Thank You - George Harris!

Seven years ago, I walked in to the NMTA office as the new president and met the staff. One of those was George Harris. George had been hired three months earlier as the Boat Show Director by Hank Sitko, my predecessor.

As we sit here in 2006, that decision in June 1999 was a really good one for the association… and as it turns out, for me too.

George is the only one still on staff at the NMTA from that group I inherited. The good news is that (like an improving ball club) we have improved at every position over time. Today’s staff might just be the best in the country and while we have been building our team, the constant has been George.

I woke up this morning and said to myself that it was time to publicly thank George for all that he has done for the association and each of you. So, “thank you George.”

George’s first Boat Show was January 2000, which was the first show in the new building. With the help of Jack Wolfe of Associated Boat Transport and guidance from Fred Bowen (Chair of the Boat Show Committee at the time) and lots of “advice” from exhibitors, George managed to pull off a successful show.

Since then, he has led a team of volunteers on the Boat Show Committee and the Board of Trustees to create new events like Boatstock, Fun on the Foss, Boats-to-Go as well as turning around the Seattle Boat Show at Shilshole Bay Marina, until it went on hiatus while the marina was being rebuilt.

In my mind, his biggest achievement has been keeping the exhibitor list growing each year at the January Seattle Boat Show while keeping exhibitor satisfaction in the 99th percentile. George has been able to do that because he has world-class people skills combined with what I like to call a “rows and columns” mentality. In other words, he is detail conscious AND he gets along with everyone. On top of that, he is calm, cool and collected even in the face of tremendous pressure.

George’s knowledge of all aspects of the boating industry enables him to communicate well with all types of exhibitors and understand their business. He is a well-rounded boater who likes watersports, as well as fishing from his sailboat.

When the show moved out of the Kingdome, there were 430 exhibitors participating. For the 2006 Seattle Boat Show, that number had grown to 525 exhibitors. Already we are well ahead of space requests for the 2007 show – meaning the number of exhibitors at the upcoming January show will increase again. As you can imagine, increasing the number of exhibitors could have the potential to drive a boat show director to drink, but in George’s case he just takes it all in stride. As he often says as he is laying out the show: “One person’s problem is another person’s solution.” Year after year, George has patiently explained to new members how space is allocated and helped teach them the ins and outs of the Boat Show Guidelines.

At the end of the day, I think George’s success comes down to his honesty. Exhibitors know that George is a straight shooter. He operates within the rules and treats everyone equally from the newest member to the ones with the most seniority.

As we start making plans for the 60th Seattle Boat Show, January 25- February 3 at Qwest Field Event Center, I am thankful that George Harris went to work at the NMTA seven years ago. As far as I am concerned, George is an All-Star in my league.

With warm regards,

Michael Campbell
President
michael@nmta.net