This industry leader is the chairman of the MRAA’s Young Leaders Advisory Council, the owner of Norris Marine, and a new dad. We had the privilege to learn about his background and what he is contributing to the future success of the marine industry.
Q: Your family has been in the marine industry for years. Tell us about that and how you ended up where you are today.
Easton: My father has been in the boat business since 1965. He still owns and operates a dealership in southwest Oklahoma. I certainly grew up around the business, but actually didn’t jump right in after college. After college, I working as a mortgage banker for 6 years. An opportunity came up to acquire Norris Marine and I am 7+ years in.
Q: It seems to be a year for growth at Norris Marine. What are you doing differently today versus this time last year that has helped you stay competitive in your market?
Easton: I can’t say there is any one thing that stands out this year over last year, moreover I believe our growth is a culmination of our strategic plan put in place 3 years ago. Our team is always striving to be better and we are far from where we want to be. But with hard work and a commitment to delivering first class service we look to continue to build our brand within our market.
Q: We know that the Young Leaders Advisory Council is currently working on a few projects to help combat our industry’s workforce crisis. As the YLAC Chair, what are some of the ideas being discussed by our young leaders that you feel will have a positive effect on our industry?
Easton: It’s no secret that our industry has a skilled labor shortage, specifically a technician shortage. The reality of most dealerships is that its nearly impossible to simply hire an experienced technician at will. YLAC is focused on helping the MRAA potentially create a ‘blueprint’ for dealers on how to implement an apprenticeship program within their dealership and/or service department. There are certainly talented young people that are willing to learn and by successfully implementing an apprenticeship program dealers can grown their own workforce.
Q: To stay on the hot topic of workforce, what advice would you give to prospective Norris Marine employees?
Easton: Our focus within our dealership is to delivery world class service. If you want to succeed within our dealership, you must by in to the culture of delivering the best experience for the customer everytime. If we can do this as a team, everything else will take care of itself. I tell prospective hires that our customers write our paychecks, I just happen to sign them. In order to succeed, new employees must buy into working as a team to deliver for our customers.
Q: To end the interview, tell us 5 things that people may not know about you!
Easton:
- My wife Ashley and I have a 9 month old boy who keeps us busy.
- I’m a huge Oklahoma Sooners fan… probably to a fault
- I enjoy the mountains and love to snow ski.
- I love to cook and am an aspiring chef in my dreams.
- Jesus is my lord and savior.
If you have a nomination for the Member Spotlight section of our newsletter, please send an email to mickaela@mraa.com.
