Cover
Story
Steve Vogel
n’t
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s.
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irst, going
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rther
of employee
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ddy h
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om home th
a n d h is b u
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it
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th e ir fi r s t
ould have
erienced, an
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.
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r t the won
th e y c o u ld
out.
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we dream ab
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have to
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ton
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mare would
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ays, Benning
of being a bo
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a
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ve’s
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of course,
legacy to Ste
.
r eas,y and
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rst
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e tw o
od days a rea
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the
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boys were
late for dinn
e right reaso
b le T w a in
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a
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ok
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xperiences
s ty le . T h e
e y w e n t,
were other e
t story in Ste
th
rs
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s that have b
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to the const
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stays in
parable
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3 m il e s , o n
Bennington
It’s an incom
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s.
f
n
o
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so
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adven
boy’s adventu t
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a
st
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ry
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with a job th
rm
a
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at was wellfe harbor” an
day went
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it
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e value of so
serve as an
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th
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the right thin n
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in
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to w
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the idea for
sn’t put
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me to questio
te world doe
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th
rp
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tion.”
tev
expected to
made of.
winning posi
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family sat S
a
y
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n
in
th
a
p
n
m
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e
m
h
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th
c
w
what a
and
clean hands,
page 16
or else.
bvious nuts
o
r…
e
e
Continued on
p
th
p
r
e
su
a
ft
t
A
to
a
th
a
e
down
id
e
e chased th
ed
nt bolts, h
e
m
o
m
any is found
e
p
th
m
o
r,
c
e
l
v
e
fu
w
ss
o
e
h
succ
This was,
da
ys recognize
o
b
e
th
in
re
whe
I
14 | Marine CEO
March, 2011
Bennington
Marine
“People want to do
the right thing”
March, 2011
Marine CEO | 15
Fresh out of college, Steve,
with the insouciance of youth,
took a risk that first landed
him in the boating industry.
He was working in a huge
company with great prospects
and a solid beginning to a great
corporate future. After about a
year, however, he walked in to
Human Resources and handed
in his notice. He didn’t discuss
it with his boss. He didn’t even
discuss it with his wife, Sandy.
Human Resources wanted to
know why; the answer was that
he was bored out of his mind.
Soon after–the next week in
fact–he landed a job with a
little fishing boat company
as a comptroller. It was less
money, but he didn’t leave for
the money. As a green kid, he
might not have been able to
explain it, but years later, his
dad put it into words when he
said, “Do what you love.”
This is what Steve set out to
accomplish with his company.
He wanted to create a company
that not only would be
something he loved to do, but
also one that his employees
would love to work for, that
suppliers would love to work
with, and that customers would
love to buy from. He wanted
to do the right thing for the
right reasons for each of those
groups of people. His gift, (born,
perhaps, in part of having found
himself down-river without
a paddle) is problem-solving.
In fact, Steve gets a lot of his
motivation from solving these
kinds of problems. He embraces
this stuff with an attitude that
says “Bring it!”
Many people pay lip service to
those kinds of ideals but often
they don’t know how to carry
them out on a daily basis. They
don’t get “lived in” until they
16 | Marine CEO
March, 2011
are as natural as an old shoe.
Steve lives them so he’s able to
create them in each product
they produce. Steve has been
able to also let a little creative
juice flow into the product line.
He gets involved in the look
and function of his product
line from a design standpoint.
All in all, there’s a little bit of
his integrity, vision, and sweat
equity in each boat.
“A CEO,” Steve explains, “is very
much like the conductor of an
orchestra.” Of all the things that
might keep him up at night,
the number one thing is people.
It’s important to do right by the
people that make, use, sell, and
buy his company’s products.
That’s a pretty big orchestra.
It turns out that Mr. Holland’s
Opus is one of his favorite
movies. Mr. Holland, sadly,
wasn’t aware of the symphony
he was really conducting until
the end of the movie. It was the
lives of the people he touched.
That was just a feel-good movie,
but the inspiration it produced
was real. Plus, Steve Vogel is
aware of his symphony. He
also gets inspiration from many
sources. The Blacked Eyed Peas
album titled The E.N.D., which
are the initials for “Energy
Never Dies” is another source.
The thought behind that title
made an impact. In fact, if there
were a movie made of Steve’s
life he’d want the title to be
“This is the E.N.D.”
So, how does all of this talk of
ideals, principles, and music
play out when the doors open
and the employees come to
work? Well, once he’s had to
ask an eager employee to stop
getting to work at 4:30 in the
morning and, oh yeah, over
the course of the economic
downturn Bennington Marine
grew by around 16%, give or
take a point.
It took some thought and
careful planning, and a couple
of drastic actions here and
there, but it worked. Steve
decided to take a risk and fly in
the face of the experts touting
gloom and doom. He thought
that the product–spelled as
the c.u.s.t.o.m.e.r.–shouldn’t
suffer a loss of quality. Instead,
Bennington packed value into
the product line. They added
quality without charging more.
They didn’t cut corners, reduce
amenities, or use cheaper
materials. Now, a Bennington
consumer gets more “in the
box” than before. The company
cut back on their own overhead
and they increased efficiency.
Essentially, they looked for ways
to trim the pork.
As the future rolls toward him,
he hopes to do more mentoring.
He’s gained insight and
knowledge over the years. His
experiences have taught him
and he doesn’t jealously stand
guard over his knowledge. He
passes it along.
Steve Vogel has earned his place
in the boating industry and he
doesn’t forget where he came
from, or where he’s going. He’s
made something beyond a few
boats. He’s made a difference
in the lives he’s touched. It’s a
legacy any man’s father would
be honored to have.
March, 2011
Marine CEO | 17