Meet Our Tiara Rep

Meet our TIARA

REPRESENTATIVE

An Interview with Sue Kane

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR TIARA YACHTS AND HOW HAS YOUR JOB POSITION TRANSITIONED?

Thinking about this has made me realize that I have worked at Tiara for more than half my life! This past May, I celebrated 37 years here, and I find it hard to believe it has been that long. My journey at Tiara started in our customer relations department where I began as the administrative assistant which quickly evolved into becoming a customer service/ technical representative. Several years later, I joined the sales team in an internal sales management position where I could use my knowledge of our products to assist dealers and our outside sales team with new boat sales. Currently, I enjoy my position on our sales team as a business development manager for the Midwest, West Coast, Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world outside of the U.S. My main responsibilities are to work with our current dealers in those territories to grow their business, help them plan for growth based on our corporate goals, keep them abreast of current and new product development, and strategize for new opportunities. Also, I work to establish new dealers in any of these market areas where our brand is not currently represented.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

We are constantly reviewing our manufacturing processes and looking for ways to improve and streamline. Every time I go out into the plant, I learn something new about our processes and new materials we are using. It is exciting to see changes develop even on a weekly basis. I love working with our dealers and helping customers build their dream boat. So many times, I hear, “I have always wanted a Tiara,” and it is such an honor to work with my dealers and their customers to make their dream a reality. I thrive on the everyday challenges of this business and the thrill of seeing someone so happy when they set foot on their boat. When I first started here, my boss said, “The last person that needed a boat was Noah,” and that is something we have to remember every day. We sell dreams and we sell fun and that is what motivates so many of us!

"We sell dreams and we sell fun and that is what motivates so many of us!"

WHAT MAKES TIARA STAND OUT FROM THE REST OF THE BOATING INDUSTRY?

First and foremost is our heritage and that is the Slikkers family. We are family owned and have been a Michigan-based company since the beginning. How many boat manufacturers can say that their founder comes to work every day and has the vision to create that what Leon Slikkers does? He has an unending desire to improve and challenge our team and our designs. The family has instilled in us, their passion for designing and building the best and that makes everyone in the company want to give 150% of ourselves. From our hull designs, to our performance criteria, to our manufacturing processes, to the quality of the products, to the relationships we build with our customers and our dealers – there is passion, love, and pride in what we do, through and through, every step of the way. Our brand continues to evolve with not only our inboard products, but also our outboard models continue to grow. Our latest introduction of our 48LS with triple Mercury V12 600hp outboards has been a resounding success and we are continuing the growth with our inboard models as well.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OUTSIDE OF WORK?

I love being on the water and we often vacation in Northern Michigan where my dad taught me how to sail. Growing up, we always had a sailboat or a power boat, so boating has always been a part of my life. I’ve been riding horses since my grandpa bought me a pony when I was four years old. I showed competitively in hunters/jumpers until I was in my late 30’s and that has been my passion outside of work. Now, while I still do some training, I ride for pleasure and just enjoy the time I get to spend at the barn with my horse. My husband and I also have two Great Pyrenees dogs that keep us busy.