Happy Yule and Happy Birthday to me!

I mentioned that I was welcoming my son-in-law to CF.    I will be groooming him to eventually take over the business.    I want this year to be HUGE.    I really want him to understand the relationship between how much hard work translates into positive results.  

In order to jump start this HUGE year....I am offering the following-   mention this blog when you place an order for a Safe Step Custom Extended swim platform and I'll give you 15% off of the basic platform price.   I would like to see our volume double again this year.   It won't be easy, but I think it would give Kale a real taste for how successful he can be in this business.   Kale's wife, my daughter Alee, will be working on keeping the website:   www.myswimplatform.com  updated.   Thanks Alee!

And if you are in the neighborhood, stop by and meet Kale and say hi.    He will bring a lot of energy, enthusiasm and creativeness to our work.

Happy holidays to all of my customers.    Cheers, Scott

2011 comes to an end and I welcome a new member to our team!

Here comes Christmas!    Time goes so fast.    I now have two grandchildren and I've been with Jeanne five years now.    WOW Jeanne is my lovely wife if you did not know.

I did a "fifty at fifty" list last year.    Sort of a bucket list, except it has nothing to do with dying.    Just a list of 50 things I wanted to accomplish between the ages of 49 and 51.    If you get the chance......do one.    It was a kick in the ***.   I'm already thinking about my 60 at 60 list!
Luckily, most everything is good.   I also believe that the harder I work, the luckier I get.   In other words, I think that most things that are happening to me are good because I work hard to make it so.

I try to keep that in mind when my customers approach me for a product or service for their boat.   I seriously want to work very hard to give the customer what they are looking for....not what I need, but what They are looking for.   They have worked hard to make the money that is needed to pay for the service that I provide.   So I respect that hard work with a product that makes the customer feel that they made a good decision.

Right now I'm enjoying the holidays.    Before I know it, it will be time for the Boat show.....shortly followed by another busy spring.    I would not have it any other way.    The only thing different this year, is I'll have my son-in-law working with me.    He has decided that he wants to learn the business and eventually take it over.    Again, I'm grateful as I think this will be a great additional and great energy !    Welcome Kale!

To view more pictures of what we are capable of, visit the photo galleries on the website:   www.myswimplatform.com!  

Cheers all......and see you soon.   Have a great holiday season......

New product at Contemporary Fiberglass

Hey everybody:

You've probably noticed a recent change on the website.   I've added a new product-    All wood SUP's. (stand up paddleboard)

A gentleman from St Maries Idaho approached me to see if I could fiberglass the all hollow wood SUP's that he had made from strips.  Of course, I told him that I would help him.     He was so impressed with the work that he told me that he'd like to partner to sell more of the SUP's.

Since we started making these I've found out that Stand Up Paddleboarding is now the fastest growing sport in Americal.   I made one for myself and used it over the Labor Day weekend.    I love it.  It is very relaxing to get away and just paddle.   It's also a very good core workout.

I'm very excited to be working with Mitch Santos as he is a skilled craftsman and experienced woodworker.   Our boards are high end and very unique.    They are the only strip hollow wood SUP's on the market.    We also offer unique options such as wood burned graphics and PolyUrethane top coating for UV resistance.

Also available are SUP accessories such as paddles, leashes, non-skid options, carrying bags, etc......

They really are pieces of art that float.   They will last a lifetime and are an investment in FUN.    If you are interested in owning one....contact me and we'll build you one custom to your specs, just like my swim platforms.

At contemporary Fiberglass we are getting ready for our busy fall season.    Usually summer is a bit slower, but not this year.   It was just as busy as the spring which was our best Ever.   I am so blessed and grateful.  

Cheers, Scott

Spring has sprung!

It's been a very wet spring in the Pacific Northwest. I write this as I'm watching it rain / snow outside. It's the end of April keep in mind and it's supposed to be 65 degrees and sunny. Doesn't matter to the business however....It's been terrific. The platform business is going to double again. I don't know how big it can get, but I'm anxious to see.

I decided to write today regarding a shipment issue. I had the first freight damage claim that I've ever had in 12 years. Luckily, the end customer rejected the package and took video of the damage before it left. That will make the claim much easier to collect on. That's what I'm being told anyways, we'll see what the freight company says.

Once again I'm so proud of my platforms. The design, the materials and the workmanship. The package arrived just beat to *&%$%^$! It was apparent that the freight company had abused the package. Once I received the package back to the shop and inspected the platform. It was pretty amazing, given how hard the platform must have been hit, the small amount of structural damage. In fact, I was able to repair the platform instead of having to build a whole new one.

I think it's important to keep in mind if you are shopping for a platform, that you may accidently bump the platform into a dock, another boat or some other hard object over the course of it's life. I know that I would want a platform that could take a hit without fracturing, and maybe even breaking.

The last thing I want to talk about is my customers. I've got the Best customers in the world. To me, nice matters. And the great majority of my customers are so nice. They take the time to send kudos and pictures of their platforms once they get them mounted and out on the water. I've gotten more tips this year than any other year in the past. So nice.

And thanks to Mark, who designed a platform with "wings" and awarded me the chance to build it for him. It was great fun and it should look very cool on his Formula.

One more month and I'm off to Alaska for a well deserved on week fishing trip with my buddy Chuck. Until then, it's long hours making you your custom extended swim platforms......building your dreams. Hey, that sounds like my new logo....."Safe Step Swim Platforms; We build your dreams". I like it!

Cheers, Scott

What a Great start to this business year!

Hi again. I had a terrific start to a busy year, even before the end of the boat show. And I had the best boat show that I've ever had. I was not sure how it was going to go given that the weather here is Spokane has been cold, wet and windy. I don't remember when the wind blew more and harder than it has this year.

I currently have so many platforms in the shop, and more in the wings, that I simply can't keep up. For the first time ever, I'm quoting lead times of more than four weeks. And my suppliers are telling me that they are experiencing similar results. So maybe the recession is weakening and we are on the road to recovery.

I had a chance to make a swim platform last month that was a little unusual. I've always wanted to do one...had several inquiries but never a firm order until now. I've made platforms for outboard boats before, but never one for a smaller runabout with a large outboard. I think it turned out great. I had to test the motor in several positions to get the cutout correct. I was able to provide the customer with lots of extra room, safety and funtionality that he did not have prior. he was very pleased.

In fact, he mentioned how much he appreciated the daily updates, photos and progress reports that I e-mailed him. I'd have to say that it is the number one positive feedback that I get. People love to see that their platform is being worked on, how it is built and that it is being built according to Their specs. It simply makes sense to me....but I'm told that it is Above and Beyond a normal customer service. So be it. I vow to continue to do this no matter how large the company gets.

So I will close now with the suggestion that if you are thinking about ordering a Safe Step Swim Platform........let's get to it! Soon, my leadtime quote will put the install out to the beginning of the boat season. You know you want it mounted in time for boating season. Please call or write if you have any questions.

Have a Great rest of your Spring!

Scott

What's up at the Boat Show?

Well. There we were. On the first day, Saturday, I sold four platforms. The best start to the boat show ever. And, it did not let up. I think people are definitely ready to go boating. I'm rested from my vacation and I'm focused on making this the best year for Safe Step Swim Platforms ever.

I want to talk about warranties. I have to tell you about a bad experience that I'm having right now and then expand to how that relates to my business.

My wife bought me a new Dell laptop for Christmas. It has all the bells and whistles, including a Blue Ray DVD player. The Blue Ray has never worked. Not from day one. Dell has sent two techs to the house....no success. My wife has spent, conservatively, 80 hours on the phone with techs trying to figure out why it won't work. We wanted our money back. We were very frustrated. Dell said no. Finally, Dell gave up and said that the best they could do was to to give me another computer.

It arrived and the Blue Ray did not work in it either. Still Dell would not refund our money. And now, the warranty has run out and there is nothing apparently that we can do. I will Never buy a Dell ever again.

So what about Contemporary Fiberglass. If you read my testimonials, I think you'll will see that I work hard to make my customers happy. In particular, there is a testimonial from alan. He mentions that there were hiccups that I addressed. What is not spelled out is that there were cracks show up in the platform that were not a result of my labor or materials. Alan had strapped his boat to his trailer around the platform. This put an abnormal amount of stress on the platform and cracked it.

Alan was very nice about how he approached me...so I fixed it at no charge to him. Now I'm not saying that this is how I would approach every instance, but I just tell the story to let you know how important it is to me to stand behind my product. It's about integrity and how you want people to talk about their experience after the check has been paid.

I'm not saying that I have 100% happy customers either. There are a small number of people that I've figured out I can't make them happy....no matter what I do. Through talking to other small business owners, I know that I'm not alone. I don't take it personally. I try my best and treat people right. I've figured out that when I can't make some people happy, it's not about me at that point....it's about them.

So, if you purchase a platform from me and for whatever reason you have trouble....rest assured that if it's something I've done wrong, I'll do what it takes to make it right.

Have a Great year!

Scott

Here comes 2011

I tried something different this past winter. I was invited to spend some time with my sister and her husband on their 44 foot sailboat in the Abacos, the not-so-well-known part of the Bahamas. It was not an easy decision. I decided that since I might just not ever have this kind of opportunity again, I was going to go. My wife and I spent three weeks with Kathi and John and another week satisfying my wife's Harry Potter fantasy at Universal Studios in Orlando.

I'm very glad that I made this decision. We had a blast. We snorkled, scuba dived, hunted lobster,conch and fish and played in the sun. Harry Potter was Very cool, but Very crowded.

We also had a chance to visit the SeaDek plant near Orlando. We got a nice tour and exchanged some ideas on how to increase our business-to-business relationship. I picked up several of their samples of their new faux teak product. It has been so popular that they limit any new orders until they work out their inventory issues.

So, I'm rested, relaxed and focused. The Spokane Boat Show is coming up and I'm psyched. My gut feeling is that because of the crappy weather / boating season last year, folks around here are going to have a lot of energy to put into their boating experience. I'm getting a ton of inquiries from all over the world about the Safe Step platforms. It's a great product backed by a great support team and customer service. I don't know what else I could offer but I'm very comfortable the way the business is growing. And I'm very proud of the continued nice comments about how the platforms are helping to make my customer's boating experience even better.

So if you are waiting....ask yourself why? If I would have waited or worse, decided not to go to the Bahamas... I would have missed out on the best vacation I've ever had!

Bye for now. Scott