MOVERS & SHAKERS FINALISTS
Aisquith continues to share a passion for the water today .
Aisquith and his wife enjoy a waterside vacation .
Anothony Aisquith has led OneWater since 2008 .
at OneWater . Our employees come first ,” Aisquith said . “ If we take care of our employees and we focus all of our energy in providing our employees with the tools they need to succeed , they will take care of our customers .”
Aisquith explained with that mentality at the core of OneWater , they ’ ve been able to learn things for the betterment of the entire company with each and every acquisition , all while allowing the locations to retain their individual identities and places within their respective communities .
In an often-aging industry where many dealers have little to no exit strategy , Aisquith and Singleton have built OneWater into an opening for a model that allows those dealer principals to exit on their schedule . With that model also being built on the idea that the principal can stay with the dealership if he or she wants to , continuing to work , but eliminating the risk and headaches of ownership .
“ Our goal is to leave a lot of entrepreneurial identity within the various groups of dealers ,” Aisquith said . “ By not changing the name , by not changing the marketing , it can be a little more work on the backside sometimes , but it retains the identity and often times much of the leadership team that communities have grown to love .”
Through acquisitions , record profit years and a constant commitment to its team members – and customer service – under the direction of Aisquith and Singleton , OneWater Marine was named the Boating Industry Top 100 Dealer of the Year two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017 , moving the company into the distinguished Top 100 Hall of Fame , further cementing the company ’ s dedication to supporting the strongest dealership locations across the U . S .
“ The way we look at business , every boat dealer has five businesses within it : a new boat sales department , used boat sales department , a finance department , parts department and a service department ,” Aisquith said . “ And most boat dealers are really good at doing one or two of those things . We really emphasize doing things a little differently and training on all five of those categories to the point where they each stand on their own as a business , instead of being rolled into one . And doing so helps set every location up for unprecedented success moving forward .”
In January of 2020 , Aisquith and the OneWater Marine leadership team helped bring the company to the next level , launching its initial public offering on the NASDAQ Global Market . Additionally , Aisquith was named to serve on the company ’ s board of directors in May of 2020 .
“ As our industry changes and adapts to new challenges and new technologies , we will also change and adapt to consistently put our team in a place of success time and time again ,” Aisquith said . “ We aim to be complete industry leaders when it comes to not being afraid to try new things .”
A mindset of being willing to do things a little differently sometimes , paired with a complete dedication to its team , is what Aisquith explains is part of One- Water ’ s “ secret sauce ” to success , or at least as much as they ’ re willing to share .
As Aisquith and OneWater move well into the future , with new acquisitions , new technology partners and much more , one thing for certain is neither intend to slow down in any endeavors when it comes to creating memories on the water .
22 october 2023 www . boatingindustry . com