West Marine exists to help people have fun. Nobody (well, almost nobody) actually needs to own a boat. Which means that most of their Customers own boats because they want to have fun. Whether they’re fishing, racing, tubing, waterskiing, or just out for a quiet cruise, their Customers are committed to having a good time.
They’re authentic. Their founder, Randy Repass, started West Marine by selling rope to fellow sailing enthusiasts out of his garage in Sunnyvale, CA. Because he’s a boater himself, he understood what boaters needed, so he kept looking for better ways to provide it and more of what they wanted. His goal was, and still is, to serve Customers better, not to become the biggest. But by focusing on their Customer’s needs, they managed to become the biggest, too.
Everyone on their crew knows what they’re committed to achieving and how they will go about it. They recognize, encourage and celebrate the fact that each of them brings something unique that helps to make them a better, stronger Company and, not incidentally, that diversity also helps to make them an infinitely more fun and stimulating place to work. A vital part of their success is that all Associates are important contributors to Company efforts. Their forward-looking initiatives and Company-wide endeavors are clearly communicated to all Associates, new and seasoned alike, so they can meet and exceed their goals as a team.
