Today Brunswick officially unveiled the latest addition to its portfolio, the Brunswick Boat Group Technology Center, located at the Boston Whaler headquarters in Edgewater, Florida. In an attempt to continue its push in design, technology, engineering and overall vision for the recreational boating markets, Brunswick’s new technology center will house a staff of creatives whose mission is to push the limits of two iconic brands, Boston Whaler and Sea Ray. The new 45,000 square foot facility will employ more than 160 people, who, while working on Whaler and Sea Ray, will also support all the Brunswick Boat Group’s brands.
While Florida Governor Ron Desantis and Congressman Michael Waltz were in attendance and made comments to the assembled crowd and media, along with Brunswick CEO David Foulkes, the honor of cutting the ribbon to the new facility went to 43-year Brunswick veteran Eric Skaggs. Skaggs, who over his career has worked extensively on both the Whaler and Sea Ray brands, was honored and excited to be part of the unveiling, saying, “It’s really neat to see the young talent they’re assembling (in the Technology Center) and to see how far they can push things and what they can innovate. It’s going to be special.”
Lenn Scholz, VP of Product Development for the Brunswick Boat Group Technology Center stated:
“As we’ve for the tech center over the last nine to 12 months, we had a vision of redefining boating. Everything we do at the tech center fundamentally starts with consumer research. We’ve put the top talent in the industry together and tasked them with take that research and transform it into leading edge products. That’s what you can expect to see coming out of the new technology center in the years to come.”
Below, is the official statement from Brunswick, in its entirety.
EDGEWATER, Fla. (September 30, 2019) — Brunswick Boat Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), has officially opened its new, 45,000 square foot technology center in Edgewater, Florida, home to the industry’s most formidable boat product development, engineering and design teams. The opening of this facility is the culmination of a strategy that was announced in late January, designed to bring engineering and design functions together to create a world-class center for product and technology development, and design excellence.
“We are changing the future of boating by bringing together the best engineering and design talent in a state-of-the-art facility to collaborate on advancing marine products and technology and integrating that technology to differentiate Brunswick boats,” said Huw Bower, Brunswick Boat Group president. “The Brunswick Boat Group Technology Center is another substantial step in executing our vision to define, create and embody the future of recreational boating.”
The Technology Center will initially employ more than 160 people with a mission to engineer and launch innovative, industry-leading products for two of the most iconic brands in the marine industry– Boston Whaler and Sea Ray, however, this powerful new center of excellence will also provide support to the entire Brunswick Boat Group portfolio. The Technology Center, which is located on the campus of Boston Whaler’s global headquarters, will create jobs in the local community and provide Brunswick the opportunity to attract top talent from around the world.
“We have established a strong foundation of cross-functional and cross-brand initiatives over the past few years while also carefully preserving and enhancing brand identity,” said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation Chief Executive Officer. “And we continue to make investments that leverage the power and scale of our enterprise with centers of excellence like the Technology Center, the Boat Group Integrated Manufacturing Center and our consolidated business units (Venture Group & Aluminum Boat Group). Through these initiatives, we are unlocking growth, productivity and efficiency opportunities across all our brands. We will continue to be the leader in integrating consumer-centric new technology into our products; pushing forward the boundaries of recreational boating.”
“The technology center is comprised of a group of high performing individuals with more than 1,500 years of combined experience, collaborating to elevate our product to the next level,” said Lenn Scholz, Brunswick Boat Group Technology Center vice president. “We have been looking forward to the official opening of this facility so we can fully leverage our entire organization and rely on the experience of everyone on the team and the most advanced technology center in the marine industry.”
In addition to product development, the technology center will be focusing on new advances in technology including boat construction methods and materials, electronic technologies, connectivity, autonomy and more; all working together to make boating better and easier.
About Brunswick
Headquartered in Mettawa, Ill., Brunswick Corporation’s leading consumer brands include Mercury Marine outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages; Mercury global parts and accessories including propellers and SmartCraft electronics; Power Products Integrated Solutions; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood, Garelick, and Whale marine parts; Land ‘N’ Sea, BLA, Payne’s Marine, Kellogg Marine, and Lankhorst Taselaar marine parts distribution; Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Lowe, Lund, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Thunder Jet and Uttern boats; Boating Services Network, Freedom Boat Club, NAUTIC-ON, OnBoard Boating Club and Rentals. For more information, visit brunswick.com.
