PULASKI — Carver Yachts is hiring up to 200 workers this year as it steps up production of new boats. About 130 of the new jobs will be filled in the next month, said Kim Riley, director of communications at Carver.
“We’re definitely poised for growth,” she said.
Skilled positions include welding, plumbing, electrical, woodworking and fiberglass cutting. There are also entry-level jobs and company training available.
New yacht designs have kept Carver competitive in the industry, Riley said. In the past five years, it has introduced 15 new models.
They include the European-inspired 59-foot Marquis, which has had successful sales since its debut earlier this year.
Also this year, production of the 65-foot Marquis began, with its debut scheduled for February’s Miami International Boat Show.
Carver rebounded quickly from a slowdown in 2001, when it laid off about 100 workers. The following year, the company expanded the Pulaski facility and opened its shipyard in Fano, Italy, where the new Nuvari series is produced.
The hirings come in the wake of a series of layoff announcements this year. Among them is yacht-maker Palmer Johnson of Sturgeon Bay, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings.
Skilled workers such as those in Sturgeon Bay will be sought for Carver’s new jobs, Riley said.
Jim Golembeski, executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, said about 75 laid-off Palmer Johnson workers are among hundreds in the region receiving job counseling and retraining under a federal grant announced this month.
The possibility of re-employment in a similar field gives those workers an option, he said. “We want to make sure they’re hooked up appropriately with Carver.”
Email This Page!