August 9, 2022

As you read this on Tuesday morning, August 9^th, I will be in New York city with Brunswick’s A-Team including CEO David Foulkes, Aine Denari – Brunswick Boat Group President, Alex Cattelan -Chief Technology Officer, Brenna Preisser – President of Business Acceleration as well as representatives from Boston Whaler, Mercury, Sea Ray, Freedom Boat Club, Bayliner and more. It’s a major event for sure.

And there is sure to be big news around the latest Brunswick announcement (Feature 1 in this edition of News Week Digest) about the establishment of the new Navico Group embracing and expanding on the many important brands that have previously been the Brunswick Advanced Systems Group. 

I feel this is sure to have a major effect on the techs of the future. The fouled spark plugs, gummed carburetors and oily hands from the past will be replaced by the connected boat and the diagnostic software of the future.

The point is that not only are we seeing much more capable and high-tech boats, we have systems and diagnostics that I think young people will be excited about. We need more young people to get excited about the boat business and working on boats, and I think this will be powerful and important in the future.

Young people who are keen on World of Warcraft are going to be well-prepared to learn about the rapidly advancing levels of technical sophistication that the manufacturers are developing.

Connecting the dots on this, there is a Career Opportunity ad in News Week Digest. Mercury in Canada is looking for a Technical Instructor to teach product-related courses for customers on-site, on-line and at customers’ sites. I have long admired the effort Mercury has put into offering training and I see this as another positive step.

This tells me Mercury (and I’m sure, Brunswick more widely) is preparing to do some very important training and education. You should read the ad and see what they are working on. Bring this to the attention of your people and others in the industry. It promises that we are sure to see exciting and interesting professional opportunities in boating in the future.

In fact, there are quite a number of exciting and high-paying positions available in Career Opportunities this week. Have a look. There is an opportunity for a boat show manager in Vancouver, an IT specialist in Toronto and several other jobs.

Finally, watch for the continuing series of “Marine Industry Career Path” editorial profiles in News Week Digest this month and share those with your team and young people you know.

Andy Adams – Editor