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MiMfg Magazine
November 2019
2019 John G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year • Large Tier
Jim Wolf
Avalon & Tahoe Manufacturing, Inc. • Alma
Great leaders lead happy people and, in Alma,
those happy people make great boats.
Jim Wolf has been described as a visionary leader
by his community, a role model by his peers and, by
his own team, the best boss a business could have. He
took a floundering business, floating listlessly within
the industry, and, in a few short years, reimagined
its mission, refocused its attention to quality and
craftsmanship and reintroduced it to the world as a
brand built around luxury — Avalon & Tahoe.
“Avalon & Tahoe is meant to be about more
than just a boat. It’s a great brand and it’s a lifestyle,”
explains Wolf. “I was given a great opportunity to take
a company that had a lot of promise and potential,
make some tweaks, surround myself with an amazing
management team and now we’re seeing the rewards
I always knew we could see. Manufacturing has been
my passion for a long time and, when you are at a
place like this where the people are right and the
product is right, you can move mountains.”
In order to move those mountains and position
Avalon & Tahoe as the top brand in the industry,
Wolf faced a choice — be the biggest or be the best.
“It’s a question of quality or quantity and what
do we really want our business to be. For me, I never
gave it a second thought — manufacturing shouldn’t
be about pumping out volume, it should be about
providing customers with a quality product they can
rely on and about developing long-term relationships
with them and with your suppliers,” said Wolf. “I
want us achieving greatness because I know this is a
team that can be great and you can’t be great if you
are sacrificing quality just to get an extra boat out
the door.”
The mission to be the best shows itself in everything
the company does — from the most crucial of decisions
to seemingly inconsequential ones.
One such example is the company’s preparation for
a trade show event early in Wolf’s tenure. Expectations
were high. The brand was new and fresh. The boats
were top quality and tested on the harshest waters in
the world. But there was one small hiccup — the
tape was on the outside.
“We had these photos of our boats and they had
been taped with the tape on the outside — visible to
everyone. I said ‘no, put the tape on the inside’ because
we’re not going to be the company that takes shortcuts
or ignores quality in our products or in pictures on
the wall,” Wolf says, laughing still as he tells the
story years later. “It may not seem like much but,
when you strive for perfection, the little things
matter — they add up to become what the world
sees when they see your logo and hear your name.”
As a leader, Wolf sees the people as the make-
or-break factor, the difference between good boats
and great boats.
“We use the best materials, we make all the
components in-house and we’re Michigan-made,
but I think it’s the team here that pushes us up a
level,” Wolf says. “They understand the expectations
of me and the company and what our vision is. They
have a stake in the game and, when you have a team
like that that you can count on and they share your
drive, it makes everything else run better.”
His leadership doesn’t stop at Avalon & Tahoe’s
door. Jim Wolf is known throughout the community
and, as the head of Alma’s largest employer, he fully
understands the responsibility.
As the company’s representative with the MMA
and the Central Michigan Manufacturers Association
(CMMA), Wolf pushes relentlessly for solutions to
some of the industry’s top challenges including the
need for more and better skilled trades training
programs. In his local community, he is heavily
involved with the CMMA, the local area Michigan
Works!, the Gratiot Area Chamber of Commerce,
Alma College and more. Through his leadership,
Avalon & Tahoe also gives back through volunteer
efforts and charitable works with the Salvation
Army, United Way, Angel Tree, Child Advocacy
and Special Olympics.
Wolf, like so many leaders, doesn’t view the John
G. Thodis Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award
as his award but as a testament to the team he has
behind him and the community he has around him.
“Receiving this award made me smile and, if I
had to put a word to it, I’d say it gives me a sense of
pride,” Wolf says. “It made me think the hard work
that we’ve all put into this business is paying off. To
get this award, it seals the deal for me that we are
great. We’ll be better tomorrow, but right now we
are great. I wouldn’t want to change a thing.”
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