Tweet
Bill Yeargin & I Discuss How Correct Craft is Making Life Better!
Last week, I had the opportunity to connect with Bill Yeargin (President and CEO of Correct Craft) about what's happening at Correct Craft, their business acquisitions, employee development, philanthropy, what makes Correct Craft successful, and the future of the company. Below is a transcript of that discussion.
Jeff Carroll: It has been a little while since we've done one of these interviews. Thanks for taking the time again to answer our questions!
Bill Yeargin: Totally my pleasure Jeff!… While it’s been a few years since we last did an interview, I am always happy to hear from you!
Jeff Carroll: For those who may not be familiar with Correct Craft's corporate layout, can you review for us the structure of Correct Craft and its subsidiaries?
Bill Yeargin: Sure, Jeff, Correct Craft has grown a lot since our last interview. Currently Correct Craft owns eight boat brands, three engine brands, a transmission company, and two (soon to be three) watersports complexes. These businesses are manufacturing in eight plants across the country (1 in Florida, 2 in South Carolina, 1 in North Carolina, 1 in Tennessee, 2 in Arkansas, and 1 in California). With our most recent acquisitions we have about 1,600 employees and will do about $600 million in sales this year, close to half of which is Nautique.
Each of our companies have a company president who reports to me, Correct Craft's CEO.
While a key part of our operating philosophy is to give the company presidents a lot of autonomy, we also have a great team at Correct Craft who support each of our companies in many ways.
Jeff Carroll: While walking around Correct Craft's headquarters, as well as many of the businesses owned by Correct Craft, we see this pyramid representing Correct Craft's corporate values. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what is represented in that graphic?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, I cannot overestimate how critical organizational culture is to us and the pyramid attempts to capture our most important values.
It starts at the top with “Building Boats to the Glory of God” which was the mission of our founder, WC Meloon, many decades ago; that mission is still embraced by our team today. Out of that mission flows our “Why” which is “Making Life Better.” “Making Life Better” permeates all we do and hardly a day goes by that I am not in a meeting where someone mentions it. We want to make life better on everyone with whom we come in contact including our customers, employees, dealers, vendors and people around the world we may only meet once.
Probably the most unique part of our culture is the focus on philanthropy which we try to live out through service. We try hard to serve each other. We serve in our local communities and each of our companies has projects they carry out in their community. We have paid for and help build houses for Habitat for Humanity in Central Florida and this summer we will have over 100 employees travelling to Merced, California (home of our Centurion and Supreme plant) to perform community service projects there; we are calling it “Loving on Merced!” I have travelled with employees all over the globe to build houses for the homeless, support orphanages and schools, fight human trafficking and just serve some of those who need us the most. Service is important to us.
For those interested, on the correctcraft.com website in the “who we are” section there is a short video where I go through the pyramid line by line and explain it.
Jeff Carroll: How do you balance the importance of your culture with the importance of performing well and being profitable?
Bill Yeargin: We understand that we cannot give and serve without the resources we generate by being profitable. You will note that part of the culture pyramid is “performance” and we take seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of the assets we have been given. And, because many of the biggest companies in our industry are public (we are not) we can easily benchmark our results versus others and know that we excel; our performance is at least as good or better than others.
However, even with our focus on “Making Life Better” we know that in order to perform well we must sometimes make tough decisions that will upset someone. This is hard but if we don’t make good business decisions we cannot sustain our company which provides the resources for us to give and serve.
Another key part of our philosophy is to share financial success with our employees. We currently have about 1,600 employees at Correct Craft and all of them are eligible for bonuses if their brand does well. We love sharing our success with those who helped make it happen.
Jeff Carroll: Over the past few years, Correct Craft has acquired a good number of companies from several different marine market segments. What traits does Correct Craft look for when acquiring other companies?
Bill Yeargin: That is a great question Jeff because we do have a specific type of company we target to become part of the Correct Craft family. We are looking for companies that are either attractive vertical integration opportunities or are in segments of the industry we do not currently serve.
However, probably the most important factor we look for in a prospective acquisition is a seller who highly values our culture. We have done several acquisitions and in every case the seller could have sold to someone else for more money; however, they valued our culture and the impact it would have on the company they were selling.
When we make an acquisition, I commit to the sellers that we will do our best to look after the employees, their brand and their legacy. In each acquisition we have made I believe we have a proven track record of doing just that.
Jeff Carroll: Do you expect to continue acquiring additional companies?
Bill Yeargin: Yes, we have long-term goals to meet that will require us to make more acquisitions. However, now with eight boat companies, we may begin to focus on more vertical integrations.
We actually do now have one acquisition in the works and I am really excited about it. We hope to be able to announce it by the end of May.
Jeff Carroll: We have seen other watersports towboat companies (although Correct Craft is much more than a watersports towboat company now) begin acquiring other businesses as well. As far as I know, this was not a common practice for watersports towboat companies until Correct Craft started doing it. Do you think this is a trend that we will continue to see in other companies in this industry?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, it is an interesting time for our industry. There are a lot of companies founded and owned by people who are looking to sell out and retire. Additionally, there was pent up demand because it was tough to do a deal during the last downturn and its immediate aftermath.
Public companies currently feel flush because of their high stock valuations and are willing to overpay which further incents some owners to sell. We are very disciplined in our approach and sometimes scratch our heads at the prices being paid for some acquisitions; it’s a really good time to be a seller!
As long as the market remains strong and there are sellers interested in retiring we will see the industry consolidation continue.
Jeff Carroll: Some of our members have wondered whether technology sharing between Correct Craft’s boat companies is something that you allow. I would expect that technology from certain Correct Craft companies will be used by others, like PCM engines being in all of the inboard boats, but what about things like Centurion’'s RAMFILL technology? Might we see something like that on a Nautique in the future?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, we currently have vertically integrated technology sharing (engines, transmissions, v-drives) but at this point that is pretty much it. As of now we have decided to keep the externally facing parts of our boat companies (product development, sales, marketing) separate and encourage each company to develop its own technology and maintain a clear brand identity. I won’'t say we will never let our companies use each other’'s technology but for now we think the way we are managing it is best.
Jeff Carroll: Correct Craft has always been a company that helps others. Can you tell us about some of the recent work that Correct Craft has done in this area? Is this a culture that you look for in companies that you acquire?
Bill Yeargin: Service is a critical part of our culture Jeff and in the last year we have served in some impactful ways. Last July we took over 70 employees to Jamaica to work in a special needs school there. Last Fall a group of us went to Puerto Rico to provide hurricane relief and this January many of us went up to the Florida panhandle to provide hurricane relief there too.
This summer we have over 100 employees scheduled to travel to Merced California to provide community service help in the city where we build our Centurion and Supreme boats. We will be working to refurbish a community service center, making repairs at the community zoo, and making home repairs for elderly in the community. As I mentioned previously, we are calling it “Loving on Merced!”
The companies we acquire generally have great cultures, but we would not be able to buy any company if we expected it to have the same culture as we do. Correct Craft’'s culture of service is very unique and I am very happy to see how our team embraces it.
Jeff Carroll: Since our last interview, we lost a great industry icon, Mr. Ralph Meloon, son of the founder of Correct Craft. How does Correct Craft keep his legacy a part of the business? What other Meloon family members are still a part of Correct Craft?
Bill Yeargin: Losing Mr. Ralph last year was tough on our team. He was such an important part of who we are that it would be crazy to think he is replaceable. It is important to me that we honor his legacy by continuing to live out the values he helped instill in us and I am committed to do that.
Ken Meloon is currently our board Chairman and his son, Greg, is the President of Nautique and son-in-law Thomas is our VP – Sales and Marketing. Additionally, we have other family members in the company in different roles. While it has been many years now since the Meloons have owned Correct Craft we still immensely value both the foundation they built for our current success and the contribution they still make today.
Jeff Carroll: Employee development is nothing new at Correct Craft. I have watched lots of Correct Craft employees obtain MBA's with the support of Correct Craft over the years, and most of them have advanced to prominent roles within the company. I think that’s great! I wish more companies gave their employees opportunities like that.
A couple of months ago, Correct Craft announced that it had started a new employee education program (Correct Craft University). Can you give us some details on what exactly this is, and how it helps your employees? Does every Correct Craft company have access to this program? What level of participation are you seeing?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, there are few things that provide me as much satisfaction as developing our team. One of the great benefits of our growth is that it has provided opportunities for many on our team to learn new things and grow into new roles. That excites me!
Over the last decade or so we have invested heavily in our team. We have provided many development opportunities. We have employees who have gone back to get undergraduate degrees and we have supported nearly 30 employees going back to get MBA’'s. Continuous improvement is a key part of our culture. We talk about our desire to be “learners” and NOT “knowers”.
Correct Craft University (CCU) is an important next step in our learning culture. It is a program that is designed to provide every Correct Craft employee an opportunity to develop. We just kicked it off earlier this year and I am very happy with the initial participation.
Interestingly, we have had others in our industry ask about what we are doing and our interest in working with them on a program. This may open the door for Correct Craft to start an employee development company that would work with more than just or own companies; we will have to see if something develops on that.
Jeff Carroll: Anything new with your cable parks? Are they still doing well?
Bill Yeargin: The cable parks are doing fine and we are planning to open a third park, Elite Cable Park, between Orlando and Tampa in a few weeks. Additionally, last year we opened a hugely successful aquapark at Orlando Watersports Complex and hope to open a similar one at Miami Watersports Complex later this year. We love the vibrancy the parks add to our business.
The water parks have faced two challenges. The first is the proliferation of parks around Florida and the country and the second is the focus on wakesurfing. However, the parks are tremendous fun and you can find me wakeboarding at one of them every week this summer!
Jeff Carroll: Correct Craft seems to be making a significant investment in innovation. Can you tell us some of what you are doing?
Bill Yeargin: Sure Jeff, innovation is a passion of mine.
I have always been highly interested in the future and what it will bring. As part of that interest, a couple years ago I attended a 6-day program at Singularity University that had many of the world’'s top technology experts share their thoughts on where technology is going and how it will impact the world. After that course I became more convinced than ever that the world will be dramatically different in ten years.
I believe the world will be so different that many of the companies we know today, including those in the boating industry, will be at risk for survival. With this in mind, I wanted to redouble Correct Craft’'s effort and focus on innovation and to do that we started a new entity, Watershed Innovations.
Watershed Innovation is off to a great start. We have acquired an electric propulsion company and have made great progress on a new system we believe will create a great alternative to internal combustion engines. We are working on telematics, IoT, robotics, additive manufacturing and virtual reality. We are making a huge investment in these technologies and I believe we are preparing our companies well for the future.
Jeff Carroll: You have been involved in working with politicians on the state and national level to help promote the boating industry. We’'ve seen you working in Washington, meeting with legislators in Florida, and even hosting Vice President Mike Pence at Correct Craft. Why do you do that?
Bill Yeargin: Good question Jeff, sometimes I ask myself why I do it!
My involvement in Washington happened a bit by accident. A few years ago, I was in a meeting with government officials in South Korea that resulted in me (in a roundabout way) meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office (it’s a long and unlikely, but I think, interesting story.) After my Oval Office meeting with the President I began being invited to events in DC including four more visits to the Obama White House and a visit last Fall to the Trump White House. I agreed to serve on cabinet level advisory commissions for both the Obama and Trump administration and as you mentioned, was honored to host Vice President Pence at our Orlando facility in late 2017.
I am honored to serve my country and hope to bring a voice of reason and pragmaticism to our leaders in Washington DC.
Jeff Carroll: It seems like Correct Craft has had tremendous success over the past decade. To what do you attribute that?
Bill Yeargin: An amazing team! Jeff, I learned a long time ago that the best way to be successful is to surround myself with people smarter than myself and I have clearly done that at Correct Craft. Our company presidents and Correct Craft team are incredible. They fully embrace our culture and get impressive results. I am honored to be along for the ride!
Jeff Carroll: You’'ve always been a big reader. Why is that important for a business leader, and why (and what) do you encourage your employees to read? What are you reading right now?
Bill Yeargin: I love to read Jeff and probably finish about 75 books a year. I encourage our employees to read and we build it into our training. I will often recommend a book to an employee and the team calls that getting “booked!”
I want our team to be “learners”, not “knowers.” Learners are continually getting better and that is one of our core values. There is no way we could have accomplished what our team has been able to do as “knowers” and I am happy so many at Correct Craft and our companies are striving to be “learners.”
I always have two books going at any time (one on my Kindle and another on Audible.) Right now on my Kindle I am reading “Finite and Infinite Games” which is a mind bender of a book that is REALLY making me think. On Audible I am just finishing “Crucial Conversations” which teaches the importance of and how to have the tough conversations we all usually try to avoid. Next week I will be reading two different books. – I love learning!
Jeff Carroll: What’s in your boathouse this spring?
Bill Yeargin: I have had the same G23 in my boathouse for a couple years. The production demand has been so high on them that I have felt bad ordering a new one when dealers are clamoring to get all we can deliver.
Jeff Carroll: So, what are our your long-term plans? You are not going anywhere are you?
Bill Yeargin: I get asked that a lot, but I don’'t have plans to go anywhere. I am still in my 50’'s and I am very high energy with a lot of gas in the tank. We have very high goals at Correct Craft and I know our team is going to build on our already impressive track record to do some big things in the years ahead. I am looking forward to working with them to continue “Making Life Better!”
Jeff Carroll: I have been a Correct Craft enthusiast for many years now. I love everything about this company – the business success, the honesty and integrity, the employee support, and the great products. I am so happy to see this company growing so much! Congratulations on the continued success of Correct Craft and thank you for all that you do!
Anything else you would like to add?
Bill Yeargin: Thanks Jeff, though it has been several years, it is always an honor for me to do one of these interviews with you.
Our team does not take our incredibly supportive customers for granted. We genuinely care about our customers and want to do all we can to make their life better. I hope you and all the Planet Nautique members have a great summer on the lake!
Jeff Carroll: It has been a little while since we've done one of these interviews. Thanks for taking the time again to answer our questions!Bill Yeargin: Totally my pleasure Jeff!… While it’s been a few years since we last did an interview, I am always happy to hear from you!
Jeff Carroll: For those who may not be familiar with Correct Craft's corporate layout, can you review for us the structure of Correct Craft and its subsidiaries?
Bill Yeargin: Sure, Jeff, Correct Craft has grown a lot since our last interview. Currently Correct Craft owns eight boat brands, three engine brands, a transmission company, and two (soon to be three) watersports complexes. These businesses are manufacturing in eight plants across the country (1 in Florida, 2 in South Carolina, 1 in North Carolina, 1 in Tennessee, 2 in Arkansas, and 1 in California). With our most recent acquisitions we have about 1,600 employees and will do about $600 million in sales this year, close to half of which is Nautique.
Each of our companies have a company president who reports to me, Correct Craft's CEO.
While a key part of our operating philosophy is to give the company presidents a lot of autonomy, we also have a great team at Correct Craft who support each of our companies in many ways.
Jeff Carroll: While walking around Correct Craft's headquarters, as well as many of the businesses owned by Correct Craft, we see this pyramid representing Correct Craft's corporate values. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what is represented in that graphic?Bill Yeargin: Jeff, I cannot overestimate how critical organizational culture is to us and the pyramid attempts to capture our most important values.
It starts at the top with “Building Boats to the Glory of God” which was the mission of our founder, WC Meloon, many decades ago; that mission is still embraced by our team today. Out of that mission flows our “Why” which is “Making Life Better.” “Making Life Better” permeates all we do and hardly a day goes by that I am not in a meeting where someone mentions it. We want to make life better on everyone with whom we come in contact including our customers, employees, dealers, vendors and people around the world we may only meet once.
Probably the most unique part of our culture is the focus on philanthropy which we try to live out through service. We try hard to serve each other. We serve in our local communities and each of our companies has projects they carry out in their community. We have paid for and help build houses for Habitat for Humanity in Central Florida and this summer we will have over 100 employees travelling to Merced, California (home of our Centurion and Supreme plant) to perform community service projects there; we are calling it “Loving on Merced!” I have travelled with employees all over the globe to build houses for the homeless, support orphanages and schools, fight human trafficking and just serve some of those who need us the most. Service is important to us.
For those interested, on the correctcraft.com website in the “who we are” section there is a short video where I go through the pyramid line by line and explain it.
Jeff Carroll: How do you balance the importance of your culture with the importance of performing well and being profitable?
Bill Yeargin: We understand that we cannot give and serve without the resources we generate by being profitable. You will note that part of the culture pyramid is “performance” and we take seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of the assets we have been given. And, because many of the biggest companies in our industry are public (we are not) we can easily benchmark our results versus others and know that we excel; our performance is at least as good or better than others.
However, even with our focus on “Making Life Better” we know that in order to perform well we must sometimes make tough decisions that will upset someone. This is hard but if we don’t make good business decisions we cannot sustain our company which provides the resources for us to give and serve.
Another key part of our philosophy is to share financial success with our employees. We currently have about 1,600 employees at Correct Craft and all of them are eligible for bonuses if their brand does well. We love sharing our success with those who helped make it happen.
Jeff Carroll: Over the past few years, Correct Craft has acquired a good number of companies from several different marine market segments. What traits does Correct Craft look for when acquiring other companies?Bill Yeargin: That is a great question Jeff because we do have a specific type of company we target to become part of the Correct Craft family. We are looking for companies that are either attractive vertical integration opportunities or are in segments of the industry we do not currently serve.
However, probably the most important factor we look for in a prospective acquisition is a seller who highly values our culture. We have done several acquisitions and in every case the seller could have sold to someone else for more money; however, they valued our culture and the impact it would have on the company they were selling.
When we make an acquisition, I commit to the sellers that we will do our best to look after the employees, their brand and their legacy. In each acquisition we have made I believe we have a proven track record of doing just that.
Jeff Carroll: Do you expect to continue acquiring additional companies?
Bill Yeargin: Yes, we have long-term goals to meet that will require us to make more acquisitions. However, now with eight boat companies, we may begin to focus on more vertical integrations.
We actually do now have one acquisition in the works and I am really excited about it. We hope to be able to announce it by the end of May.
Jeff Carroll: We have seen other watersports towboat companies (although Correct Craft is much more than a watersports towboat company now) begin acquiring other businesses as well. As far as I know, this was not a common practice for watersports towboat companies until Correct Craft started doing it. Do you think this is a trend that we will continue to see in other companies in this industry?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, it is an interesting time for our industry. There are a lot of companies founded and owned by people who are looking to sell out and retire. Additionally, there was pent up demand because it was tough to do a deal during the last downturn and its immediate aftermath.
Public companies currently feel flush because of their high stock valuations and are willing to overpay which further incents some owners to sell. We are very disciplined in our approach and sometimes scratch our heads at the prices being paid for some acquisitions; it’s a really good time to be a seller!
As long as the market remains strong and there are sellers interested in retiring we will see the industry consolidation continue.
Jeff Carroll: Some of our members have wondered whether technology sharing between Correct Craft’s boat companies is something that you allow. I would expect that technology from certain Correct Craft companies will be used by others, like PCM engines being in all of the inboard boats, but what about things like Centurion’'s RAMFILL technology? Might we see something like that on a Nautique in the future?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, we currently have vertically integrated technology sharing (engines, transmissions, v-drives) but at this point that is pretty much it. As of now we have decided to keep the externally facing parts of our boat companies (product development, sales, marketing) separate and encourage each company to develop its own technology and maintain a clear brand identity. I won’'t say we will never let our companies use each other’'s technology but for now we think the way we are managing it is best.
Jeff Carroll: Correct Craft has always been a company that helps others. Can you tell us about some of the recent work that Correct Craft has done in this area? Is this a culture that you look for in companies that you acquire?
Bill Yeargin: Service is a critical part of our culture Jeff and in the last year we have served in some impactful ways. Last July we took over 70 employees to Jamaica to work in a special needs school there. Last Fall a group of us went to Puerto Rico to provide hurricane relief and this January many of us went up to the Florida panhandle to provide hurricane relief there too.This summer we have over 100 employees scheduled to travel to Merced California to provide community service help in the city where we build our Centurion and Supreme boats. We will be working to refurbish a community service center, making repairs at the community zoo, and making home repairs for elderly in the community. As I mentioned previously, we are calling it “Loving on Merced!”
The companies we acquire generally have great cultures, but we would not be able to buy any company if we expected it to have the same culture as we do. Correct Craft’'s culture of service is very unique and I am very happy to see how our team embraces it.
Jeff Carroll: Since our last interview, we lost a great industry icon, Mr. Ralph Meloon, son of the founder of Correct Craft. How does Correct Craft keep his legacy a part of the business? What other Meloon family members are still a part of Correct Craft?
Bill Yeargin: Losing Mr. Ralph last year was tough on our team. He was such an important part of who we are that it would be crazy to think he is replaceable. It is important to me that we honor his legacy by continuing to live out the values he helped instill in us and I am committed to do that.
Ken Meloon is currently our board Chairman and his son, Greg, is the President of Nautique and son-in-law Thomas is our VP – Sales and Marketing. Additionally, we have other family members in the company in different roles. While it has been many years now since the Meloons have owned Correct Craft we still immensely value both the foundation they built for our current success and the contribution they still make today.
Jeff Carroll: Employee development is nothing new at Correct Craft. I have watched lots of Correct Craft employees obtain MBA's with the support of Correct Craft over the years, and most of them have advanced to prominent roles within the company. I think that’s great! I wish more companies gave their employees opportunities like that.
A couple of months ago, Correct Craft announced that it had started a new employee education program (Correct Craft University). Can you give us some details on what exactly this is, and how it helps your employees? Does every Correct Craft company have access to this program? What level of participation are you seeing?
Bill Yeargin: Jeff, there are few things that provide me as much satisfaction as developing our team. One of the great benefits of our growth is that it has provided opportunities for many on our team to learn new things and grow into new roles. That excites me!
Over the last decade or so we have invested heavily in our team. We have provided many development opportunities. We have employees who have gone back to get undergraduate degrees and we have supported nearly 30 employees going back to get MBA’'s. Continuous improvement is a key part of our culture. We talk about our desire to be “learners” and NOT “knowers”.
Correct Craft University (CCU) is an important next step in our learning culture. It is a program that is designed to provide every Correct Craft employee an opportunity to develop. We just kicked it off earlier this year and I am very happy with the initial participation.
Interestingly, we have had others in our industry ask about what we are doing and our interest in working with them on a program. This may open the door for Correct Craft to start an employee development company that would work with more than just or own companies; we will have to see if something develops on that.
Jeff Carroll: Anything new with your cable parks? Are they still doing well?Bill Yeargin: The cable parks are doing fine and we are planning to open a third park, Elite Cable Park, between Orlando and Tampa in a few weeks. Additionally, last year we opened a hugely successful aquapark at Orlando Watersports Complex and hope to open a similar one at Miami Watersports Complex later this year. We love the vibrancy the parks add to our business.
The water parks have faced two challenges. The first is the proliferation of parks around Florida and the country and the second is the focus on wakesurfing. However, the parks are tremendous fun and you can find me wakeboarding at one of them every week this summer!
Jeff Carroll: Correct Craft seems to be making a significant investment in innovation. Can you tell us some of what you are doing?
Bill Yeargin: Sure Jeff, innovation is a passion of mine.
I have always been highly interested in the future and what it will bring. As part of that interest, a couple years ago I attended a 6-day program at Singularity University that had many of the world’'s top technology experts share their thoughts on where technology is going and how it will impact the world. After that course I became more convinced than ever that the world will be dramatically different in ten years.
I believe the world will be so different that many of the companies we know today, including those in the boating industry, will be at risk for survival. With this in mind, I wanted to redouble Correct Craft’'s effort and focus on innovation and to do that we started a new entity, Watershed Innovations.
Watershed Innovation is off to a great start. We have acquired an electric propulsion company and have made great progress on a new system we believe will create a great alternative to internal combustion engines. We are working on telematics, IoT, robotics, additive manufacturing and virtual reality. We are making a huge investment in these technologies and I believe we are preparing our companies well for the future.
Jeff Carroll: You have been involved in working with politicians on the state and national level to help promote the boating industry. We’'ve seen you working in Washington, meeting with legislators in Florida, and even hosting Vice President Mike Pence at Correct Craft. Why do you do that?
Bill Yeargin: Good question Jeff, sometimes I ask myself why I do it!My involvement in Washington happened a bit by accident. A few years ago, I was in a meeting with government officials in South Korea that resulted in me (in a roundabout way) meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office (it’s a long and unlikely, but I think, interesting story.) After my Oval Office meeting with the President I began being invited to events in DC including four more visits to the Obama White House and a visit last Fall to the Trump White House. I agreed to serve on cabinet level advisory commissions for both the Obama and Trump administration and as you mentioned, was honored to host Vice President Pence at our Orlando facility in late 2017.
I am honored to serve my country and hope to bring a voice of reason and pragmaticism to our leaders in Washington DC.
Jeff Carroll: It seems like Correct Craft has had tremendous success over the past decade. To what do you attribute that?
Bill Yeargin: An amazing team! Jeff, I learned a long time ago that the best way to be successful is to surround myself with people smarter than myself and I have clearly done that at Correct Craft. Our company presidents and Correct Craft team are incredible. They fully embrace our culture and get impressive results. I am honored to be along for the ride!
Jeff Carroll: You’'ve always been a big reader. Why is that important for a business leader, and why (and what) do you encourage your employees to read? What are you reading right now?
Bill Yeargin: I love to read Jeff and probably finish about 75 books a year. I encourage our employees to read and we build it into our training. I will often recommend a book to an employee and the team calls that getting “booked!”
I want our team to be “learners”, not “knowers.” Learners are continually getting better and that is one of our core values. There is no way we could have accomplished what our team has been able to do as “knowers” and I am happy so many at Correct Craft and our companies are striving to be “learners.”
I always have two books going at any time (one on my Kindle and another on Audible.) Right now on my Kindle I am reading “Finite and Infinite Games” which is a mind bender of a book that is REALLY making me think. On Audible I am just finishing “Crucial Conversations” which teaches the importance of and how to have the tough conversations we all usually try to avoid. Next week I will be reading two different books. – I love learning!
Jeff Carroll: What’s in your boathouse this spring?
Bill Yeargin: I have had the same G23 in my boathouse for a couple years. The production demand has been so high on them that I have felt bad ordering a new one when dealers are clamoring to get all we can deliver.
Jeff Carroll: So, what are our your long-term plans? You are not going anywhere are you?
Bill Yeargin: I get asked that a lot, but I don’'t have plans to go anywhere. I am still in my 50’'s and I am very high energy with a lot of gas in the tank. We have very high goals at Correct Craft and I know our team is going to build on our already impressive track record to do some big things in the years ahead. I am looking forward to working with them to continue “Making Life Better!”
Jeff Carroll: I have been a Correct Craft enthusiast for many years now. I love everything about this company – the business success, the honesty and integrity, the employee support, and the great products. I am so happy to see this company growing so much! Congratulations on the continued success of Correct Craft and thank you for all that you do!
Anything else you would like to add?
Bill Yeargin: Thanks Jeff, though it has been several years, it is always an honor for me to do one of these interviews with you.
Our team does not take our incredibly supportive customers for granted. We genuinely care about our customers and want to do all we can to make their life better. I hope you and all the Planet Nautique members have a great summer on the lake!
Comment