[Rhodes22-list] Chris Cowie and GB

[Chris Cowie]

Stan is correct that my proposal of a few years ago was not going to work for him so I backed off until he recently asked if I had any new partner ideas and I put together a team of three partners and an investor and visited the plant this year and included having one of the partners move full time to Edenton in time to help out with the 2018 boat show. After making the trip to visit Stan it seems even his new proposal would not work for Stan so again I have backed down. 

Christopher P. Cowie    

700 N Fairfax Street
Suite 304
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703.717.9103 ex.204 ● 202.270.1470 mobile
[ccowie at cowieassociates.com]



Please consider the environment before printing this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> On Behalf Of Stan Spitzer
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2018 2:53 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Chris Cowie and GB


As long as Chris Cowie introduced this issue to the List, as one who is struggling in this era of alternate facts, I feel compelled to respond:

Chris is being a bit, OK a lot, disingenuous with his,  "I am one who tried unsuccessfully to partner".

I like Chris Cowie, as a Rhode owner.  I don't know how it may have worked out as a partner.  He never tried.  Chris is referring to a visit to the plant a few years ago when his offer was:   In return for my giving him my waterfront house and a house on 5 commercial acres that I have near the plant and currently live in to care for Rose and the boat business, with its 9 industrial acres, he would see to it that Rose and I would have enough income to survive for the balance of our lives, or GB's, which ever ended first.  I smiled and he said that was just a negotiations starter. I did not see it, even as a starter. (As a sense of proportion for the accounting wired minds on the List, I value GB; its real and intangible assets, at 2 million.)

His interest in General Boats continued over the years but we could never bridge the gap between what I needed and what he was able and willing to provide:

With the loss of the input of my brother and wife, the company, with only 92 year old antique me left to do it all, needs /at-the-plant/ help.  Just one for instance: GB currently goes to one show, Annapolis. Elton and I would go to as many as 10, from coast to coast and boarder to boarder.  We controlled sales volume by the number of shows we would attend.  Chris has a wonderful business; in return to adding GB to his empire, he would run GB from Washington. That translates to more, not less work for me.  He never would accept the reality of the on location, shoulder to shoulder, daily managing needs of the business.  He never made an offer to buying into the business,  his proposals were to earn ownership by doing the impossible of running it from afar.  Maybe if I were 80 again I could have cloned myself to accommodate him.

Bitten by the potential and fun of this business, he recently announced he would go into competition with GB and recycle Rhodes. So sit back and enjoy. Not since pre Facebook days, when the List was alive with political free speech, is news related to the Rhodes we all love, likely to become more entertaining.

stan



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