Nurturing employee growth and relationships while building a premier product comeswith its share of challenges. Partin recalls times when it was difficult to find skilled talent from their small town in coastal North Carolina. Arguably, the challenge still exists today. “I cannot speak highly enough about the owners and their management style,” Partin exclaims. “They are, and always have been, super nice people who treated us like family. I am glad I spent twenty years at Regulator—my only wish is that I had started there earlier.” Partin emphasizes the company is always trying new ideas to improve the workplace. “They developed different bulletin boards throughout the plant and each team would meet at their designated board eachmorning and start the day with prayer plus some stretching exercises and a quick discussion for the day including covering safety topics.” Regualtor’s management continuously works to make the facility safer and provide opportunities to employees such as programs that teach financial management and other topics. “They look at their team and employees and ask, ‘What can we do for them?’, and ‘What can we offer them?’, and they develop training, programs, outreach and more just for the employees,” Partin says. Simply put, Regulator has been applying their passion for caring for others—albeit team members, dealers, customers or giving back to the local community—since their inception. LISTENING & EVALUATING In regard to innovation and new models, nothing is rushed, and every detail is considered in the process. “A newmodel is not built spur of the moment,” Partin says. “Everything Regulator introduces is based on lots of conversations with dealers and customers, as Joan asks, ‘What do you want to see next?’” When dealers asked for a larger center console with overnight accommodations and serious range, the 41 Regulator was born. When customers were asking for a boat that could manage the shallows and had a lower freeboard than their traditional hulls, Regulator engineered the XO Series. The 37 was born to help bridge the gap between the 34 and the 41 while also introducing new innovations that would inevitably trickle down to other models in the Regulator lineup. Regulator’s newest model: the 30XO made her splash at the 2023 Miami International Boat Show in response to finding a sweet spot in size that the market was looking for. “A constant question I would hear at boat shows and from dealers: “Do you build a boat with a tower?’” Partin continues, “The only option was a 41, but now the new 30XO offers an innovative mid-tower with a standing console. Regulator is always listening and working hard to please their customers and dealers as well as employees.” Building relationships with dealers, reps and customers over the phone came natural to Partin and Maxwell took notice. “Joan thought it would be neat if I got into the boat show circuit to meet the customers face-to-face,” Partin says. He spent several years attending boat shows from Cleveland to Miami and enjoyed meeting customers and fans in person. Partin laughs, “When a customer would walk into the booth and see me in Regulator apparel, they would come directly to me and say ‘Hi, do you know Al?’, and I would introduce myself.” Showgoers enjoyed the opportunity to meet a factory-direct representative and establish a relationship with someone so closely involved in the construction of each boat. Al and his wife Lynn own a 2003 Regulator 21, which Partin had worked on in the assembly shop during its original construction. He’s not the first owner, but Partin brags how a good cleaning inside and out will make her shine like new again. Since his retirement, he and Lynn have enjoyed more pleasure cruising around Albemarle Sound and the surrounding creeks and rivers with their family. While Partin undoubtedly had an impact on Regulator Marine, he is just one part of many team members from the factory floor to their dealer network that admires and adheres to Regulator’s mission and vision. This is the driving force behind their success, innovation and overwhelmingly positive team morale. One of the nation’s premier center console boats is constructed by a dedicated team of like-minded individuals with a passion for their craft that they proudly practice each day they go to work. Then again, working at Regulator is not just a job, it is time with family and friends. Recognizing 10-years with the company Al and his family enjoying their Regulator 21 41 2023 SEASON
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