May 17, 2004
MiBizWest
MUSKEGON — Torresen Marine Inc. President Gordon Torresen
is the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce 2004 Entrepreneur of the
Year.
Torresen began his business in 1969 after working for Brunswick
Corp. Working out of his garage, he used his love of sailing and
his engineering talent to help the company live up to its nickname
— The Sailboat Specialists.
In the late ‘90s the company pioneered
Internet marketing and has now known by sailors worldwide because
of its Web presence. Customers from over 100 countries are served
by Torresen, which now operates several sailing-related Web sites
including five online stores that will be stocking over one million
products by the end of the year.
Today Torresen Marine employs 25 people
year round and has sales in excess of $3.5 million. It recently
expanded its Lakeshore Drive operation into the historic Norge
manufacturing facility next door.
Torresen was inducted into the Michigan
Boating Industry Association Boating Hall of Fame in 2003 and
this year was named as one of West Michigan’s 10 most influential
enterprise leaders by The Muskegon Chronicle.
A special chamber selection committee
chose Torresen as entrepreneur of the year. He was one of three
nominees. The others were Jack E. Carlston, president and CEO
of Custom Coatings Inc. and Great Lakes Polymers Inc. and Bill
Cooper, president and owner of Omni Fitness Club, Great Lakes
Jet and Sotto Grille.
COPYRIGHT 2004. MIBIZ NETWORK.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This article appeared in the May 17, 2004
issue of MiBiz, read by upper management executives in West and
Southwest Michigan. Print subscriptions are free to qualified
individuals who do business in West and Southwest Michigan. For
further information about MiBiz Network, visit www.mibiz.com .
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