The 2012 Boating Ontario Conference and Tradeshow closed out on Tuesday, December 4th with an inspiring keynote address by Marlow-Hunter President John Peterson who shared the remarkable story of the survival of the Hunter sailboat brand.

Hunter's original parent company was the Luhrs Marine group that included the Mainship brand, Silverton yachts, Luhrs fishing boats and Hunter sailboats. When the industry downturn occurred in 2008, their principal market in the United States declined very dramatically and the company could not meet its obligations. The Luhrs Marine group and it's parent holding company went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Recognizing the value of the Hunter brand and its products, Peterson made his way through the quagmire of the bankruptcy proceedings. The original owners exited the business, production was stopped, other plants were closed but the Hunter facility in Alachua, Florida still had orders and were still building boats. They also maintained an advertising presence in the market.

Eventually, a court approved bidding process took place and Mr. David Marlow, founder of Marlow Yachts, through Marlow Acquisitions: LLC purchased all the assets of Hunter Marine Corporation and selected assets of Mainship Corporation. And Hunter boats live on.

During his inspiring presentation John Peterson also shared his corporate view of the Canadian marketplace and its importance to Hunter yachts. The company has long had excellent Canadian dealers. He also referenced some important industry research information published in Boating Industry Canada magazine that influenced his decision making. Today, Hunter has emerged to introduce new models like their Hunter 40 that will be profiled in the February 2013 issue of Canadian Yachting magazine.

The session capped a valuable and productive conference full of information and sent the delegates away on a high note to the final Presidents dinner and awards presentations. Canadian Yachting magazine was proud to have sponsored the John Peterson session and GTA Hunter dealer Alan Mestel of True North Yachts was on hand to thank John for his presentation.

For more information:
Boating Ontario Conference: www.boatingontario.ca
Boating Industry Canada:  www.boatingindustry.ca
Marlow Hunter Yachts:  www.marlow-hunter.com