August Success Story- Jones Mobile Marine Service, Inc.

Jones Mobile Marine Service, Inc.
Kevin Myers
946 West Utah Avenue, Unit B - Payson, UT 84651
801.427.0668

Boating is a huge past time for families in Utah. There are so many beautiful lakes and reserves in this desert; and what better way to spend a day with the family than relaxing on the water in the sun or skiing behind a speeding boat. Kevin Myers grew up with boats around him. As a kid he worked in his dad’s and uncle’s business named Eagle Marine. His goal was to own his own place someday, and that dream came true in 2001 when Eagle Marine closed its doors. Kevin purchased all the inventory and tools from Eagle Marine when it closed, and started his business working out of a garage. He named his business Jones Mobile Marine Service, Inc. He quickly realized that the purchased inventory contained many boat parts manufactured from 1950-1990 parts that are not manufactured any more parts that a boat owner will pay a good price just to find them. This is one of Kevin’s distinct competitive advantages.
Kevin’s start-up year was difficult- because of Kevin’s youth and lack of credit history, banks were unwilling to loan him money. Also, the garage he worked out of was too small for working space and storage. As a result Kevin transformed into a mobile boat service and would work on the boats at the customer’s home. This was difficult, time consuming, inefficient, and expensive for the boat owner. Kevin needed money for a shop location large enough to service multiple boats and store parts. He had his wife Carly contacted Ken Fakler at the Orem Small Business Development Center. Ken helped him create a business plan that resulted in a loan from a local bank. Also, Ken helped him locate a building and forge an acceptable lease with the landlord. The result was that the new efficient business has resulted in a doubling of sales each of the three years he has been in business; the need to purchase a larger building to keep the business growing; and the hiring of his father (who has years of experience) to keep an acceptable turnaround time on contracted work.
The rising price of gas has not affected Kevin’s business. His sales are still climbing and he is still booked one to two weeks out for work. He has added a new service where he picks up and delivers boats to customers; this helps to lock people into doing business with him. When Kevin purchases that new building, he hopes to start selling a line of small fishing boats and will expand his boat trailer services, boat detailing services, and his parts offerings. Also the expansion will help them maintain their personal, attentive service with his customers. Kevin knows what service really means.
With the help of the Orem SBDC, Kevin and Carly are making their dream come true. In passing, Carly just had their second child; nothing like another good family business to make America the most economically advanced country in the history of the world!