Boating Business

Why Builders are Moving Near Lake of the Ozarks

 

Ranger Boats will be moving to a facility in Lebanon, Mo., in 2021.

Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks is already one of the most popular recreational boating spots in the nation. Many boat manufacturers are acknowledging this by adding facilities or relocating to the town of Lebanon, Mo., which is about 35 minutes away. Most recently, Ranger Boats, which is based in Flippin, Ark., announced that it will move all aluminum boat manufacturing to Lebanon in 2021.

Location, Location

According to lakeexpo.com, Ranger joins Landau Boats, Lowe, G3 and Tracker Marine in Lebanon. Aaron Waterman, marketing services manager for G3 told the website, “Lebanon is centrally located in the United States making it the perfect fit for getting materials in, and of course, shipping them back out.”

Lebanon has a population of 14,637 and connects to four major interstates, I-44, I-70, I-65 and I-55. In addition to being a short drive to Lake of the Ozarks, the town is also close to Table Rock Lake in Branson, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals lakes. This means manufacturers can get products to dealers quickly.

Rich History

Lebanon has a workforce that’s experienced in boat building, dating back to the 1960s. J.B. Appleby started Appleby Boats in 1960 and it was one of the most popular aluminum boat builders for years. His daughter, Diane and her husband Carl started Lowe in 1971 in the town and that was followed by their son Brent launching G3 in 1997. Tracker, which is a division of Bass Pro Shops, started building in Lebanon in 1978 and is the area’s largest employer.

J.B. Appleby (left in suit) stands with employees as they load a shipment of his company’s boats.

The aluminum-boat plants employ an estimated 2,500 people. The builders were affected by COVID-19 and estimates for boat manufacturing in the region is that it’s down by about 20% overall. G3 suspended production in March and furloughed employees at the plant in April. White River Marine Group, which owns the Tracker plant in Lebanon, eliminated 350 jobs at seven facilities, but the corporation plans to rehire employees as quickly as possible.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced in 2019 that the recreational boating industry as a whole contributes $170.3 billion in economic activity in the U.S. Of the 280,000 new boats sold in the country in 2018, Lebanon Regional Economic Development Inc., estimates that 50,000 of them were built in Lebanon.