Crockett Bros. Fits Yacht Builder's Strategy To
Expand Service Network
To better service its customers in the Chesapeake
Bay and mid-Atlantic states, The Hinckley Company has acquired the assets of
Crockett Bros. Boatyard, Inc., in Oxford, Maryland, it was announced here
today. The full-service boatyard and marina will be renamed Hinckley Yacht
Services.
Hinckley, regarded as one of the world's premier builders of semi-custom
sailing and motor yachts, has been steadily expanding its network of service
yards during recent years to keep pace with the rising popularity of its
Talaria® jet boats, including its classic Picnic Boat®. In addition, the
company opened a new sales office in Annapolis this January to sell its
complete line of Sou'wester® sailboats, Talaria and WhisperJet boats.
"Hinckley has always been committed to offering the highest level of service
to its customers," said
Ralph Willard, the company's president and CEO.
"With more than 100 Hinckley sailboats and jet boats now cruising the waters
of the Chesapeake, the time had come to find a top-shelf service yard that
was convenient to these owners and bring it under the Hinckley umbrella."
"Crockett Bros. is a perfect fit for Hinckley," said Gerry DiSchino,
President of Hinckley Yacht Services. "The yard is centrally located, it
has a highly trained workforce and it has sterling reputation among
yachtsmen in the Chesapeake. That gives us a very strong base from which we
can build," he explained. He noted that expansion of the yard's off-site
winter storage capabilities is already under way.
Philip Conner, president and owner of Crockett Bros. since 1978, commented:
"I can't think of a better company to pass my company onto than Hinckley.
Our cultures are remarkably compatible in terms of being sticklers for
detail in everything we do and believing in training and retaining the very
best technicians. Our customers can be sure that the yard will only get
better with Hinckley at the helm."
To assure a smooth transition to
new ownership, Mr. Conner will stay on with
Hinckley for at least five years according to Mr. DiSchino. Hinckley also
plans to retain all Crockett Bros. employees. Technicians will be given
intensive training at Hinckley's Rhode Island boatyard in servicing Hamilton
water jets, the JetStick® handling system pioneered by Hinckley and all
other aspects of maintaining the high-tech boats. The technicians have
already been factory-trained and certified in maintenance and repair of the
Yanmar engines that power the boats.