Hutchings Marine Products Ltd., Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Nov 8, 2022
Left to Right: Scott, Al, Jade, Jennifer, Lorraine, Sherri, Holly, Luke, Jonathan, Al, Pam
Missing from photo: Judy, Brad, Ernie, Al, Jack, Mike, Jim
Ralph and Eleanor Hutchings, the founders of Hutchings Marine Products Ltd., began business in 1972 making mooring lines in their basement located in Port Carling, Ontario. Little did they realize just how much the “Rope Man” would evolve over the coming decades.
Hutchings Marine Products is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. They are a highly respected multi-line distributor of marine products based in Central Ontario, with many customers that span outside of the province.
From those very first years as the business started to grow, Ralph and Eleanor Hutchings moved operations from their basement to a location in Bracebridge, hiring Scott Crichton who went onto become a partner with Ralph. At that time, Scott and Ralph delivered marine products from red cube vans.
Scott Crichton recently commented, “I went on the road with Ralph, in cube vans with product right on the trucks, like a Snap-On Tool truck. The catalogue was only a couple of pages so we could fit everything into a van. But once we expanded into marine engine aftermarket parts, then that made it totally different.”
It was in those early days where Hutchings solidified its reputation as being the marine distributor with the personalized delivery service.
Ralph retired in 1995, offering an opportunity for Judy Semple, who came on board in 1991, to become a partner with Scott. They continued to add valuable staff members to their team, growing the sales force of Hutchings Marine.
In August of 2004, Hutchings moved to a new building in Gravenhurst, where in 2006 it was expanded further into the company’s present 11,000 square foot building.
Their original 3-page, black and white catalog is now over 900 pages with more than 10,000 items offering customers a wide range of products to choose from.
Having grown from only three employees to 15 full time staff, the Hutchings team works very hard at providing the right products, processing the orders, and shipping them out, in most cases, all in the same day.
They’ve also had a significant upgrade to their cube vans. Orders are taken 24/7 and personal delivery runs are provided four days a week from the beginning of April to the end of October.
Hutchings Marine Products takes pride in giving their customers quality products, customer service beyond all others and the assurance that your interest is their number one priority. They’re an environmentally conscious wholesale distributor that believes in giving back to the industry it serves.
Hutchings Marine Products’ personal service has always been their strong point. They’ve also been known for their bi-annual dealer education and training events held in the northern and central Ontario regions. The pandemic unfortunately put a stop to these shows and there are no definitive plans for the next one just yet, but they are in the planning process.
Hutchings’ dedication to delivering exceptional customer service has been unmatched for the past 50 years.
“I think it’s a testament to the way that Ralph and Scott ran the company. It’s a company milestone. We’ve been around for 50 years. They must have been doing something right in the way they trained us all to do it!” says Brad Crichton, one of Hutchings main employees and son of Scott Crichton. “We aim to continue to grow and help dealers in any way we can.”
Looking forward, Hutchings continues to focus on distributing personalized delivery service and possibly undergoing another expansion to accommodate their tightly packed warehouse.
Look for their Hutchings Marine Products Monthly Sales Flyers, Fall Haul Out and the Booking Program to qualify for free freight through the season.
The company are proud members and supporters of Boating Ontario and the National Marine Distribution Association.
Find more information at https://www.hutchingsmarine.com/.
