Brook Stevens joined Seakeeper in 2009, just after the company went to market and launched the first gyro. He’s now celebrating his 15-year anniversary with the company. In those early days of Seakeeper, Brook says the small but mighty team wore a lot of hats to grow the company to what it is today. “I don’t recall exactly how many true Seakeeper employees we had when I started, but it may have been single digits. We had 1 product, 1 demo boat, 1 goal, 1 dream. Everything has changed except for the vision and mission and what we bring to boating.”
Steve Goss, Senior Electrical Development Engineer, remembers when Brook joined the team. He says, “Brook fit right in with Seakeeper because of his background in the marine industry, particularly his interest in fishing. Brook worked with Andrew Semprevivo to grow Seakeeper sales from the outset. Brook embodies what it took in the early days to be valuable at Seakeeper: an interest in boats and fishing, an ability to get the job done, and a willingness to do anything.”
Brook believes there are some additional characteristics people need in order to be successful at Seakeeper. “Resiliency, adaptability, patience, loyalty, drive, competitiveness, trust in the process and straight up just wanting to be on the best team and be the best at everything we do. I truly believe there isn’t a single competitive product out there that is anywhere near what we as a team deliver globally daily. That is powerful to me, and I know how hard these ‘competitors’ are trying. Winning is fun, especially on a hall of fame team like we have.”
One of the people on that hall of fame team is Brian Steele, Principal Mechanical Development Engineer. Brian says, “My experience with Brook is he doesn’t appear rattled in his job which can be quite stressful at times. He has been a steady proponent, growing gyro sales while supporting customers with any issues that arise.” Nick Dwyer, National OEM Sales Manager, agrees that Brook has the right approach with customers. He says, “Brook shoots it straight, no matter what. That is hard to come by in this industry. A trait his colleagues and customers appreciate very much.”
Candor & Active Listening isn’t the only Seakeeper Standard that Brook embodies. Joe Brenna, VP of Customer Support at Intrepid Powerboats, shares an example of seeing Brook using his Growth Mindset out in the field. “When I met Brook Stevens, Seakeeper was on their way to becoming a major force in the boating industry. Brook’s been the perfect ambassador to help carry them to their current position of prominence in the world of gyro stabilizers. Our first Seakeeper installation was done in 2011 when we installed an M8000 in a 390 Sport Yacht. Brook and I got to show off the magic of the Seakeeper when we shot video of that first installation off Palm Beach together. We ran next to a sistership that didn’t have a gyro. It was a very rough day, so Brook and I were delighted to be aboard the stabilized Intrepid. It sat in the troughs of the waves as if it was a flat calm day! Brook’s product knowledge and work ethic made that project a complete success.”
These moments in the field are part of what Brook cites as his motivation to stay with Seakeeper for so long. “When you believe in something and you’re able to deliver a transformational experience to clientele in an industry you grew up in, it is pretty easy to love it. Witnessing people’s first experience with our products does not get old for me. I’ve learned so many fantastic expletives when that button is pushed, but they all translate to ‘wow’ and that is what is important and keeps things in perspective. I feel like we are just getting started too.”
Brook’s commitment to the product and its users is something that Will Cimino, CCO, admires about him. He says, “Brook embodies an important part of Seakeeper’s history and the cultural scrappiness that is a part of Seakeeper’s DNA. Despite our success over the last 15 years, to which Brook has contributed, we’ve done a great job of maintaining a sense of incomplacency that drives us to get better every day. This entrepreneurial spirit, along with the undying belief that Seakeeper should be on every boat, are among Brook’s greatest contributions to our team.”
Brook’s contributions go beyond growing our company; they also impact his colleagues on a personal level. His co-workers value the relationships and inside jokes they’ve made with him. Cameron Taylor-Helsing, OEM Account Manager, shares one of her favorite memories with Brook: “My favorite memory of hanging with you was at boat show where you and I jammed out to Downfall of us All when we played DJ for the rest of the gang.” Nick Dwyer agrees, “Nothing tops a karaoke night with Brook.” Coty Garrett, National Aftermarket Manager, sends Macho Man Randy Savage (aka Brook) his best wishes and congratulations on 15 years.
Brook says “I’ve met so many great people here at Seakeeper. Not only Seakeeper employees, but our dealers, our partner OEMs, end users, just tons of great people and the relationships are so important when it comes to what we do. With Seakeeper I’ve been to a lot of interesting places, met a lot of interesting people, and seen a lot of interesting things. I’d write a book, but we have numbers to hit.”
