Barletta names new director of design and development
Barletta Pontoon Boats, located in Bristol, Ind., announced a major investment into their current and future operations with the hiring of Josiah Druckenmiller. Druckenmiller, formerly with Bennington Marine as their director of design, will assume the role of director of design & development with Barletta Pontoon Boats.
Druckenmiller has a long history in the RV and Marine Industry. Since the fall of 2006, he has been employed in some creative design capacity with Bennington Marine, Charleston Corporation, and Lexington Seating. Most recently, he was the lead designer & stylist for Bennington Marine where he dealt with all conceptual and functional aspects of the customer experience while boating.
Reporting directly to Bill Fenech, president & co-owner of Barletta Pontoon Boats, Druckenmiller will have full reign and sole responsibility for Barletta’s product design and development. He will work closely with Fenech, and the production and engineering teams that are comprised of seasoned veterans from around the marine industry. With a “dream board” full of product development ideas and concepts, Barletta says the addition of Druckenmiller rounds out the Barletta team and will allow them to move quickly into the future. Druckenmiller’s projects will be sales driven and guided by listening to the customer, especially while working shows this upcoming boat show season.
“To tell you that this team, and myself, are excited about Josiah joining the Barletta family would be an understatement,“ stated Fenech. “This is a monumental investment into Barletta’s future. I’ve always admired his design work from a distance – his creative inspiration was a huge part of his former company’s success.”
“Make no mistake though,” continued Fenech, “while we will fully utilize all of Josiah’s talents in the future of Barletta, we will not step away from what has made Barletta spectacular. Our dealers, Barletta owners, and prospective owners can rest assured that we will maintain the Barletta DNA.”
In addition to Druckenmiller’s hiring, Barletta has acquired a new space for R&D and product development activities. With current facilities being fully consumed by production, the new space will allow for the continuation of energized focus on innovation and the future of Barletta Pontoon Boats. Barletta has also begun to move forward on plans for expansion at their 37-acre campus just north of Bristol, In.
“You can already feel the buzz throughout our dealer network, and in the industry, as the news started to spread about Josiah’s hiring,” stated Jeff Haradine, VP of Sales. “He is well-known, and well-respected throughout the industry. He’s a rockstar – and now he’s a Barletta rockstar. We can’t wait to introduce him to the Barletta way.”
