After 25 years in Seattle, SailboatOwners.com is pulling up stakes and moving to... wait for it... Florida!
There are a number of reasons for the move, not the least of which is Al Fooks, who acquired SBO in 2017, lives there. But that's not the real driver behind this change.
As I'm sure you know, Florida is the center of the recreational marine universe. Being there gives us access to the most experienced suppliers on the planet and lots of people who know the boat building business from the bottom up... including the parts that make it happen.
We opened a Florida warehouse in 2021 and it's already been a huge success. The contacts we've made and the team members we've hired (like Mike Thomas, who some of you may recall from Hunter Marine) will change the trajectory of our organization for years to come.
No one is leaving; we were working virtually long before the pandemic and our Seattle team will be just as vital as they always have been.
Some things will change, of course. Later this month our phone hours will synch up with the Eastern time zone and orders shipping to the eastern US will have shorter transit times. Most of the specialized vendors we use for Hunter and Catalina parts are in Florida, so we'll be able to get inventory shipments in a day instead of a week.
Bottom line, we believe this change will improve our product offerings and service, over time.
As always, thanks so much for your continued loyalty and support. We look forward to serving you from our new location!
There are a number of reasons for the move, not the least of which is Al Fooks, who acquired SBO in 2017, lives there. But that's not the real driver behind this change.
As I'm sure you know, Florida is the center of the recreational marine universe. Being there gives us access to the most experienced suppliers on the planet and lots of people who know the boat building business from the bottom up... including the parts that make it happen.
We opened a Florida warehouse in 2021 and it's already been a huge success. The contacts we've made and the team members we've hired (like Mike Thomas, who some of you may recall from Hunter Marine) will change the trajectory of our organization for years to come.
No one is leaving; we were working virtually long before the pandemic and our Seattle team will be just as vital as they always have been.
Some things will change, of course. Later this month our phone hours will synch up with the Eastern time zone and orders shipping to the eastern US will have shorter transit times. Most of the specialized vendors we use for Hunter and Catalina parts are in Florida, so we'll be able to get inventory shipments in a day instead of a week.
Bottom line, we believe this change will improve our product offerings and service, over time.
As always, thanks so much for your continued loyalty and support. We look forward to serving you from our new location!
