Logistics/Maintenance
Timely delivery by land and by sea.
Our customers are the most important part of our business. And once they leave the office, we trust our employees to take special care of them and ensure they get what they need and to where they need to go. In our business, we only see our customers pre and post-trip. Our employees are the last to see them off on their wilderness journey, and the first to welcome them back to civilization.
As you know, the BWCA and Quetico are enormous parks with countless lakes and trip options. Seagull Outfitters can only provide service to a portion of each park, but even then, there is a considerable amount of transportation necessary to access the majority of BWCA entry points.
We transport all customers to and from every entry point other than Seagull Lake by suburban and canoe trailer, and we offer round trip motor boat tow launches on both Seagull and Saganaga Lakes. To provide the necessary transportation, we need both vehicle and motor boat drivers to accommodate all of our guests.
It will be necessary to learn where all the entry points are located and more importantly, how to get there. We drop customers and all of their equipment off at entry points where they will embark on their trip. First off, our employees transport our customers and gear to their assigned entry point via truck and trailer. They assist the customer with their canoes and gear and unloading everything for them. Often customers will seek advice on fishing, canoeing, camping, etc., so it is necessary to become as versed in the specifics of our area as possible. Backing a trailer will be necessary, so any experience backing up a trailer will help.
Operating our boats and motors is a little trickier than the vehicles. Not only should the applicant be familiar with boats and motors and how they work, but also be trainable on the numerous tow boat routes that we travel. In the lakes up here, there are no buoys to mark rocks and reefs. These glacial lakes can be incredibly beautiful, but also extremely dangerous. First, our tow boat drivers are responsible for knowing their route in and around all of the islands and where they can and can’t go on their way to deliver customers to their drop off point. Drivers are responsible for the boats and motors they operate. There are many rocks in these lakes that give no warning of their position or any mercy if struck with the motor prop, lower unit, or both. Because of this, we train our drivers on the exact course in which they are to operate our boats to deliver and retrieve our customers.
Weather can be volatile at times and come up without warning in our area. Operating a boat and motor in rough weather adds another element to this position. Our customers are depending on our drivers to make the correct decisions on weather to proceed in rough weather, take an alternate route or pull over to shore and wait rough weather out. Our customers’ safety is of the ultimate priority, and our drivers must be trusted upon to make the correct decision to ensure customer safety. Our boats are equipped with marine radios that we use to coordinate pick ups and drop offs, and to help in the decision making process.
Our logistics employees will also be asked to do a number of other duties and chores throughout the work day when there is a light transportation schedule. These chores will include:
- Boat and motor maintenance
- Vehicle maintenance
- Grounds keeping (weed whipping, lawn mowing, tree trimming, raking, etc.)
- Light construction projects if necessary
- Canoe repair
- And whatever else the priority list has in store
Communication and coordination is the name of this position. The ability to keep customers on a schedule is imperative when there are numerous parties leaving at the same time. So we trust our employees to be polite, courteous and helpful as they drive customers to and from entry points, but also show enough awareness to get the job done quickly to return for the next party.
Efficiency is also key in this position. We keep a tight schedule and our customers appreciate not having to wait. So the faster we can get them on the water and the quickest we can bring them home leaves a positive impression on them. Any deviation from the schedule early on has a ripple effect on the rest of the day and the rest of the parties that are scheduled to go out that day.
Applicants must show an ability to learn and memorize travel routes, be trusted operating expensive equipment, be responsible for the well being of our customers and providing quality service to our customers in a timely manner. If you can provide examples of ways you have been able to do similar or related tasks in previous employment…that will go a long way in securing you a position with us here at Seagull.
More Info and How to Apply
You can read more about the overall experience of a Seagull staff member by reading the Seagull Outfitters Job Description.
To apply for this position in logistics and maintenance, please access our Employment Application and either print it out and fill out and either mail or fax it back to us. Or you can simply download the file and copy the entire application into a blank Word document. Note: You may have to adjust the top and bottom and side margins in order for it to fit correctly on your screen. You can then complete the application and simply email us with the application as a Word file attachment. That will provide the simplest and fastest way and allow us to get a chance to view your information earlier. Thank you so much for your interest in our company and we wish you the best.
