Innovation and quality drive Thunderbird Products in the motorboat business.

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With gasoline prices as volatile as they are today, recreational motorboat manufacturers might feel a pinch in their bottom lines. But Thunderbird Products saw the writing on the wall, and the family owned business based in Decatur, Ind., is acting to make new customers comfortable with their investments.

To entice potential buyers a little more, Executive Vice President Grant Porter says Thunderbird has launched a fuel reimbursement program this summer that can save its customers up to $1.50 per gallon of gas used in their boats. The program will run through November 2008, and so far, Porter says the response has been encouraging.
“We think it will ease some of the uneasiness people have over the price of fuel,” Porter says. “In order to justify getting into a new boat, we’re putting the price [of gas] back to what people were more comfortable with.”

Thunderbird Products was founded in 1956 in Miami by Woodie Woodson. In 1958, Vic Porter, Grant’s father, began building and selling small fiberglass runabouts under Duo Inc. Starcraft purchased Duo in 1966 and kept Vic Porter as president.

After Thunderbird and newcomer Formula merged in 1963, Vic Porter purchased the company in 1976 and brought it under the Porter umbrella. Today, the company manufactures all its lines out of a state-of-the-art facility in Decatur that boasts more than 500,000 square feet of production space.

The company’s product line consists of the Formula brand of boats, which includes Bowrider, Sun Sport, Super Sport, Cruiser, Yacht and Fas3Tech.

Grant Porter took time to speak with U.S. Business Review recently about Thunderbird’s position in the industry, the company’s attention to detail and his vision of the future.

U.S. Business Review: What are Thunderbird’s strengths in the industry?

Grant Porter: We’re very focused on quality and have a good quality reputation. We’re very innovative and have a performance background. We’ve built many performance boats over the years, but that attracts a different type of customer.

Primarily, we’re more focused on large boats that include some with single engines. But we’re looking at a lot of new technology, including that which involves joysticks to help in the docking of a boat with twin engines. And we keep developing larger and larger boats.

USBR: How do you stay on top of the latest design trends?
GP: We’ve kept the same designer, John Adams, since 1969. We have a lot of continuity as we go through updates, and Adams is very innovative. He has brought a lot of innovation to our company throughout the years and will continue to do so.

USBR: What developments and innovations are going on in the company today?
GP: We continue to develop boats that are day cruisers in our Sun Sport line. We started with this back in the mid-’90s when we found that many people just want to go boating for the day and not sleep on their boats.

These have comfort and ride features, so we’re continuing to develop it more because we feel like it’s a growing market.

USBR: What trends are going on in the industry, and how is Thunderbird responding?
GP: It is probably the demand for flexibility. We need to come up with products that are more active so the whole family can get involved in the boating experience. The Sun Sport line is a good example of that trend. People want more day-boating and water activities that happen in the daytime rather than overnight.

USBR: What sets the company apart from the competition?
GP: It’s our attention to detail. We’re a very detail-oriented company, and that is evident when people look at our products and how we function. We have beautiful designs but also make them function very well.

USBR: What qualities do you seek in new employees?
GP: We’re looking for people who are detail-oriented and know that quality is needed. They also must be willing to put out the extra effort to meet the customers’ needs and continue to grow.

USBR: What is your future vision?
GP: We will continue to grow and provide a safe, dependable boating experience for families around the world.