Episode 15

full
Published on:

24th Aug 2023

The Power of Unity and Innovation with Phil Smoker of Smoker Craft Boats

This week hosts Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Phil Smoker, Vice President of Sales at Smoker Craft Boats. Phil shares the history of the family-owned business and how the company transitioned from a lumber company to building boats and eventually merged with StarCraft to create a larger and more innovative product line. He also highlights the cooperative spirit in the South Bend Elkhart region and the company's focus on innovation and technology, including the use of robotics in their manufacturing process. Phil shares his own entrepreneurial experience and emphasizes the importance of creating a thriving community for future generations.

South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!



QUOTES


  •  "We found that there wasn't any magic formula or there wasn't a way that you had to do everything exactly written out for you. You had to just find a way to make it work. And I think if there's anything I learned, it was that you just went out and found a way to get it done." -Phil Smoker [09:18]


  • “Especially with the last two years, it's been challenging with materials and supply chain. As challenging as it is, we've had to adapt. So you never followed the exact order in which you scheduled things. You did it based on what you had materials for. So our schedule would change within the week and now production tracking allows us to know exactly what boat is running at what time and where.“ -Phil Smoker [13:02]




TIMESTAMPS

00:23 The history of Smoker Craft Boats

03:49 Cooperative spirit and competition in the South Bend Elkhart region

10:17 Innovation and problem-solving at Smoker Craft

11:14 Implementation of industry 4.0 and automation in the manufacturing process

13:45 The increase in boat sales during the pandemic





RESOURCES

Smoker Craft



CONTACT

Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 

Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/

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About the Podcast

Rooted and Reaching
Stories about local Startups and Founders in South Bend and Elkhart
There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region.

In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.