// PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP
BI : Your design focus has addressed anything above the waterline that can be seen and touched by the boating consumer . In those areas , what have been perhaps the most important product and design development ( s ) of your career ? PG : Forward-facing bow seats ; flip-lip captain ’ s chair ; custom steering wheels ; wrapped dashboards ; custom instrumentation ; pickle fork hull appearance ; reverse transom and sheer lines ; and above all , concept boats .
BI : What is your strategy for continued success ? PG : I study and read everything about the automotive industry , because they lead the boating industry in styling and strategy . I stay in touch with the brilliant auto designers and continue to monitor the marketing efforts in that field .
What innovative design can do is make the automotive industry start watching the boating industry for a change .
BI : Who ’ s your design mentor ? PG : I watch the well-known automotive designers and how they created and / or responded to market changes . Jack Telnack , head of Ford Motor Company , stands out . He created a revolutionary design in the first Ford Taurus AND worked on Trojan Yachts . He obviously enjoys “ out of the box ” design ideas and loved boats .
BI : Any mentors within the marine industry who helped you along your business development and career path ? PG : So many ! Roy Thompson . Terry Bogart and Bill Ek , Cruisers ; Bob Smith , Classic Boats ; Pack St . Clair , Cobalt ; Leon Slikkers , Tiara ; Earl Bentz , Caymas ; Eddy Smith and Kris Carroll , Grady-White ; Bob Long , Wellcraft ; Jeff Napier , NMMA ; Jim Hoag , Bayliner ; Dick Eich , Larson ; Bob Steinway , Bayliner ; Paul and Duane Kuck , Regal ; Victor Porter , Thunderbird ; Dick Genth , Chris Craft ; Peter Stamas , Stamas ; John Dorton , Mastercraft ; and Dan Bramhall , Cobalt .
BI : As you consider your boating industry career , what are the biggest challenges you ’ ve faced ? PG : It ’ s an ongoing challenge . Most product development strategies , both in and out of boating , combine design with engineering . Few realize that the engineering department is a challenging fit with the design department . Design is about the client . Engineering is about the company . Nuts . Bolts . Costs . Numbers . Engineering determines how a boat stays afloat on the water . Engineering determines if the company can afford to make a boat . Design looks at the customer , the way the boats is used , who his family is , and above all what he wants to feel when he ’ s at the helm . What does the boat say about him and who he wants to be seen as ?
BI : What advice or words of wisdom can you share with the industry about the importance of ongoing R & D and investment when it comes to new product design ? PG : Maintaining an ongoing effort to develop concepts is vitally important to a company ’ s future . An executive in the boating industry is not unlike many other executives in the world . One must deal with the “ today ” company and plan for the “ tomorrow ” company at the same time . Ignoring a continuing design effort places you in a reactive position to your competition , and relegates your company to a sub-standard ideal . In other words , with no advance planning you ’ re relying on poor planning .
Design is like stocking a store shelf . When it ’ s time to grab something new , you ’ d better have the shelves stocked with innovative ideas .
BI : What ’ s ahead ? What do you see on the short and long-term horizon when it comes to new product design and development with the recreational boating niche ? PG : I ’ m dismayed at the lack of elegance in much of today ’ s product . In the short term , it appears that the inclusion of technology remains at the forefront of the buying decision process . Long term , I believe that the consumer will eventually treat technology applications as an expectation rather than a “ WOW ” factor . When that occurs , we will see a move back to personal taste .
BI : Besides your primary role at Granata Design , what other marine initiatives have you been involved in over the years ? PG : Probably my favorite involvement was president of the Marine Design Resource Alliance from 1997 through 2008 . It was 501 ( c ) 3 organization that partnered with leading boat manufacturers to award scholarships to design students . Its goal was to foster future designers with forward thinking innovations that would make sure the boating industry didn ’ t get left out . 2009 took its toll and the MDRA was disbanded . I still think it should be re-imagined and resurrected because the boating industry needs innovation .
BI : Speaking of young designers , what ’ s your advice to those seeking to launch a career in the boating industry ? PG : Understand that when a company hires you , you will be attached to “ engineering ” – companies always fall prey to the idea that it ’ s ‘ design and engineering ,’ and ‘ sales and marketing .’ Successful design knows no such boundary . Take your lead from marketing ; learn as much as you can from engineering , but never take your eye off customers ’ aspirations .
In the end , a successful designer is someone who has satisfied the sales department . Your primary job is not “ saving the company money ;” your job is to ensure that the company has the best opportunity to make money .
BI : Besides your boating industry career , you also dabble in residential design ? PG : Design , the way I approach it with an aspirational focus , translates to almost any usage . How will the product be used and how will the owner want to be seen ?
Doing homes has been a hobby for many years and I got so many requests to help someone building a home or remodeling , that I put a shingle out . I ’ ve done almost 20 different projects in the form of condos and residences in Telluride , Chicago , and Hilton Head Island . I work with architects the same way I work with engineers in the boating industry .
BI : Do you presently own a boat ? PG : No , I ’ m shopping !
BI : Outside of the work environment , what do you do for fun ? PG : Bike and eat cookies .
BI : Mantra or words you live by ? PG : Keep a smile !
www . boatingindustry . com may 2023
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