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Entrepreneur navigates new waters

Published Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:32 PM

By Michael Tannebaum
Summerville Journal Scene ®

July 1 marks National Boating Day

Vickie Waller has owned two boats for the past half dozen years, but she only goes out on the water three or four times annually. Although she adores boating, Waller’s true passion lies in business.

Growing up, Waller spent her summers water skiing and sailing, but she never aspired to a career in the boating industry. Her husband, however, did.

As a result, Waller, whose husband is a captain, knows more about the industry than she otherwise would.

Waller, an entrepreneur and avid businesswoman who started her first business at age 22, recently saw a problem with the boating industry that she thought she could remedy.

Waller, who lives in Coosaw Pointe – the newly named community surrounding the intersection of Dorchester and Ashley Phosphate roads – decided to launch a company to better connect tourists and charter boat operators.

“There are five-star hotels and one-star hotels, and I also think there are five-star captains and one-star captains, but customers can’t tell the difference,” Waller said.

In December 2008, Waller started a company, the Ultimate Source of Boating Excursions (USOBE), to improve the ease with which tourists and boat captains can connect.

“There are a lot of captains that have second jobs or haven’t really been able to support themselves as a captain, and tourists come to the area and don’t know one captain from another,” Waller said. “I thought that if I could make a better presence for captains and easier access for tourists, it would be a win for both.”

People who want to take a boating excursion can visit www.usobe.com to book an outing based on the location, day and type of trip they desire. They also select a captain based on the skipper’s profile.

Captains provide details about the trips they offer, the specifications of their boat as well as their price, experience and schedule. Captains are responsible for maintaining their own profiles.

“It’s a new concept for captains and customers and its going to take a while before it becomes commonplace,” Waller said. “The captain needs to be who they are so they write their own (information). I think its better that way because the customer can see their personality and style.”

What began several years ago with her husband leading excursions from Kiawah Island on the family’s two boats has grown into a network of nearly 400 captains between Maine and Texas, including more than 30 in the Charleston area. Not content to rest on her laurels, Waller aspires grow her network of captains to more than 3,000.

Waller’s company also contracts with numerous hotels in the Charleston area to offer package deals for tourists.

“It isn’t the best economy to launch a business based on luxury money when people don’t have luxury money,” said Waller, who says tourists can save money by purchasing package deals.

The USOBE recently approached Congressman Henry Brown, Jr. about declaring a day to recognize the boating industry, which the U.S. House of Representatives OK’d with a resolution designating July 1, 2009 as National Boating Day.

“I don’t know that it was my mission to change the industry, but there’s a lot of pain in the industry,” Waller said. “Maybe I can make the pain better and help the customer find a good captain.”

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com
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