June 1, 2021
On May 24, 2021 Brunswick Corporation and Boston Whaler held a ground-breaking ceremony ahead of the reopening of its 225,000 square foot Flagler County manufacturing facility to expand production due to record demand for Boston Whaler’s award-winning line of fiberglass boats. The expansion will increase production by 40 percent and bring more than 400 jobs to the local economy over the next 18-24 months.
The event was hosted by Dave Foulkes, Brunswick CEO; Aine Denari, President of Brunswick Boat Group; and Nick Stickler, President of Boston Whaler. Joining the Brunswick leadership team were local dignitaries, employees, and community leaders, all of whom are looking forward to welcoming Brunswick back to Flagler County.
“This manufacturing expansion represents an exciting step for Brunswick and Boston Whaler as we look for immediate opportunities to meet the global demand for our award-winning products and work to replenish historically low inventory pipelines,” said Nick Stickler, Boston Whaler president. “We are equally excited to bring hundreds of new jobs to Flagler County in support of the growing economy and work together with the community to deliver exceptional consumer experiences for one of the industry’s most iconic brands.”
“On behalf of the City of Palm Coast, I am proud to welcome Brunswick and Boston Whaler to our community,” said Palm Coast Councilman Nick Klufas. “This project restores a much-missed sector of our local community and Boston Whaler's commitment to providing high-quality and rewarding careers which opens up hundreds of new job opportunities locally. Along with the job growth, Boston Whaler's vision to continued strong economic growth and success in our schools and our community makes them an ideal community partner.”
Since 2014, Boston Whaler has invested more than $60M manufacturing a full line of award-winning new products in addition to expanding manufacturing capacity by 75 percent during that time at its current 550,000 square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing center in Edgewater, Florida. In 2019 Brunswick also opened the 45,000 square foot fiberglass boat technology center in Edgewater, home to the industry’s premier boat product development, engineering, and design teams.
The first boats will come off the production line at the Boston Whaler Flagler Operations facility in the second half of 2021.
As a nod to Boston Whaler’s brand heritage, established in 1958 and known for their unsinkable boats, the manufacturing facility will be located at 1958 Unsinkable Street, Flagler Beach, FL 32126.
