By Matt Trulio

Talk with Scott Shogren for a few minutes and it's easy to see why Shogren Performance Marine, based in Waukegan, Ill., has been the world's top-selling Fountain dealer for the past three years. Shogren, who opened the dealership in 2003, is as competitive and dedicated as Reggie Fountain himself. OK, that might be stretching things a bit, but the 40-year-old Shogren is as driven and service oriented as any dealer you'll find in the performance-boat world.

Shogren, who also owned a Yamaha-Polaris dealership and a high-end audio installation business until late 2006, started his performance-boating life in a Donzi Sweet 16 and eventually progressed through a series of go-fast boats to a Fountain 42 Lightning. The "snotty" waters of Lake Michigan are his aquatic playground, and when summer comes, he takes to them with his wife, Kelly, and their daughters, Jenna and Morgan.

So how's business?

Unbelievable. If it was any better, it would be illegal. I know a lot of dealers out there are crying the blues, but we are unbelievably busy.

One of the things we do differently … we have the ability to take trades that other dealers can't, and taking trades is a big part of this business. Last week, we took three Mercedes and two Corvettes on trade.

We are busy because of referrals, and we get all of our referral business because of the way we treat people. The way I see it, at the end of the day all I have is my reputation.

Shogren does have a strong reputation, but the same can't be said for many powerboat dealerships. Why?

I think the prime reason is that I take business principles and apply them to what I do. I think a lot of powerboat dealers run their businesses like hobbyists. They get caught up in the B.S. of the industry.

The largest single mistake people make in retail is cutting back their ad budgets when things get tough.

I try to do everything my competitors don't do. I never stop advertising, because it makes my phones ring. I constantly change my ads because I want people to open up the magazine and say, "What is Shogren Performance Marine going to do next?"

Any boat-buying trends you're seeing?

The buying trend for my business has been very consistent since we opened. Sales of boats more than 30 feet are really good. Sales of boats less than 30 feet are very soft.

What's the toughest part of running a boat dealership?

People, managing people. I'm lucky. I have good business people who work for me, not hobbyists. In three years, we went from a one-man deal to a $20 million company with seven employees. This year, we'll probably do $25 million. We're big, but we need to focus on the bottom line, not getting bigger.

Reggie Fountain has described you as "smart and hardworking, which is a dangerous combination." What do you make of that?

(Laughs) I think he's pretty accurate. If you ask people who know me, they'll say I'm smart without being arrogant. I am certainly smart enough to know I have to surround myself with good people.

My employees raise me up. If I had to leave here for a week, I wouldn't have to worry about my company running. It's set up that way, and that's a good feeling. I am hardworking, but I don't view it as hard work because I love what I do.

You know Reggie Fountain pretty well. Tell us something the average person doesn't know about him.

Reggie is real, and he is extremely smart. He's an entrepreneur. I think his track record speaks for itself. How many powerboat companies can you name that have had the same owner 27 years later? There are a couple of people out there who have done this for 27 years, but nobody has Reggie's passion. He always says, "I'd rather die a poor winner than a rich loser." That's Reggie.

I really view Reggie as a friend, somebody I can talk to. He's taught me a lot. I always try to give back to Reggie because he's given a lot to me.

Outside of Reggie Fountain, are there other people in the performance-boat industry you particularly respect or admire?

One person I respect, one with business principles, is David Woods, the owner of Pier 57. When I became a boat dealer, David was at the time the world's largest Fountain dealer. The last thing I wanted to do was get crossways with the guy, so I got on an airplane and flew to Pickwick (Tenn.) to see him. I sat down with David and said, "Tell me what to do and what not to do so I can be successful like you." He went into it, and he's the only guy in the industry I've run into who has done everything he said he would.

Another person I respect is Mitcher T of Mitcher T Custom Painting. He's real, and he gives a lot of paint for the money.

Lake Michigan can get nasty, as last year's Chicago Poker Run proved. Have you ever seen a consistently rougher body of water?

Never. I wouldn't call it rough water, though. I'd call it snotty water. On Lake Michigan, the water never goes the same way twice.

As a poker-run sponsor, safety issues must concern you. Are poker-run organizers doing enough to make sure their events are as safe as they can be?

That's a tough question to answer. First, I think that poker runs are good for the industry because they stimulate business and give people with a common interest a way to get together.

But I would like to see people really consider safety to be more important than they do. For boats that can go over a certain speed, there should be certain driving skills training, whether it's from Tres Martin's school or somewhere else, sort of like a license. There are guys out there in $700,000 boats that they couldn't drive to save their lives, just because they have a big checkbook.

I think Bill Taylor (of Poker Runs America) has been very good for the poker-run industry. More poker-run organizations need to use the rules and guidelines Bill uses to put on successful runs.

You've done some offshore racing. Did you enjoy it?

I love it. I am a Type-A competitive person, so I absolutely love racing. I just didn't like the politics.

What sort of politics?

Well, people say that Fountains race SBI because it's Reggie's series and we can't lose there, and I think that's wrong. Reggie is going to win no matter where he goes, because Reggie is a competitive person. And they will always try to find a way to slow his boats down once he starts winning and dominating.

Our (Fountain) V-bottoms are going to race the Offshore Super Series, and we'll see how fast they are. I think that it will be very good for OSS because it will attract Fountain owners to their races. It's a win-win for both OSS and Fountain.

What, for you, would be an ideal day on the water?

Honestly, an ideal day for me on the water is being with my wife and kids, headed across Lake Michigan. My wife and kids are everything.

Preferably in a big boat, though, seeing as you're heading across Lake Michigan.

Yeah, a 47 Fountain is my personal boat every year now.