Janie took over the accounting and day to day business operations including purchasing. It wasn't a high profile position. But what few realized was the knowledge she was acquiring. I learning about the products we built, how they were made, what the production costs and materials were and most important, how to maintain a working inventory and manage future demand for products. These lessons have helped her maintain an even keel during the vagaries of the business.
People forget the boating industry rises and falls with the economy.
Boat sales and related products are all about discretionary income. They survived because of products like the Armstrong Outboard Bracket, which continues to flourish as the industry standard, and because of Vallery's push towards new products such as the patent-pending Armstrong swing away ladder and the patented water tight deck plates, which were first developed for the outboard bracket and now are catching on with manufacturers. These simple watertight compression plates provide a stronger, uniform pressure seal with integrated O-rings, that are easily accessed and secured with fingertip control. Armstrong has always built ladders but this really is a refinement and improvement on most boat ladders because one, it floats, and two it's weighted and designed to angle away from the boat like a step ladder - even in the water. And it is easily locked in place and detached for easy installation or storage.