At the Helm: Fueling improvement
Liz Walz, Editor-in-Chief
May 1, 2012
Reading through the results of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo Call for Presentations, one of the proposed titles jumped out at me: The Improvement Engine. As business executives, we all want to find ways to fuel the pursuit of continuous improvement within our companies. But it’s difficult... Read more »
At the Helm: Reinventing the Top 100
Liz Walz, Editor-in-Chief
April 1, 2012
In the first year of the Top 100 Dealers Program, Boating Industry’s editors took a one-week retreat to evaluate and rank the applications it received. And what a week – and an education – it was! Seven years later, it takes an entire week just to name the Top 10. From that, we can only conclude... Read more »
At the Helm: The right hire
Liz Walz, Editor-in-Chief
March 1, 2012
It was early in my career, and I was working to fill an open position on our team. This person would report directly to me, would be my right hand, and I was excited to start interviewing. I imagined someone smart, dedicated and driven to succeed, someone who would work by my side to take our products... Read more »
At the Helm: Building a future for boating
Liz Walz, Editor-in-Chief
February 1, 2012
We didn’t have a lot of money when I was a kid, but the one luxury my mom made sure to save for every year was summer camp. It was my escape (and hers). For as many as eight weeks each summer, I would play in the outdoors, swimming, hiking and canoeing in the mountains and rivers of Vermont, New Hampshire... Read more »
At the Helm: The customer romance
January 6, 2012
An older friend of mine recently broke off a budding romance in the wake of the following statement from her date: “I’m still trying to figure out who I am.” Her explanation was that, at this point in her life, she knows exactly who she is and wants a relationship with someone who has that same... Read more »
Dealer survey reveals weak outlook
January 6, 2012
With the 2011 boating season not living up to expectations, marine dealers were less optimistic at the end of the third quarter than six months prior, according to a survey conducted in October through a partnership between Boating Industry magazine and RBC Capital Markets. The survey, which attracted... Read more »
Ever to Excel
Mike Davin, Senior Editor
December 6, 2011
When I was a high school student touring colleges, scaffolding and cranes obscured many of the beautiful campuses I visited. It seemed like a shame to clutter these otherwise picture-perfect grounds with orange safety fences, temporary office trailers, and assorted construction equipment, but someone... Read more »
At the Helm: Investing in partnership
Liz Walz, Editor-in-Chief
December 6, 2011
Scottish journalist B.C. Forbes wrote: “If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.” This sentiment rings especially true in today’s economy. Under the weight of the many challenges faced by boating companies right now, it’s easy to focus on what you can’t control. The... Read more »
At the Helm: Fueling Growth
Liz Walz, Editor-in-Chief
September 26, 2011
When I first became a journalist, what inspired me most about my new line of work was that every time I researched an idea, conducted an interview or wrote an article, I learned something new. While my passion for this job has evolved in the past 12 years, I still get a thrill from that learning process. In... Read more »
At the Helm: Great Expectations
July 27, 2011
A year ago February, my husband, Jason, and I bought our son, Nathan, his first remote control boat at the mall. As soon as the ice broke on our neighbor’s pond, he was out there playing with it. And it soon became his favorite toy. A few months later, I bought a second boat for my husband’s birthday... Read more »
