BOATING INDUSTRY CANADA – News Week Career Profile

POSITION/JOB TITLE: Lead Sales Consultant – Crates Lake Country Boats

Your position or title now: Lead Sales Consultant

Your previous position or title if applicable:

Sales – Crates Marine Sales;

Host/producer – Powerboat Television Show;

Sales Manager – Skyline Marina;

Owner – Hastings Marine

The area you live in: Keswick, Ontario

The number of years you’ve been in the marine industry: 33 years

Tell us about your education:

Did you complete high school? yes

Did you complete any post secondary? yes – Bachelor of Commerce – Queens University

Marine industry courses or training? Spader Marine Management

Describe your job in a few sentences: I run our sales and brokerage office located in Wye Heritage Marina, Midland during the boating season and then work out of our main location in Orillia in the non-boating season. I negotiate sales agreements and negotiate brokerage listings. I also help out with marketing and sales promotion.

What is it that you like about your job? I like sharing my experience and knowledge with coworkers and customers. I like that my employers value my expertise and opinion and that I feel like I can contribute beyond sales.

Are there tasks or responsibilities that you dislike? Not really, but working the Toronto Boat Show is long and tiring

What are your overall feelings? For example, do you find it rewarding, challenging, steady, interesting etc. Please describe.: You get out what you put in… Work hard and work honestly. The boating business is rewarding in that you are definitely helping people. You have to like talking and you have to like people… And you do meet some very interesting people!

What quality of life would you say your career in the marine industry has provided you? I’m fortunate in that the marine industry has provided me with decent earnings for over 30 years and I like that most of the time I get to work outdoors… around boats, around the water and with good people.

What else would you tell a young person about your life in the marine industry? Because of my lifelong love of boats, I really don’t find being in the boating business day in and day out, very difficult. However, as a parent when my children were young and I was working every weekend, that was difficult on my family life.

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