Dick Genth is dead at 77

Richard E. Genth, one of the most prominent names in U.S. boatbuilding, is dead at 77 — a victim of cancer that was thought to have been in remission.

Genth, who made his home in Englewood, Fla., died Monday at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Fla.

At the time of his death he was president of Westship World Yachts of Tampa. He previously had been president of Chris-Craft Boats, Thunderbird/Formula, Donzi, Wellcraft Marine and Century Boats.

He was a retired Air Force colonel who flew in World War II with the famed Flying Tigers.

Former colleague Gordon Houser, now marketing director at Wellcraft, says Genth was “one of a kind.”

He was “one of the most charismatic people I ever knew,” said Houser. “I worked with him at both Chris-Craft and Donzi for years and years, and he was totally loved by the people on the line — the men and women who build the boats. He made every individual feel important.”

Genth’s marine industry career began in the early 1960s when he joined Thunderbird/Formula and immediately took up offshore powerboat racing. He became a champion in the days “when only the toughest of the tough could survive,” says public relations counsel Bob Black, who knew Genth in those days and worked with him later at four of the companies Genth headed. He raced with some of the legendary names in the sport — Don Aronow, Dick Bertram, Odell Lewis and Sam Griffith.

“There was never anyone quite like him in boating, anyone who touched as many companies and as many human beings,” said Black in a statement this morning announcing the death. “His brand of leadership was totally unique and completely magnetic. You can’t learn to lead this way, you’ve got to be born with that capability.”

After Thunderbird/Formula, Genth became president of Wellcraft built it into one of the industry’s major companies. He next took on the presidency of then-ailing Chris-Craft and rebuilt it into a strong company, according to Black.

After Chris-Craft came Donzi Marine, which was producing 50 boats a year. He raised that figure to several hundred boats a year before leaving when Chris-Craft was acquired by now-defunct Outboard Marine Corp.

After Chris-Craft, Genth became president of Century Boat Co. and “brought it into the 1990s with a new line of fishing machines,” Black said. After he built the company up, it was sold to Yamaha Marine.

Genth became an adviser to Broward Yachts, the big South Florida megayacht company, and also served as an adviser to Mako Marine. He became chief operating officer at Westship World Yachts in 1999 and was named president in 2001.

He is survived by his wife, Vonnie, and daughters Kathy, Kim and Sheila and six grandchildren.

From: http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/Today_s_News/today_s_news.html

 

A word about Dick Genth...

..., and his tenure as CEO of Chris Craft.

IN point of fact, rather than "strengthening the company", Mr. Genth actually guided an ailing CC into complete financial disaster.

Indeed, no less an expert on the company than Jeffrey Rodengen, author of "The Legend of Chris-Craft", tells us that Mr. Genth had been running CC for about year when the board of Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. decided to write off the good will of the Boat Division as a one time charge (i.e., admitting that the product name may no longer be worth book value). Shortly thereafter, he relates that the board also divested itself of the Boat Division. By 1989, the company was essentially bankrupt and OMC bought the pieces out from under GENMAR for a mere pittance.
Sad, but true (Donald).

 

You are a little off base there my friend.

Well, that's not exactly what happened, either. The facts are slightly incorrect and very out of order in your dissertation. I witnessed first hand the demise of the Chris Craft Organization. The fault lied more within an individual, than the board (or corporation as a whole for that matter). I'm not here to sling mud or name names (anyone who went through it know what happened), but Mr. Genth and most of the executives of Chris Craft did everything to turn the company into the indesputable superpower of the 1980's that it was. Three seperate catalogs with lord knows how many models (maybe 70 +)? Far from disaster, very far.

Mr. Genth was not the one responsible for the demise of Chris Craft. He led that corporation into it's best years.

 

A Matter of Historical Record

First of all, I'm not saying Mr. Genth was a "bad guy" - far from it. He possessed many positive attributes, and made many contributions during his lifetime. Top shelf guy, ok?
But it was indisputably under his tenure that the company went belly up. Without question the oil crisis, failing dollar (ready for the next round?), economic recession all played major roles in this corporate denuement; just don't expect students of history to believe that those were "the best years".

 

Does anyone have a bio of Kathy Genth they could post,
did'nt she race a boat up the mississippi or something?

 

I have information on Kathy Genth yesterday and today, where she is and what she has been up to. If interested in pictures and info, let me know. I have sent an attachment of her latest bio.