Boating-Industry Insider » layoffs

When something’s got to give, how do you decide?

Mike Davin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:00:37 +0000

Today's economy has led to all sorts of tough decisions with seemingly no good alternatives.

Retention: A key to our future

Liz Walz — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:57:46 +0000

If much of our experienced workforce has found employment in other fields, what chance do we have of attracting them back to the boating business when we need them?

Do Mercury and Brett Favre have something in common?

Mike Davin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:10:11 +0000

Mercury's will-it-or-won't-it decision to move jobs to Oklahoma is starting to resemble the summer saga of another Wisconsin institution: Brett Favre.

New boats for a new economy

Liz Walz — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:31:13 +0000

I was driving in the car yesterday when a story came on National Public Radio about Columbia, Ky.-based houseboat builder Majestic Yachts. It’s no surprise in this economy that it was a sad story, at least at first. The article began by profiling Faye Womack, a former employee. She was part of a 27-person boat production team until orders stopped coming in last summer and CEO Jim Hadley was forced to lay off every single employee. He and the two other owners spent the winter trying to find odd jobs to pay the factory’s bills, according to NPR. Read more >>

Influence the outcome

Liz Walz — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:08:48 +0000

Two weeks ago in a martial arts class, I accidentally hurt one of my best friends. Beyond the pain of the injury, it had real potential consequences for her. She was only a few weeks away from one of the many exams required to get her black belt, something she has been working toward for more than three years. I felt awful that I had hurt my friend and put her ability to reach such an important goal in jeopardy. Besides apologizing, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t sleep well for several nights afterward, and I skipped class for a few days. I was afraid to face her and our mutual friends at the dojo. Who would want to train with me now? Read more >>

Pain = gain?

Liz Walz — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:21:44 +0000

My four-year-old son broke his arm playing in the yard last week. While he was incredibly brave in the hours and days that followed, it has changed him. As the pain has receded, he’s begun thinking out loud about how he’ll avoid breaking something else, as have his father and I. We want him to go back to having fun like he used to, but none of us wants to go back to the hospital anytime soon. The boating industry is in a similar situation. While I’m not sure the pain is receding yet, we know it will, at least to some degree. And we’ve all been thinking, whether to ourselves or out loud, about how we and our businesses will change as the industry rebounds. Read more >>