Grady-White Boats Offers a Place To Build a Career and a Life
Grady-White Boats has a close-knit team environment and is always looking for good people to join the firm.
Sponsored by: Grady-White Boats
It’s easy to understand why employees have long tenures at Grady-White Boats. The Greenville, NC, company, celebrating its 65th year in business in 2024, offers all kinds of unique benefits that make it an attractive place to work — possibly even for a lifetime.
Just ask President Kris Carroll, who started at Grady-White as a production control clerk in 1975 and moved up the ranks through leadership positions in multiple areas before owner Eddie Smith appointed her president in 1993, making her the first woman to hold this position in the country’s boat manufacturing industry.
“I came to work at Grady-White because I needed a job – but found so much more, Carroll says. “I have enjoyed coming to work every day for over 48 years and helped to create a culture where everyone has the opportunity to do that.”
There are 50-plus employees who are members of the Captain’s Club, recognized for being at the firm 25 years or more, like Carroll.
“Grady-White Boats is a company with integrity and a deep commitment to customers, employees, suppliers, community and conservation,” explains Shelley Tubaugh vice present of marketing and herself a 35-plus-year employee.
“Working at Grady-White, you benefit directly from this commitment — from a corporate paid reading program for personal development to wellness initiatives and an on-site health clinic, to the Craftsman mastery levels, the Idea Program and profit-sharing — the organization works to help each individual here to truly learn to live their best life in all eight domains of life,” she adds.
Grady-White Boats Takes Care of Its Employees
Tubaugh says Grady-White offers competitive pay and benefits and is proud of its strong, close-knit team environment. And the privately held, debt-free company is always looking for good people to join the firm.
“We are large enough that there is room to grow for new young people joining the company, yet small and nimble enough that we can react quickly to take advantage of new opportunities or to adjust to challenges,” Tubaugh says.
The company is growing with needs in all areas: manufacturing and engineering professionals; line workers like carpenters, plumbers, electricians, woodworkers, fabrication laminators and proto-typing technicians; and administrative jobs in accounting, human resources, marketing and sales.
An Active Community Citizen
The company takes pride in community and environmental stewardship, including being a foundational contributor to the Wildwood Park in Greenville, donating playsets for children with cancer and contributing to conservation projects in and around North Carolina.
“We are one of the largest consistent donors to the Pitt County United Way,” Tubaugh explains. “We also invest in all levels of education by contributing to the K12 county schools and have sponsored scholarships at the community college and university levels. We helped found and continue to support the Visions Program with Pitt County Community College that guides at-risk youth to successful graduation and entry into the workforce, college or military.”
Supporting the Grady-White Team
Tubaugh says the company makes sure its 400 employees have resources to continue to grow, as well as address life’s challenges. Some of those include financial peace classes, a corporate chaplain, a large library (with incentives to read) and much more.
“Grady-White Boats is a perfect place to develop a lifelong career where dedication to doing the right things at work and in life are reinforced and rewarded,” Tubaugh concludes. “Being a part of this firm, gives each of us an amazing sense of pride.”
