What a winter it has been! Not too long ago we finally got our own taste of snow here in South Carolina.

2009 was a challenging year for us all.  Upon reflection, I am very pleased with our entire team’s level of responsiveness and support to our customers in such a challenging environment.  Our strategy to intensely focus on all things important to our customers has paid some nice dividends.

Our outgoing quality level has been high and consistent.  Our on-time shipping has elevated to levels most companies dream about and we are now able to say our customer service team provides answers to all customer inquiries within 24 hours!

I’m proud to say that this focus has led to our retailer community choosing us as one of the “Top Ten Best Companies To Do Business With in 2009” SNEWS Survey.  A  huge hug (or a handshake!) goes out to all of our customers for recognizing our efforts.

And a huge thank you to the very passionate and committed Confluence team for such stellar performance.

These efforts have also earned us some additional recognition for our individual brands:

* Wilderness Systems earned “Manufacturer of the Year” award Canoe & Kayak’s retailer survey.  Once again, thanks to our customers for your support!

* Dagger was voted “Paddlesports Manufacturer of the Year” by Nantahala Outdoor Center.  Great partener and a great honor!

* Dagger Axis 12 received a “Best of Adventure Gear 2009” from National Geographic Adventure.

While we are humbled by and grateful for this recognition, we know we must remain committed to continuous improvement in everything we do to respond to the needs of our customers great product and best-in-class service.   We also know that 2010 will bring bigger and better things to our partnerships with retailers, to our relationships with our consumers, and to the paddle industry as a whole—and we’re excited about that.

Until next time…

Sue Rechner
CEO of Confluence Watersports

Confluence Watersports welcomes Shane Steffen in the role of product manager for Wilderness Systems and Mad River Canoe.

Working closely with the design, research and development, engineering, and marketing teams, Shane is charged with defining market needs and continuing the legacy of delivering winning products from both brands. He is responsible for product line strategy and go-to-market launch plans that ensure timely and high quality boats, and secure ongoing success at retail for Wilderness Systems and Mad River Canoe dealer partners.

“We’re happy to work with Shane and we welcome him to Confluence,” said Cheri McKenzie, chief marketing officer of Confluence Watersports. “Wilderness Systems and Mad River are legacy brands, built from a passion for excellence. Shane brings a matching level of dedication and enthusiasm to this role, backed up with significant manufacturing and engineering experience.”

Shane’s educational background is in engineering and business. He was most recently with ModernTech Mechanical, and Rockwell Automation before that. A South Carolina local for 15 years, Shane looks forward to taking advantage of the local waterways and learning the paddling ropes from his new colleagues.