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MARCH 2016 FOGHORN 15 QUALITY FERRIES FROM THE VIGORKVICHAK TEAM 144-CAR FERRY KVICHAK 400 PASSENGER-ONLY-FERRY 206.545.8485 KVICHAK.COM SALESKVICHAK.COM 1.855.VIGOR99 VIGOR.NET MARINESALESVIGOR.NET About the Author Bob Shaw is a veteran industry executive having led over 100 vessels re- sponsible for over 10 million passengers a year. He can be reached at shawrwgmail.com. tors in a pinch and I know my com- petition has bailed me out more times than I deserve. I love going around the country and seeing former young crewmembers now in significant lead- ership positions with local operators. It is satisfying to know the good stuff we do lives on. I even believe you can give anyone your playbook what really matters is how fast you can cycle through it and keep innovating. Good competition can be a great thing. We have lots of stories about competitors fighting our entrance only to be rewarded when we dump seven figures annually on sales and marketing that promotes the whole industry. Just look at how Navy Pier exploded and then the Chicago River with dozens of boats with wonderful reputations. The pie has truly gotten larger for all. While we tend not to want to share sales and marketing informa- tion if only to give our mutual marine teams a good laugh there are ways to cooperate. For years I got together with industry experts outside my market. Each time I learned something new validated my theories got told something my team wouldnt tell me and had some amazing laughs. The recent PVAAnnual Convention at MariTrends 2016 was a surprisingly intimate affair. The record snowstorm created a cocoon effect in the hotel for the attendees. It was a blast to catch up with so many friends and industry leaders which reinforced why we do these conventions. These events build and foster camaraderie which makes it easier to lend that extra hand on the waterfront. It reminded me of my first PVA convention in Hawaii in January 1991. It was surreal for us so far away to watch the start of the Gulf War air campaign. At that long-ago conven- tion so many industry leaders today were kids Bob Lawler was a college student working at Bay State Cruise Company the current owner of Bay State Michael Glasfeld worked on the Bateau London with waterfront characters that spoke with Elizabethan accents courtesy of their heritage as their families had been mariners on the river since the 1500s. Dan Yates was just out of the Navy and business school working with Spirit Marine and Tom DAmato was an energetic food and beverage expert and now a veteran GM in the toughest market New York City. From my experience I offer this advice Lend that extra hand on the waterfront to continue our tradition of the rising tide lifting all boats. Youll find the going better while enhancing your wonderful legacy. n BUSINESSMATTERS