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2018 Promotional Video

WHO WE ARE

Upward view of three colourful boat hulls and a bright blue sky

OVERVIEW

The Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association was established in 1998 by a small group of leading boatbuilders who shared a common vision of growing and diversifying the industry beyond its original domestic fishing boat market.

NSBA’s mission is to support the success of our members in building, repairing, and selling quality boats. It does this by:

Promoting the industry to markets in Canada, the US and around the world;
Promoting industry careers;
Managing and administering the Nova Scotia Boat Builder and Nova Scotia Marine Service Technician Apprenticeship Programs;
Coordinating other training to meet industry needs;
Building partnerships with organizations who have aligned goals and values;
Representing the boatbuilding industry with various orders of government; and
Providing technical and market advice to boatbuilders and repairers.

The NSBA is the first point of contact for the boatbuilding and repair industry in Canada’s Maritime provinces.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive

Gilles Theriault

Chair

A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd.

Executive

Marley Field

Vice-Chair

Canadian Maritime Engineering

Executive

Brett Robinson

Treasurer

Colindale Marine Services

Fraser Challoner

Director

Wedgeport Boats

Johnny Lutz

Director

Toromont Cat

Kevin Feindel

Director

Ocean Gear Inc.

Kris Campbell

Director

Shining Waters Marine Services

Lee Toole

Director

Maritime Marine Supply

Leitha Haysom

Director

Tern Boatworks

Steve Allt

Director

Cummins Sales & Service

NSBA TEAM MEMBERS

Jan Fullerton

Executive Director

exec@nsboats.com

Jan works with Board members and staff to execute the organization’s strategic plan. This includes managing funding agreements, building partnerships, overseeing projects, engaging with members and more.

Andrew Bethune

Communications Specialist

communications@nsboats.com

Andrew captures images, videos and stories so we can share the NSBA’s and our members’ accomplishments. This helps us attract people to the industry as workers and as customers.

Blossy Figer

Labour Market Analyst

analyst@nsboats.com

Blossy’s specialty is data, from planning to collection to visualization. She helps us build stories around numbers and statistics so we can share key information about our industry.

Chantel Leturneau

Administration and Training

admin@nsboats.com

Chantel keeps the wheels on the bus. She provides administrative and training support, coordinates events, manages membership, keeps our books and more.

Richard Lindala

Training & Certification Coordinator

training@nsboats.com

Richard administers the Boat Builder and Marine Service Technician trades in partnership with the NS Apprenticeship Agency. He also identifies and coordinates other training opportunities to grow and develop the industry’s labour force.

Rohan Christian

Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator

diversity@nsboats.com

Rohan works to ensure that the NSBA offers a welcoming and inclusive workplace while developing resources to support industry employers. He also builds connections with groups who are underrepresented in our industry.

Colin Campbell

Outreach Officer

outreach@nsboats.com

Colin delivers virtual and in-person presentations and workshops around the province to schools and other audiences. He also helps with our website and social media.

OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

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RECRUITMENT

Many industry employers continue to report labour market challenges including finding people and keeping people. The NSBA works to bring future employees to the industry and helps members be employers of choice so they can better attract and retain workers in a highly-competitive and evolving job market.

TRAINING

The NSBA supports the development of a highly-trained boatbuilding and repair workforce, from foundational skills training to apprenticeships to ongoing learning opportunities for seasoned professionals. Not only is this important for our members’ and our industry’s success, it also helps with attraction and retention.

MARKETING

The NSBA supports market growth and diversification and represents the industry at key trade shows, conferences and networking events. While there is high market demand for some products and services, it is important to maintain market diversity so all our members have strong business opportunities. It will keep us positioned to adapt to changes in future demand.

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PARTNERSHIP

The NSBA engages relevant organizations as partners in success. This includes government departments and agencies - including regulators - as well as other nonprofit organizations and industry groups. Through these partnerships, the NSBA can increase its impact and effectiveness on behalf of our members and our industry.

OUR FUNDING PARTNERS