Business Spotlight: Ulrich Marine has beginnings in Republic

Boating is big business in the Ozarks. Nobody knows that better than Fred Ulrich, the owner and founder of Ulrich Marine, who has been servicing and selling boats for more than 21 years.

Originally, Ulrich ran a small gas station in Republic, which did some boat repair work. Before long, boat repair work constituted the majority of Ulrich's business, and in 1979, he closed his gas station and founded Ulrich Marine.

By 1982, Ulrich Marine had established itself as one of the most reliable marine service centers in the area. Mercury Outboard named Ulrich Marine to be its official factory rebuilder, and the store began serving Mercury boat owners in a 13-state area.

The following year, Ulrich Marine bought 6 acres next to its building and constructed a 6,000-square-foot service and repair facility. Several large, dry storage buildings also were added so the boats the store worked on could be protected before and after they were repaired.

In 1988, Mercury Outboard named Ulrich Marine to serve as its official customer care center. Several service vans were added, and the store's skilled technicians began traveling to marinas in the area where they would make boat repairs on site.

The store in Republic also expanded. Several drive-through service bays were added, along with a fiberglass repair shop and a new boat showroom, and a three-acre lake was built behind the store.

The lake is used to test boats that have been repaired, as well as train employees. In fact, every employee at Ulrich Marine must be Coast Guard certified before they're allowed to operate a customer's boat, according to Ulrich.

In 1992, Ulrich Marine added a second store in Branson West. Both stores offer a full-range of services for boaters, as well as a wide range of parts and repair services.

Although Ulrich Marine is best known for its repair and service work, the store does sell a wide variety of new boats, including bass boats, pontoon boats, high-performance speed boats and run-abouts. According to Craig Abney, sales manager, the boats sold at Ulrich Marine are picked for their quality, value and performance.

Some of the brand-name boats carried by the store include Lund, WellCraft, Glastron, Bennington, Mercury, Prince Craft and Champion. In fact, Ulrich Marine is the second largest Prince Craft boat dealer and the third largest Champion boat dealer in the world, according to Abney.

Most of the new boats sold at the Republic store are bass and fishing boats, while most of the boats sold at the Branson West location are pleasure boats or high-performance boats. Both locations also sell used boats and boat motors.

"The most important thing we offer our customers is dependable, honest service," Abney said. "In the marine industry, price isn't everything. We stand behind our service work, and we offer extended service policies. Some of our international customers buy a boat from us strictly based on our reputation."

Over the years, Ulrich Marine has received many awards including the Mercury Boat Dealer Congress Award in 1991, Boat and Motor Dealer magazine's Dealer of the Year Award in 1993, and Boat and Motor Dealer magazine's Conservation Dealer of the Year Award in 1997.

Ulrich Marine also has been named as a top 10 Prince Craft boat dealer for the past four years and a top 10 Champion boat dealer for the past seven years.

Ulrich Marine sponsors an annual fishing tournament for kids each June, which is held at the lake behind the store in Republic.

Ulrich Marine also sponsors many other fishing tournaments throughout the area, and the store has a specially designed catch-and-release boat, which is used at many of the tournaments it sponsors. The catch-and-release boat has a 99.9 percent safe return rate, which helps preserve and maintain an adequate fish population for future generations.