Chip Fendt and the Personal Touch

Joe Vassallo was frustrated and confused.  He spent most of last summer trying to buy a boat, but he wasn’t sure what kind of boat he wanted.  He is a performance boater at heart who had owned a couple of different boats over a 20 year period.  After raising a family and building a new house, he was ready to get back on the water.  But in what?  As the economy worsened, boat dealers and manufacturers became increasingly aggressive in trying to sell him inventory.  “I don’t criticize boat manufacturers as they all build gorgeous boats and dealers are just trying to sell them—that’s what they do,” says Vassallo, “I was driving myself and the industry crazy—I was all over the map, yet I was afraid to pull the trigger.”   But as boat manufacturers and dealers were trying to push their product, he had to ask, “But is that the right boat for me?”

Vassalo knew Chip Fendt as he had bought other boats from him in the past, so he called on his old buddy to lend a hand.  “Chip talked to me like a friend—asked what I wanted and needed—what my family would enjoy.  He asked valuable questions I never asked myself.  I was thinking about the ‘cool’ factor, the ‘WOW!’ and I’d probably have kicked myself down the road if I had only thought about myself.  Chip spoke from the heart and gave examples of his and other customers’ experiences so I could learn from them.”

Vassalo calls hiring Fendt to represent and help him “a sound investment and business decision.”  “If people think they don’t need this kind of help, they’re letting pride and ego get in the way and are not thinking it through,” he states, “You’d better know what you’re doing before you sign on the bottom line.  By spending some money on the front side, you’ll be happier, knowing you made the right purchase.  Cost, it’s like buying a tank of fuel.  I have a business to run, a family to take care of—I like having an agent—he did the ground work.  This is an important decision—it’s like buying a house—you have to do your homework on everything from style to re-sale value.  I was stressed and losing sleep.  Chip told me, ‘This should be FUN!’ and he’s right—you have to be relaxed and like what you’re pursuing!”

After looking at everything from custom performance boats to sport cruisers, Vassalo decided on a 39’Nor-Tech with Mercury Racing 700’s.  “I value Chip’s opinion,” he stresses, “I hired Chip and I’m glad I did—financially, I think it was a good decision!”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Gene Weeks 727-235-9846                             

CHIP FENDT JOINS STATEMENT MARINE

St. Petersburg, FL – In an ongoing effort to keep the throttles down and continue the momentum gained during its successful launch at the Miami International Boat Show, STATEMENT Marine has announced the addition of Chip Fendt to its growing team of industry veterans.

Fendt, of Sarasota, Florida, is a World Champion offshore racer with more than 30 years representing boat manufacturers such as Talon, Donzi, Hustler and Outerlimits.  He will be “dedicated to sales and customer satisfaction,” according to company spokesman, Gene Weeks, who added, “We want the purchase experience to be perfect from start to finish.  Chip’s industry knowledge and dedication to customer service is the perfect fit for our company philosophy of total team effort.”

Fendt‘s broad range of experience from racing to manufacturing to sales and brokerage will all be incorporated to his role at STATEMENT.  I couldn’t ask to be in a better place,” he commented, “The West Coast of Florida is not only home to me, but it is a great place to test and run performance boats.”

Weeks explained that all members of the STATEMENT “Dream Team” – from the front office to the production floor – have at least 10 years of industry experience, which is important in delivering the quality fit, finish, rigging and service of a truly custom-built, high-performance boat. The company plans production of only a half-dozen boats per year which allows for the attention to detail necessary to achieve the high-end finished product offered by STATEMENT. 

“Chip is the perfect fit for our efforts to maintain customer communication and satisfaction throughout the boat building process,” Weeks said, “We have collected an unusual combination of talent, so STATEMENT becomes more than a one-man company with a concept and product to sell.  We bring to this company a broad variety of backgrounds and expertise—it is truly a boat builder’s and buyer’s ‘Dream Team.’”