It is obvious that many of you feel very passionately about the possibility of not getting your annual Defender Buyers' Guide.

For the record, I have known Larry for years and took no offense to his suggestion. As the Owner of Defender, I welcomed it. Internally, my staff and I have this discussion all the time. The bottom line is we keep hearing more requests for the paper catalog than a digital format (or web-only). In many cases, requests from one customer for three copies (the boat, the house and the office).

It sounded to me that Larry's point was to get feedback from the forum / my potential Customers, as to whether they want the catalog or not. Avoiding paper from being wasted, annoying those who do not wish to receive a catalog and saving the printing/mailing costs on catalogs not sent out. Nothing more than that, his suggestion.

I understand where Larry is coming from and I am thankful that so many of you feel so passionately about the Defender catalog (and Wayne's catalog at Hamilton and the other players who go to the trouble to produce these expensive Reference Guides). But, please, don't throw Larry under the bus because of a concept that he thought was in Defender's best interests. Sometimes I agree with his point and other times I sit at the table with the pro-paper-catalog-folks here.

For what it is worth, the Defender catalog is here to stay. Maybe one day, in the future, a digital format will be the way to go. For those of you who do not know, the entire catalog is available on our site for download (25MB). However, too many people ask for the annual catalog in print and the costs saved by not mailing catalogs, are only lost in the process of weeding through the customer base and figuring who doesn't want one (or does). My staff removes from our mailing list, those folks who request it. That is about the best to offer today to those people who want to opt out.

Pamela, you will always get a catalog if you want one. I promise. If you don’t, just call me. I’m here. I’ll mail to you personally.
Gail, the same goes for you.

Rob, I did find humor in your comment. I have many, many competitors who are grateful for the catalog, who have Customers using it to buy their product locally [not from Defender] and many Dealers I know use the Defender site as a resource tool for their staff. I have no issue with that. Glad the catalog and/or the site benefit your business.

Tom Young. You are dead on. It does not matter what it is (catalogs, books, magazines, papers), the printing industry and all associated with it is headed into an abyss. Newspapers are folding, publishing companies are shrinking. Even several of my kid’s University text books are on CD in lieu of a book (I could not study that way).

You guys are a very passionate crowd. Sometimes about things having absolutely nothing to do with boating……and you fight like kids in a big family (I come from one with five kids). As a lurker here……those heated battles are a clear sign to me that Spring needs to come faster and you guys need to feel the wind at you backs.

Be well. All of you.

Stephan Lance
Owner, Defender Industries, Inc.