I was sitting with shot callers who had been in this industry for 20 years, and I kept deferring to that. What I eventually understood was that my outside perspective was an asset. In a male-dominated industry, pushing hard against tradition rarely moves people. Instead, championing best practices and shifting us toward data-driven decision-making presented a transparent, stable foundation with room for everyone to stand on. If you had to choose one memorable achievement in the marine industry, what would it be and why? Today, we have 50 employees. Fifteen are full-time, and the rest of our team are year-round and seasonal part-timers. Since 2019, we have employed 212 people. Wow! I am blown away by that number. I am incredibly proud that we create jobs. Not every employment experience is great, and not every employee departure is difficult. It is a privilege to be part of someone’ s work experience journey. The director of sales and marketing for our entire company started as a college intern a month after we opened. Today, she’ s one of the best in the network. Was it difficult to navigate a career in this industry? Why or why not? All of this is possible because my partner Zach dreamed big for our family. That big dream of a little local boat club was surpassed in the very first year, and we needed help, and fast. One day, I was working in my dream job as a civilian data nerd for the Marine Corps and the next day I was scrubbing down decks. What made navigating a career in the marine industry difficult was simply the nature of the work- it’ s hard. It is hot, it’ s buggy and I had to protect myself from everything nature would throw at us. Alligators were something I definitely didn’ t anticipate, but the silver lining: they keep birds away from boats. What made it worth it? Other than being able to pay our bills? The people. I would do it all over again the same exact way because of the amazing people I get to do this with and for. How do you hope to inspire other women in the marine industry? I want other women to see that inspiration is only half the equation. My job is to back it up, to actively recruit women into this industry, advocate for their promotions and make sure their contributions are rewarded. That ' s where real change lives. What is your favorite place to go boating? I love cruising the Intercostal Waterway on a Cobia 21 Bay. It’ s the boat I learned on. Wide open throttle from Topsail Island to Carolina Beach( taking appropriate breaks). That is what feeling free at work feels like! My favorite place? I loved boating in the San Juan Islands. I’ m tearing up thinking about it. I was with my favorite people in the world, half a world away from home, fishing for salmon. That place is really special. What are some of your favorite non-boating hobbies? Outside of work, I am a reader. Fiction, non-fiction, thrillers, mysteries. I don ' t discriminate. Books are how I decompress. I also have a legitimate board game problem. Right now, my family is deep into a Betrayal Legacy campaign, and the strategy and storytelling involved scratches a completely different part of my brain! The thing that probably matters most to me outside of work, though, is volunteering with Paws4People in Wilmington. It ' s an organization that trains assistance dogs for veterans and children with disabilities, and giving our time to that mission, both personally and as a family, keeps everything else in perspective.
www. boatingindustry. com june 2026
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