Alan Kinkead is a life-long resident of Missouri. Alan was born in Mexico, Missouri and lived in Centralia. Alan still considers earning his Eagle Scout Award one of his proudest accomplishments. He graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia and since has resided in Columbia with his wife of 47 years, Sandy. After 25 years in pharmaceutical sales, love of the outdoors, golf, and then boating pulled him in a different direction. Alan’s interest in boating at the Lake of the Ozarks and his desire to keep his boat in pristine condition led to his designing a boat fender that would protect his boat, and, so… AKUA Marine Products was started in 1995 with a fender for bass boats. One fender led to another and several products were developed for specific types of boats- always with Made in the USA components. That was 20 years ago. Alan still oversees the daily production of every boat fender and personally inspects each fender that leaves the manufacturing facility and plans to do so for quite some time.

Fishing, Families, and the Future

I was going through my old supply of magazines, keeping some, tossing others, and perusing as I went. Two magazines went into the save pile when I realized that the two articles that I liked were by the same author: Robert Montgomery from Bass Times. (For more of his writings go to www.activistangler.com.) October 2015 has the article "....stokes kids' fishing fire" (I don't know the first word in the title-the corner was torn off!) and January 2016 has the article "Fishing helps families strengthen bonds". And those two articles reminded me of an article about the importance of encouraging young fishermen and fisherwomen for the future of the fishing industry itself in Fishing Retailer. (I couldn't find my copy.) By encouraging fishing we accomplish so much.


A person that deserves mention in encouraging young people in the fishing arena is Shane Wilson. Shane created Fishing's Future in 2007 to help in the sport fishing area and also to better the lives of families. "I founded Fishing's Future to save the family by creating an avenue for parents to engage their children via an educational angling experience," says Shane. More fishing, more fishing license and equipment sales, better health and wellness: save the sport and care for the environment. Is there a better combination?
In Missouri the Department of Conservation sponsers Discover Nature. Their programs are for young people interested in fishing but also other areas of the out-of-doors. Giving children opportunities in nature's arena is one of the best ways to strengthen family bonds and to foster new areas of interest. Competitive fishing is also on the rise for youth. High school, colleges, and universities are sponsoring bass fishing teams that provide wonderful experiences. By encouraging our young people we also perpetuate the sport of fishing and the future of the fishing industry.


So, head for the lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds (when the ice melts!). Should I also add ocean? Take a youngster with you and both of you will enjoy the bounty that nature has to offer.

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Website Changes

In August of 2011 akuaboatfenders.com was put on the world wide web.  It's hard to think that now, four years plus, we are in the beginning steps of revamping and updating that very website.  It seems like yesterday that we were looking for pictures, writing product descriptions, and taping videos to promote the various fenders. While we have updated periodically with pictures and various descriptions, now it is time for the big update to fit the needs of today's technology.  We're excited that we will have a new look and the fact that mobile devices will be able to order directly from our website. 

However, one thing that will not change is AKUA's primary goal: to protect your boat. The new aluminum boats with their exquisite graphics need as much protection from scratches, scuffs, and dents as the smooth glassy fiberglass boats.  We want every boat owner to protect their investment before damage occurs.  It's a fun conversation when a new boat owner calls and wants to get the fender that will be the right fit for their new boat.  

The second thing that will not change is AKUA's commitment to customer service.  We are very proud of the fact that every order is shipped less than 2 days after the order is received.  We also give personal service and advice for the boater who is not sure of which fender will best fit their needs. We want the boat owner to be 100% satisfied with our product. 

While the appearance of our website will be changed, rest assured that the product quality, service, and attention to detail will remain the same. 

 

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Carp in the Supermarket?


One thing I enjoy doing is browsing through Bass Times. I was totally unprepared to see my hometown, Columbia, MO, listed "In the News". It was an interesting article about a University of Missouri professor and the local Moser's grocery store teaming up to develop a market for Asian carp meat. While carp doesn't sound too appealing to me, evidently sales "have been vigorous" enough to think about expanding the cuts sold and enlisting other markets. You can learn more about this work on www.youtube.com/user/SilverCarpSolutions. Congratulations to Dr. Morgan for his unique idea.

Developed an aspect of a research project being conducted by Mark Morgan at the University of Missouri — Columbia, this channel promotes the idea of human co...
youtube.com

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Twenty Years Ago Today

Twenty years ago today.  1995.  Twenty years ago today I came up with the idea for my first marine product.  It was a bow guard for run-about boats.  How times have changed when it comes to getting a product on the market.  When I started the development process, computer usage was not as common place as it is now.  Back then the word was, "Check the Thomas Register," not "Just Google it" or "Search the Internet."    Most of the research I did was by telephone.  People took the time to answer and to talk.  It was not easy to view the parts I wanted to use as my component parts, but manufacturers would gladly send me samples.  Even pareents were difficult to research--generally you had to hire an attorney to do a patent search.  Now you can fine out online.  Looking back, I think its' easier to "streamline" the time it takes, but I'm not sure if it is easier than it was twenty years ago.  Getting a new product on the market is not easy--now or twenty years ago.  Thanks for your support of AKUA Marine Products.

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It's April, Time to De-Winterize!

It's April and the boat shows are over.  In my last blog I wrote about the weather and how bad this winter had been.  Well, the weather was so bad at the St.Louis Boat Show that I had to leave on Saturday night to try and get ahead of the pending storm.  Ice hit as we were driving I-70 to Columbia.  The next week Nameoki Village Marine invited me to their open house and the weather was still bad, spitting snow, enough to keep people away.  April 1 was always the time to de-winterize your boat in Missouri.  Not this year.  It's raining and hail today on April 3.  Seems like winter will not let go to spring.  Oh well, enough about the weather....

I was very pleased with the turn-out at the St. Louis Show, especially on Saturday.  I was also very pleased with the customer interaction.  I had several people who had purchased my boat fenders last year come over to tell me how much they liked our fenders.  This is what being in business is all about--satisfied customers.  I know you have to make money in business to survive, but I truly like to hear from satisfied customers.  That is what keeps me going.  Mitch Workman, who helped me work the Boat Show, worked another booth with G-3 Boats.  He sold every pontoon fender we took.  Mitch said he enjoyed the customer interaction and response. 

I have just up-dated my web site with new pictures of my products and introduced three new products.  My web site designer, Ben Seidel, of Igniting Business, does a great job and also has convinced me to advertise on FaceBook.  This is all new to me, and we seem to be well received based on the number of "likes" we are getting. 

Another thing happened to my pleasant surprise.  BassTimes  featured my bass boat fender along with other fishing products in their April edition.  This is great for product exposure.  Well, that's about all that's going with AKUA Marine Products.  Wish it was time to de-winterize!

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