Ron Hillman started boating on Lake Huron with a Siren 17 sailboat in the early 1980’s. You learn to sail on a small boat in big water. The adventure continued until kids started to arrive and the small sailboat evolved to a larger powerboat. The boats evolved into a 42 then a 52 trawler on the Canadian West Coast.
Ron’s business experience includes the startup of the cellular business. This lasted for almost thirty-five years and in the end, he was a partner in one of the largest cellular companies in Canada. A motorcycle shop in London and Vancouver were part of the business and in 2010 he took the helm at a yacht brokerage in Vancouver. All of these companies had one thing in common, dedication to customer service and their employee’s satisfaction. This dedication led to Ron’s companies achieving international and national recognition for both sales and service. These companies were often number one in their industries for many years.
Coming into the boat business from the outside, Ron and his wife Barbara brought new approaches to the company. From the buyer’s side, they focused on the client’s needs and what their plans were for the boat. By understanding the client, they could focus on the best boat for them. On the seller’s side, the spent time with the seller, making sure they understood what could be done to increase the value of their boat and shortening the time to sell the boat. This included focusing on fixing up all the little things that the seller had ignored on their boat and the benefits of staging the boat for sale. Often when they were finished with a sellers boat, the seller would look at the boat and question whether they really should sell it. The extra time and care to prepare a boat for sale allowed them to achieve top dollar and a shorter selling window. This success led to many repeat clients. Previous clients became their best source for new business.
Ron is based out of Sidney, BC.