Since joining Seakeeper in 2014, Dan Winters says the biggest changes to the company have been its growth. “When I first started, we were only selling two models, now more than 10. We didn’t have a department remanufacturing units. We also only had about 80 employees, now we have about 3 times that. Also, the number of units we’ve been selling each year is about 8 times what it was my first year. Changes with locations, multiple expansions in Mohnton and moving to Leesport. Adding, expanding, and moving different offices. There was also the change in ownership to Madison, plus the additions related to the launch of Ride. There’s just so much that has happened. I probably could write several pages about it.”
Along with that company growth came growth to his role. “I started doing payroll, then added foreign entities, analysis, inventory, cost accounting, payables and cash management, fixed assets, revenue, Ride support, etc. I still have some involvement in all of the things I have worked on through the years, so it allows me to keep up to speed in a lot areas and provide support when needed. It has also allowed me to connect with almost all departments in some shape or form, which helps when training or working on process development,” says Dan.
Dan has used his knowledge of all these areas to lift up others around him. Kelsey Stephens, Staff Accountant, says, “Dan has been a mentor to me throughout my career. He can take information that I struggle to process and break it down small enough for me to grasp the entire picture. We have been working together on fixed assets for 4 years now and I am constantly learning something new from him. He has given me the motivation to want to do and learn more. He believes in me and is not afraid to give me something new.”
Devon Keeley, General Ledger Accountant, agrees that Dan encourages continuous improvement. “He is someone I continue to learn from; I feel like I always learn something new after having a call or a meeting with him. He has a wealth of knowledge from working at Seakeeper for 10 years and adds a lot of value to the company.”
Mentorship and collaboration seem to be common themes among our Finance and Business Systems teams. Dan shares that there were people early in his career at Seakeeper who made a big impact on him. “Rebecca Smitha has been a huge support for me through all the changes that we’ve had through the years. She’s helped me grow a lot and really understand the business. Also, Jim Cullum was a huge support, especially in my earlier years. He was always very gracious and willing to explain a lot of the manufacturing details to help me understand the processes. Bob Glidden has also been a huge help the last several years and brought a lot of much-needed support with the day to day tasks.”
The hard work that Dan has seen from his leaders and colleagues is something he has adopted and shared with others. Lisamonet Pederson, AP Clerk, says, “I don’t work with Dan directly, but he still has made an impact on my career. I see how he works and its inspiring. Makes me want to really push myself.”
Dan shares that once he joined Seakeeper, it did not take long for him to realize he would be sticking around for many years. “There has been so much growth that it has allowed me to grow in my career simultaneously. In addition, I appreciate a lot of things that Seakeeper has done to support and give back to the employees over the years, and there have been a lot of great people that have worked here over the years, which always makes the job more enjoyable. And from the beginning, I’ve been fascinated by the product we make, and we are always doing more to make it better, which helps that initial ‘wow’ factor stick with you through the years.”
