// PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP
Travel is a top priority and pastime for Nancy, shown with her mother and sister during a cruise in Victoria, BC. Extensive travel abroad is on the horizon post-retirement!
BI: What do you believe are important leadership traits needed by those in the marine industry? NC: Resilience. This is an industry with ups and downs. Purchases in the industry are almost always made with 100 % discretionary income – that means as the economy goes up, our industry grows. The reverse is also true.
You must be willing to pitch in and do whatever needs to be done, as that will make you invaluable. If you’ re invaluable, you’ ll never be without a job.
BI: What have been the keys to carving out a successful and enduring marine industry career? NC: Being honest, organized, resourceful and willing to take on new challenges. My goal has been to work as hard as possible and do the very best job I can.
BI: What’ s the biggest challenge you see facing the industry? NC: The cost of boating is both a long- and short-term problem. When I started in 1999 at the Hartford Boat Show, you could get a boat, motor and trailer for $ 9,999. That meant that almost everyone could afford a boat. I do understand the customer has“ asked” for more on the boats, they want more than the teak seat and tiller that used to be the standard on the 13-foot Whaler, but my worry is that we have priced ourselves out of the marketplace. The competition for time continues to grow and as boating becomes more expensive, boating will continue to move down in the list of“ what to do this weekend.”
BI: When you’ re not working, what do you do for fun? NC: I travel, read, cook, quilt and I hope once I retire to spend more time volunteering.
BI: Any specific volunteer plans and other exciting activities planned postretirement? NC: I’ ve got an application pending for some volunteer work in Florida and hope to work with the Service Corps of Retired Executives( S. C. O. R. E.), helping new and existing small businesses with their business plans and understanding the process of running a business.
There are a few European trips already planned, including one to the Christmas markets in Austria and Hungary, and another month-long trip on various rivers in Europe.
BI: Final thought – as you contemplate your long-term industry career, what will you miss the most? NC: I will miss the NMDA members who have become my work family, and I will miss all the people that have graced my life the last 36 years I’ ve spent in the marine industry.
Wanda Kenton Smith runs Kenton Smith Marketing and is a veteran journalist, business writer and former editor of both consumer sports and marine trade magazines.
30 june 2025 www. boatingindustry. com