Mr. Solt: Randy Repass founded West Marine back in 1968. He had an interest in boating and actually started the business out of his garage. It evolved over time to 20 stores or so, and by 1996, took the company public with 37 stores at that point. In 1997, merged with E&B Marine which was the next largest boating supply company, primarily on the East Coast, with the powerboat emphasis versus West Marine's sailboat emphasis. And so, this evolved into what West Marine is today, with 240 stores, being the largest retailer of boating products in the country, as well as the largest catalog boating products supplier, and the largest wholesale business in the country as well.
TWST: Where are these stores located typically?
Mr. Solt: They're all located in deepwater areas, primarily on the
coastal saltwater areas.
Tickers included in this excerpt: WMAR
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