2025 IBEX seminars presented by ABBRA
Better Bidding: Turning an Estimate into a Polished Proposal
Wednesday, October 8
Customers sourcing the best boatyard for their refit, repower, or paint project usually will solicit estimates from multiple yards. What makes one proposal stand out from the rest? It’s not always better pricing; a winning proposal is more than just a spreadsheet. Learn how to provide your prospective customers with an overview of your business’ capabilities, experience, and insight along with a thoughtful pricing structure. Plus, help that customer learn to read every estimate they receive critically so they can make their decision more thoughtfully — whether it’s a choice for your boatyard or one better suited for the project.
Speakers: Sam Howell (Langan Design Partners, LLC), J.B. Turner (Front Street Shipyard)
Boatyard Ethics: A Few Golden Rules
Thursday, October 9
Have you ever felt like you are operating your boatyard with a different code of ethics than other boatyards, vendors, or even customers? Stop making strategic decisions that are guided by little more than an employee handbook and a conscience — especially when you’re likely doing business with companies that rely on little to no ethical doctrine. Instead, learn how to sew strong threads of integrity into the fabric of your company, which will support healthier expectations and outcomes among your staff, subcontractors, and customers. We’ll even imagine a world where every boatyard in the country operates under a shared code of ethics.
Speakers: Todd Lochner (Lochner Law Firm), Chad Morse (Ashbreez Boatworks)
Boatyard Management Challenges: A Roundtable Discussion
Tuesday, October 7
Boatyards share a spectrum of common challenges, regardless of size, location or specialty. From internal complications like quality control, billable hours and employee conflicts, to external pressures like economic fluctuations, natural disasters and legislative changes, these persistent operational obstacles require fast thinking and flexibility. The boatyard managers on our panel come to us from around the country, prepared to discuss openly their unique solutions to some common problems. Not only will they share their logic and choices when confronted with critical issues, but they’ll use the advantage of hindsight to present their honest assessments of those choices. Audience members are invited to offer their own perspectives so that boatyards everywhere can benefit from a wealth of shared experience.
Speakers: John Fitzgerald (Saunders Yachtworks), Andy Tyska (Bristol Marine)
Outstanding Outsourcing: Integrating Subcontractors into Your Team
Wednesday, October 8
Even the most talented boatyard employees can’t always do everything. Whether there are time constraints, specialized services, or owner requirements involved, some service work has to be outsourced. Independent contractors may do things differently than your in-house team, but they can all work together effectively. Learn how to develop policies, expectations, and shared goals among every technician touching a vessel. Putting in place the best possible work plan results in the best possible product – with no more finger-pointing when something falls through the cracks.
Speakers: Colin Kiley (Oasis Experiences), Zack Parrish (TDW)
The Perils of Paint: Creating Consistency in Yacht Coatings
Tuesday, October 7
Setting up and spraying the perfect paint job is always a challenge, regardless of the customer’s color choice. Runs, pinholes, dust, and clouds are top of mind for any professional paint pro. But what happens when the paint color itself becomes part of the challenge? Recent changes in how paint colors are mixed by manufacturers or vendors have resulted in inconsistencies within the same color shades. These small differences in color tones make big differences in paint work that requires many gallons of the same shade or repair work that depends on a color match. Our panel of coatings pros will discuss the current challenges in color matching, and they’ll share case studies of paint jobs gone wrong — and made right — when color becomes a variable in the perfect paint job.
Juan Carlos España (Peake Coating), Bill Robishaw (Front Street Shipyard)
Register Soon for IBEX
IBEX 2025 registration will open soon. Visit the IBEX website at ibexshow.com to learn more about the full conference program, as well as the exhibition of products and services. If you have suggestions for seminar topics or speakers for future ABBRA seminars, please contact us at [email protected].