points, from entry-level to high luxury. Others, such as Anthem Marine and Avalon, are offering pontoons with features such as surfable wakes. Whatever the sales strategy is, it seems to be working. The pontoon segment led the industry out of the last recession, and the NMMA says sales of freshwater fishing boats and pontoons accounted for 50% percent of all new powerboats sold in 2020. For the month of June, 2020, pontoon sales were up 23%, by July they were up 53%, and in August they were up 44% YoY. And Stratview Research estimates that the pontoon boat market will reach $2.5 billion by 2025. In this episode of Boating Industry Insider Content Director David Gee speaks with serial boat building entrepreneur Mark Overbye about the pontoon segment, the category’s popularity, where some of the high costs come from and what the future looks like for the segment.