Marine Fabricator September/October 2020 - 24

says, adding the company is still doing
small PPE runs daily. "Keeping employees
motivated and the company culture going
strong is key-and the culture of this
business is that everyone is family."

When the pandemic hit, Lake Shore
Boat Top Co. pivoted operations to
manufacturing face masks, shields
and barriers during the time when the
company typically would have begun
prepping for the boating season. Now, it's
back to marine canvas and upholstery
work. Photo: Lake Shore Boat Top Co. Inc.

KEEPING EMPLOYEES
MOTIVATED AND THE
COMPANY CULTURE
GOING STRONG
IS KEY-AND THE
CULTURE OF THIS
BUSINESS IS THAT
EVERYONE IS FAMILY.
-Rob Kotowski,
Lake Shore Boat Top Co. Inc.

Rob Kotowski, owner of Lake Shore
Boat Top Co. Inc., found himself in
a similar predicament. The custom
canvas, upholstery and flooring marine
fabrication company located in St. Clair
Shores, Mich., was deemed nonessential
and instructed to close. Determined to
stay open, Kotowski says he had to think
of how he could keep things running and
his staff of 10 full-time and three parttime employees on the job.
"We changed over to manufacture
face masks and face shields as well as
barriers for the local supermarkets and
car dealerships," he says. "We became
a production line manufacturing for
the State of Michigan, as well as for the
general public."
The staff put in "countless hours"
producing COVID-19 gear during
the shutdown, he continues. It was
exhausting, but staff morale remained
high. As it happens, that time period
was when the company typically
prepped for the boating season. It
ended up starting this effort eight weeks
behind schedule. Still, the pandemic
has brought everyone closer.
"It's easy for anyone to feel exhausted
and burnt out, even more now since we
were so busy with the PPE," Kotowski

An intentional family
It's common to hear owners express the
desire for a company culture that "feels
like family." But what does this look like?
How is it accomplished? For Greg Keeler, owner of Oyster Creek Canvas Co.,
a full-service marine canvas shop in Bellingham, Wash., it comes from fostering
an environment of mutual respect where
put-downs, negative comments and making other employees uncomfortable aren't
tolerated. When problems pop up, they're
quickly identified and talked through.
"Many shop decisions are made after
taking into consideration the thoughts of
the employees, either through one-onone or group discussions," he explains.
Understanding how essential job
security is to his five-person staff's
sense of well-being, he implemented
safety measures, acquired some new
equipment (such as lighter-duty sewing
machines), partnered with a local
company that had a plotter/cutter,
and diversified into making masks and
isolation gowns, along with clear vinyl
and polycarbonate barriers. As of this
writing, Oyster Creek is balancing PPE
with its marine work.
"This pandemic has been a reset of
sorts, giving us time to reassess what
jobs we're taking on and giving ourselves
a little more space on the schedule,"
Keeler says. "I don't care if a project takes
longer than normal. I'm not going to
put anyone's health in jeopardy because
someone wants their boat canvas done
more quickly."
When he was building his business,
Keeler began offering more employee
incentives, such as a monthly stipend
to help offset health insurance costs,
paid holidays, pizza days and birthday

24 Marine Fabricator | Sept/Oct 2020

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Marine Fabricator September/October 2020

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