The Surtees Boats line-up at the recent Hutchwilco Boat Show. Photo/File
Surtees Boats, the Bay of Plenty-based recreational fishing boat manufacturer, is looking to gear up its production capabilities in response to strong local and export demand, says Toni Palmer, one of the five shareholder directors who are closely involved in the company.
"There are plans to expand," she said. "We
just want to make sure we don't bite off more than we can chew. Growth is one of those things that can be a death knell for a company - we want to make sure it's controlled and we're trying to do it in-house from cash flow."
The company had learned a lot during the global financial crisis, she said.
"We were never under any threat during the GFC, but all the shareholders have other outside businesses and we all saw what the GFC could do. It taught us to be very cautious and make sure we remain in a strong position."
Surtees Boats was started by Neil Surtees in 1992 in its present location near Whakatane. In 2005, he decided to sell and Tabak Business Sales, in which Ms Palmer is a partner, was brought in to advise on the sale. Ultimately, Mr Surtees decided to remain a shareholder and Ms Palmer decided to invest in the company. The original eight shareholders eventually became five, including Mr Surtees and Ms Palmer, along with Phil Sheaff, who serves as managing director, his brother, Dave, and Don Howard. All of the owners are based in Tauranga or Whakatane.
