Kathy Munzinger, co-owner of Springfield-based marine-accessories seller Munzinger & Co. Inc., has been named the first female president of the 53-year-old National Marine Representatives Association. Munzinger and her husband started the sales company, which serves clients such as Tracker and Ranger in 13 Midwestern states, in 1992 after they worked together as sales representatives for Springfield Marine Co. After feeling for years she had to prove herself in an industry dominated by men, she now holds a key leadership role and said she has found acceptance among her peers.
Mrs. President “I’ve held the position of secretary, treasurer, vice president and now, I’m president. I’m the first woman. I’m excited they have the confidence in me to hold this position. There are 41 (sales firms – including Munzinger & Co. –) that represent 121 actual agents. It’s a professional association, and we provide the industry voice for agents. It’s a great networking tool. Besides having agents who are members, we also have affiliate members, and those are factories that can join.”
Staying Afloat “We’ve definitely seen a lot of consolidation within factories. There are fewer individual boat companies. Brunswick, for example, owns several brands. Ranger is (aligned) with Triton. There are a lot fewer customers. At Munzinger & Co., we were a five-person agency, and now we are a four-person agency. In 2008, we had to expand beyond marine at that point. We (began) selling into other industries besides boating. Things are improving now. People are starting to buy boats again. (Sales) were down 25 percent in 2008, and they have been coming back since then.”
The Company “We have an office in Forest Lake, Minn., and one in Springfield. We call on boat manufacturers and marine and sporting goods national accounts such as Academy, Bass Pro, Cabela’s and Gander Mountain. As far as boating customers, [we sell to] Cobalt, G3, Lund, Ranger, Tracker, Playcraft, Misty Harbor and Voyager. We also sell to trailer manufacturers, and we have sold – one of the companies we represent makes coated fabrics – to automotive outlets. We also sell to contract fabric companies – those who would do furnishings for restaurants and hospitals. We sell horns for Fiamm – a manufacturer of horns for (General Motors). We sell fuel tanks. We sell stereos and tie-downs for trailers, lots of custom-made metal components and graphics that would go on boats.”
The Marriage Business “We have worked together for 31 years. I would say we work very well together. It has its challenges. Our children would say they’d never want to work with their spouses. It makes it harder to leave it at the office. Because we own our business, and it is a small business, a lot of the time when we go on vacation, we are not truly on vacation. Recently, we took our nieces on a ski trip during spring break, and we spent the first day-and-a-half in a condo, working. That’s how much fun it is. Some of the advantages are that we work strictly on commission. There is no expense unless we sell something. And we don’t (manufacture) anything, so it is a very effective way to maintain sales and customer relations.”
Boys and Boats “Twenty-one years ago, and even today, I deal with engineers, not just salespeople. You have to earn their respect. They have to learn that you can read a blueprint and you can understand technical things. That was one of the hardest things when I started as a rep. It is definitely a man’s world. It is not so much anymore because I have a reputation – I have built those relationships – but it definitely was difficult 21 years ago, starting out. There are only about three other women I know in the whole (association). We are seeing more women at all of the manufacturing companies, but in the rep industry, there are very few of us.”[[In-content Ad]]
