After a long and successful career, most people would be happy with a traditional gold watch as a retirement gift. But for JC Manufacturing, they wanted to send Larry Baumgardt off with something a whole lot better, plus something his wife Clare can enjoy as well.
“Kim Cripe surprised me to say the least last December by presenting us with a NepToon Sport 23 as a retirement present,” said Larry in May when he took delivery. “The boat is now built and launched. After 23 years of helping other people design their dream boat it was a lot of fun to design one for myself!”
During his time at JC, Larry had a lot of responsibilities, but it’s his demeanor that will probably be missed the most.
“If I were to sum Larry up in one word, it would be professional,” says JC President Kim Cripe. “He knows the boating industry inside and out, he knew the product he was selling from top to bottom and he knew his dealers and the market they were selling into.”
But as the president of the Indiana-based pontoon company, Cripe was also impressed with Larry’s integrity and said he would never let a dealer order and stock a boat that was not the right fit for that dealer’s market.
“He lost sales from time to time because he was always looking out for his dealers,” added Cripe. “When Larry worked with retail customers he kept to the same standard, never inflating the product and always trying to sell people a boat that truly met their needs and wants. The qualities that made Larry a great asset to JC and a great asset to the marine industry are rare. Thankfully he has just retired and I can still call him for advice.”
