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How has the economic turndown affected BHC? BHC has been fortunate to have a diverse range of services during this recent slowing of the world’s economy and is getting through it OK so far. We have experienced very slow growth (1% to 2%) in almost all divisions since the beginning of the down turn. However, this past season was the best in our excursion division’s history; in part because of the driest summer ever, and because local tourists are adjusting their vacation periods to less expensive and extensive alternatives, and our excursion services fit nicely into the ‘daycation’ market. Also, our commuter numbers are begin- ning to slowly recover to pre-crash levels, which is an indicator to us that things are beginning to im- prove slightly. What do you consider the biggest Challenge to running a safe, efficient and profitable business today? Like any business, the challenge is always in re- maining imaginative about how to make your prod- uct and services more attractive to a larger base of customers. It is important that we remain cognizant of emerging opportunity’s while not loosing focus on the quality of our core services, or core clients. I believe we can be competitive in the offshore mar- kets because all of us have spent most of our pro- fessional careers in the passenger vessel industry, were attention to the clients needs has always needed to be paramount to gaining market share. Our intention with regard to growing our offshore division is to service every client with the same level of attention and respect that we extend to the bride who chooses to be married on a BHC charter vessel, and at a competitive price. Our safety record in this division is almost perfect, because we are fortunate enough to have great Captains and crews working together with management and our clients to put safety first, and by paying close at- tention to vessel maintenance. What is the coming year(s) looking like for your business? With my daughter Alison and Chris’s son Patrick assuming active roles I the management of BHC, I believe our future is very bright. Naturally, the world economy still needs improvement, but I am an optimist and feel certain that things will improve over time. Like most small businesses we would like to see improvement in access to capital lending throughout the US and in our industry. Alison is now one of the owners at BHC and has taken charge over the last several years of making certain that BHC’s brand becomes better known in mar- kets around the world, and her efforts are beginning to pay dividends that are important to being com- petitive in today’s marketplace. Naturally, we are hoping to expand into the offshore support services industry, especially here in the northeast. Crew- boats and supply boats will play a crucial role in moving material and labor to off-shore construc- tion sites for wind farms, pipe lines, and all forms of subsea construction. We intend to be prepared to be competitive in these markets, as well as in re- search, ROV and dive support services. Like most small businesses we would like to see improvement in access to capital lending throughout the US and in our industry. Rick Nolan 54 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News
