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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - DECEMBER 2011
emergency rescue, even the fishing industry
from Minnesota to Finland. Anderson adds:
“We sold a boat to Bartholomew
County Sheriff’s Department. In the flood in
Indiana they would rescue 15 or 20 people
with our boat.”
And Anderson never knows who is going
to call and what they will ask for. “We have
boats everywhere,” says Anderson. “There
was a guy that phoned us from California to
find out if we could put wings on the boat
and fly it roughly 15 feet above the water. We
sent one boat to Russia that is completely
camouflaged.”
CONTINUED GROWTH
1,000 Island Airboats has always had a
broad reach. In fact, the third boat sold was
to Russia. “As soon as the website was up
and running, it was unbelievable the amount
of demand we created,” says Anderson.
The company has also outgrown its
facility, moving from Anderson’s little 40 x
40 garage, where the boats were built for 15
years, to a bigger space that can hold about
six boats at once. 1,000 Island Airboats are
also constantly on the research and
development page. “Right now I have a whole
new design that we will probably implement
in the next year for the high-end rescuers in
the oceans. We never quit with R&D. That is
why we lead this pack.”
1,000 ISLAND AIRBOATS - INDUSTRY FEATURE