FOND DU LAC, Wis. — It takes a team to build a boat engine.

That includes people like Abbigale Steger, a Mercury Marine employee versed in the assembly and installation of pistons.

What You Need To Know

  • Boating is seeing a boom through the pandemic

  • Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac has added about 500 positions in the past year

  • The company isseeking another 150 people for jobs ranging from assembly to its machine and foundry operations​

“It’s nice going home knowing that I produced a good motor,” the Oshkosh resident said. “And it’s really cool when you’re driving home and you see one on the highway. That’s pretty sweet, I enjoy that a lot.”

Boating has been one of the resurgence stories of the pandemic as people look for outdoor recreation options. That’s created a huge demand from maritime products from boats to engines.

It has companies like Mercury Marine working hard to meet the influx of orders.

In the past year the business has added about 500 positions. It’s currently seeking about 150 more people in jobs ranging from assembly to positions in the machining operation and foundry. Wages start around $20 an hour.

“We’re creating a product that people can go out and use and enjoy and make and create memories on the water,” said Andres Gonzalez, the company’s vice-president of human resources. “That’s really exciting.”

It’s exciting for employees, too.

Material Handler Debra Godfrey delivers the parts used to build the engines via forklift. She also loads the finished products on trucks.

Godfrey got a kick out of seeing Mercury Marine engines on boats while on a trip to Florida.

“It’s a very proud feeling to know that the world is excited about the product I help make and deliver,” she said.

Employees like Larry Guzman often see their products on the water or on a boat being transported on the road.

“It’s a good sensation: ‘I could have built that motor,’” he said. “Just seeing it out on a customers boat, it just feels amazing that I got the opportunity to build that outboard.”

Steger uses the word “pride” when talking about her work, he co-workers and the company’s products.

“All of us take pride in everything we do. I feel like everybody here knows that and that’s why it’s pretty cool,” she said. “Everybody is really important to the process."

For more information, visit https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/about/careers.