4 SEPTEMBER 2018 • FOGHORN Technological Problems Occur When You Least Expect Them Recently, our company, the Padelford Packet Boat Company, had a major technology issue that hampered our ability to operate our business for a short period of time. While this catastrophic computer meltdown did not affect our vessels or their operations, it did affect our ability to communicate with our customers and our potential customers. As all of us who run small businesses know such surprises never occur at a “good time.” In fact, they often occur when we are spread thin or when we are distracted with other pressing duties. In my case, I simply addressed the problem like most other small business owners, and rolled up my sleeves and jumped in with both feet to try to fix the problem and get things up and running as quickly as possible. While I was knee-deep in owner’s manuals and Internet instructions my thoughts went back to Capt. Bill Bowell, our company’s founder, who was well known to instruct employees in times of emergencies to “grab a cigar box, throw some money in it, get up there and sell some [expletives deleted} tickets.” Oh, the good old days; they must have been great. While I was able to fix our problem, with minimal negative effect, it caused me to also reflect upon the fact that we do live in a connected society that requires tech- nology for our businesses to function properly. By and large, these conveniences are good for productivity and sales. However, when a small business experiences a major tech malfunction it can be onerous to work your way through the acronym-rich world of technology we find ourselves in today. Personally, I am fortunate to have taken a crash course in DNS, MX, A records, CNAME and many others that required numerous calls to our IT provider. During this daunting process, I developed a strategy early on in the multiple calls. These discus- sions were highly technical and I decided that to survive I needed to inform the technician on the other end of the line that “I’m just a river guy that knows nothing about these things, and can you please dumb it down for me.” This tactic worked wonderfully and after a fairly short period of down time we were up and running again. It’s a fact that technology has dramatically changed the way we operate our businesses. From communicating to prospective customers, to training crew and all things in between, technology has increased the effectiveness of our operations. Our customers and crew expect instanta- neous responses and we are committed to providing this level of service. I am amazed to walk around today’s vessels and shoreside facilities and admire the multiple ways that technology has transformed our industry in every aspect of day-to-day operations. Technology has changed the way we control engines. It has changed the way we navigate, including the way we communicate. Technology has changed and improved the ways in which we conduct marketing and sales as well as the way in which we train our employees and crew. Our association has even taken all of its training manuals, videos and guides and created, with the help of PVA member Maritime Learning Systems, an Online Training Portal that members can use to expand their crew training programs. Technology will continue to evolve and improve the way in which we operate our businesses. While the cigar box is an icon from yesteryear, I am looking forward to embracing the new ways that technology will allow us to get up there on deck to sell some tickets. Moving forward, one way to get the latest informa- tion about our industry and to reconnect with other PVA members in your region is to attend a PVA Region Meeting. The following is our PVA Region Meeting schedule this fall: September 18-19, 2018 PVA Southeast Region Meeting Meeting aboard Yacht Starship IV at Clearwater Marina, 25 Causeway Boulevard, Clearwater Beach, FL October 22-24, 2018 PVA Great Lakes Region Meeting Lilac Trees Suites & Spa Mackinac Island, MI October 30 - November 1, 2018 PVA Western Region Meeting Hyatt Regency Maui Lahaina, HI November 7-9, 2018 PVA Original Colonies Region Meeting Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor Boston, MA November 14-16, 2018 PVA Rivers Region Meeting Meeting on Gateway Arch Riverboat Company’s M/V Becky Thatcher St. Louis, MO We hope you are able to attend one of the upcoming region meetings. Your participation is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Gus Gaspardo President n LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Gus Gaspardo