Keep calm and do your best work

Published On: May 1, 2020Categories: Editorial

I am writing this in mid-April amid the swirl of anxiety over health concerns and financial worries. It might seem impossible to do your best work under these circumstances, but keeping your focus on work—no matter what it is—can help you find stillness during the daily rush of doubts and distractions. Your work might include pivoting to masks or face shields, prioritizing the safety of your families and employees, finding alternative ways to stay open when the phone stops ringing and continuing to use materials and processes that perform in rigorous environments. 

This issue is intended to bolster your efforts. The “Premier Product Showcase” features more than 40 marine products from quality suppliers—hardware, fabrics, equipment and more—that will help you deliver quality projects that you, your community and your customers can take pride in. “Succession Planning 101” discusses how to manage and pass your business along to family members seamlessly and effectively, something that many might be contemplating as this crisis continues.

Keith Purves, MFC, Trivantage, provides step-by-step instructions for creating leak-free U-zips; Terri Madden, MFC, Sand Sea & Air Interiors, reports on the newest boat show trends in upholstery and what customers might be requesting as things turn around in the coming months; and Russ Griffin, Northcoast Marine Specialties LLC, discusses profitable pricing and estimating strategies for your shop, which are more important than ever.

During difficult times, the primary goal, says modern Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday, “is to be able to spread the only positive form of contagion there is: calm.” IFAI wants to partner with you as we all work to stay calm and move forward together. We hope you’ll take advantage of IFAI’s COVID-19 Resource Center at www.ifai.com/covid-19 and by visiting www.marinefabricatormag.com for information that can help you on your journey.