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  1. #1
    Moderator Vexus Boats sclark's Avatar
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    Your Vexus Boats Team,,,,,, So far !

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    "Success is never owned, it is rented, and the rent is due every day."

  2. Moderator Vexus Boats sclark's Avatar
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    #2
    From the Facebook page


    #41-50- Team VEXUS

    When I started this series there really wasn’t much of a plan. For some reason I felt a calling to tell the story. Maybe it was to help vocalize how important so many individuals were to an overall team effort. Sure, I loved looking at all the old pictures, but it was more than that. Really, I think I needed to remind myself where we came from. Sometimes that needs to happen before marching forward again. Marching forward. That’s what this post is going to be about.

    Life has a way of throwing you a curve. In watching those I admire I’ve noticed that they have a unique ability to see this and adapt. In fact, they usually take advantage of the change when others are kicking the dirt and complaining. I could give countless examples but I won’t. Instead let me talk about who’s marching forward with us-

    #41- Gary Howard

    AKA “White Cloud”. A guy that started building boats when he was 16 years and 2 months old. That was 46 years ago. During that time he’s established a reputation that’s known worldwide. He’s a perfectionist. More so than most anyone I know. That attention to detail becomes really important when designing a boat hull. It’s a trait one must have to complete the product development cycle correctly. Gary’s stories go way back. Like him, they’re entertaining. His experience isn’t duplicated in the industry. In fact, I can’t imagine building new boats without his knowledge being applied. That’s how critical he is.

    If you’ve got a strong running boat built in Flippin from 1971 until early 2017, then you’ve got Gary “White Cloud” Howard to thank for that…

    #42- Greg Hopper

    Greg’s tenure goes back almost as long as White Cloud’s. He’s such a complement to his brother Randy and other members of the team. Greg is that guy that you call when you need something done and don’t really know how to go about it. He has a God given knack for mechanical work, paint and finish, and having a big heart hidden behind his teasing. If you’ve worked with Greg then you know exactly what I mean!

    Greg oversaw the Quality Control dept for many years but he did so much more than that. I was there the night he wrapped the first FLW Sponsor boat. A process that’s so commonplace today that we forget that someone had to create the innovation. I saw him post paint many of the first Carbon Z520C’s in 2012 to celebrate a 45th anniversary. But he’s just as likely to be repairing a truck for someone that drove cross country to pickup a boat. That’s just Greg. And it’s what we Love about him…

    #43- David Sneed

    David’s the only guy I know that’s proficient in both breaking horses and writing copy for a new brochure. That’s how talented he is. David’s voice resonates throughout print literature and media these past few decades. Never does David fail to get the job done correctly and on time. Like others, his work ethic borders on being aggravating. I’d hate to know how many nights he’s gone without sleep to ensure the job was finished.

    If I had to sum up David it would be this way- he’s one of the few individuals that I’ve seen who took his God given talents and applied them with a strong work ethic. When that happens, the results are outstanding…

    #44- Lance Newton

    One of my generation of boat builders. Like me, he got hooked on our industry right out of high school. It’s fun to write about a guy that’s been on your team since he moved into my old house at college. We fished the same waters, chased the same critters, and came to work at the same place. Our parallel paths are important. Because without him, our march forward would look much different.

    I could go on about how great he is with managing projects. How he integrated other brands into a manufacturing footprint that would have refused the idea from anyone else. How he’s grown and matured into someone that the employees want to work alongside. But it’s going to be more fun watching him show us than me writing about it…

    #45- Mendel Hughes

    To be honest, every once in a while we just got lucky. That’s what happened when Mendel walked through our front door. His timing couldn’t have been better. Our new computer system was a darn mess. It was getting in the way of doing business right. In Mendel’s calm demeanor he tackled the problem, hired the right guys, and put us on the right path.

    Since then he’s taken the CFO role and given it new meaning. His numbers always foot. He has the work done before you thought to ask for it. And he’s a strong Christian man that provides steady footing for us all. Finding one better would be like hunting a ’51 Corvette…

    #46- Dan Heiskell

    Before Dan showed up we thought “Lean” was a reference to the fat content of beef. But not just anyone can come into our place using fancy manufacturing terms and get along. Dan could. His country boy roots and love for the outdoors broke down the walls allowing his philosophy and our team to improve in so many areas. Over time Dan won the respect of each and every supervisor, giving us a plant manager that made a very complicated job look simple.

    Dan’s dangerous. In a world where manufacturing execs spend most of their time talking and showing fancy presentations, Dan stays quiet and develops his own plan. Then he shows up one morning with it all done. In today’s world, that’s dangerous…

    #47- George Liddle

    Remember the post about Mike James? Well this guy learned the tradecraft from Mike. He tackled Wisconsin and Illinois in his early years. As a thank you we sent him to Minnesota to starve to death in the late 90’s. At the time very little of our product was sold north of I70 and west of the Mississippi river. Boy did that change. George helped in the development of new product and secured new dealers to penetrate the upper Midwest. When he left a year ago, his territory represented a large % of the overall business.

    George has so many talents but the common denominator is his ability to sell. And selling is what he’s about to start doing again…

    #48- Mickey Furr

    Mickey is unique. Nobody in this country has sold more fiberglass fishing boats than him. That’s quite a feat considering years ago a good many he sold were against what we produced. But fate had a plan. It brought Mickey to our team at a time when we needed someone solid selling in the heart of southeast America. He took the opportunity and seized upon it to the point that the competition was brought to their knees.

    All those years running the roads has allowed Mickey to have relationships that snake through the territory like no other. I swear if there’s a boat sold in his territory he’ll know about it before the warranty registration gets filed. He has a unique ability to befriend people and you just naturally want him on your team. I’m so glad he’s on ours…

    #49- Greg Patterson

    Greg is another instance where we simply got lucky. We needed an R&D person to help us get into the aluminum business back in 2011. Greg’s like a lot of us, you’ll misjudge him if you’re expecting the normal flash and loud promises of a veteran boat builder. Instead he’ll beat you to work in the morning, having thought about something all night, and literally blow your mind with what he can do with a flat sheet of aluminum. It’s fun watching him do that again…

    #50- The Advanced Marine Performance Team

    I could continue on about the other people behind our brand and our cause. They’re all so valuable and their commitment is downright humbling. Instead it’s time to gather them up for our march forward. It’s going to be different, but in a fun and productive kind of way. It’s a new name and a new beginning but our commitment to excellence is fifty years old. After all, it’s Forrest and Nina’s foundation that we’re building on. A foundation that’s as solid and proven as any in the world today. My commitment is that we won’t ever forget that. And we’ll never forget those that came before us…

    In Closing-

    I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts as much as I’ve enjoyed putting them together. It’s a walk back through history of a story that’s a real American Dream. A dream that spawned in a small town in North Arkansas and reached the entire fishing world. The comments I’ve received, whether on Facebook or countless other places, are truly humbling. It makes my heart happy to know so many people were touched by someone mentioned. I came across something a while back from a real writer. In my mind, it summed up why things worked so well for fifty years. It’s the same reason that it’ll work the next fifty-

    “Great things can be accomplished if you don’t care who receives the credit”- Harry Truman

    #therevolutionishere
    #fiftypostsforfiftyyears
    #thewayitshouldbe


    "Success is never owned, it is rented, and the rent is due every day."

  3. Member Obsessed's Avatar
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    #3
    Good read! Thanks.
    2017 Ranger RT188, Dual Console, Crystal Red Metallic, Mercury 115 Pro XS Four Stroke, Command Thrust with Tempest 24P, 52 MPH GPS @ 5200 RPM
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    #4
    Thanks for sharing.

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    #5
    Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to see what this talented bunch can produce.

  6. BBC SPONSOR
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    #6
    whole lot of AWESOME in that picture!

    Happy to have been there Friday!

  7. Georgia Bass Club Moderator fishnfool38's Avatar
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    #7
    Glad to see Mickey onboard...great guy!
    I would say good luck but looks like the right team and no luck needed!

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    #8
    They will have to be expensive to pay all those 6 digit salaries !!

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    #9
    Great group of guys.

  10. Member DeGraaf's Avatar
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Farmerman View Post
    They will have to be expensive to pay all those 6 digit salaries !!
    Really? Value comes in many forms. Nothing is more exspensive than not paying for quality, people or product.
    Wishing this project all the best
    2000 Ranger 520DVX 225hpdi

  11. Member MIKER2702's Avatar
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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Farmerman View Post
    They will have to be expensive to pay all those 6 digit salaries !!
    That is what I thought.
    Just another high dollar boat
    Coming. Somebody is buying these
    Regardless of the price.
    1998 bullet 20xd 2006 225 sport xs

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    #12
    Passed the facility yesterday, it's coming along pretty good, there is a half that's covered by wall from the rest. I saw sky tracks in there but can only assume pre reveal production will be going on in there once that section is completed and they move from the temp facility in Gassville. Good luck guys, can't wait to see some finished product

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    #13
    Saw Mr Daffron at the boat show in Springfield today but didn't see anything about Vexus there. Did I miss something or was he just an attendee like me?

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    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Cestratton View Post
    Saw Mr Daffron at the boat show in Springfield today but didn't see anything about Vexus there. Did I miss something or was he just an attendee like me?
    Intelligence gathering.

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    #15

    Cost of doing business

    Quote Originally Posted by DeGraaf View Post
    Really? Value comes in many forms. Nothing is more exspensive than not paying for quality, people or product.
    Wishing this project all the best
    We seem to forget how Ranger has giving so many boats to """Pro Anglers to use, talk about an expense at the cost of the consumer.
    If you have not ridding in a Vexus you should. Pretty amazing ....

  16. Kansas Bass Club Moderator
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    #16
    Any openings? I’d move down there for duck hunting and running retrievers! ������

  17. AR Bass Club/AR Fishing Moderator GhostComanche's Avatar
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    #17
    Nicely written.................RR


    "Never argue with an idiot; He will beat you to death with stupidity"

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    #18
    Got to meet Mickey Furr today at Bunch’s Demo Day, and what a great guy! You guys are lucky to have him. And, he somehow knew who I was even though I just bought my AVX1980 12 days ago. I could say the same about Keith Tripp as well who spun me around on the VX fiberglass boat today. The more Vexus employees I meet, the more I am impressed with your team.

  19. Panfish Forum Moderator SOONER*REDNECK's Avatar
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    #19
    Fisher 1710C - Mercury 60 Horse 4 stroke
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