Safe Boats International (SBI) CEO Richard Schwarz, is to transition from his role into a consulting and advisory role.
The Seattle-based boatbuilder, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, will adopt a new cooperative leadership model, which it says will reflect the collaborative spirit at the heart of the organisation.
Day-to-day company operations will be led by four longtime Safe Boats executives:
Rob Goley, chief revenue and customer officer, leading sales, marketing, customer support, training, nproduct development and sales engineering.
Christer Bradley, chief operations officer, directing operations, manufacturing, quality, production engineering, and continuous improvement.
Tom Gumpert, chief financial officer, overseeing financial operations, supply chain, and IT.
Cindy McFarland, chief people officer, championing the employee owner/team member experience, professional and workforce development.
With this leadership team and this model, we’re positioning Safe Boats for a strong and innovative future.
Scott Peterson
The leadership team will be guided and supported by a chief executive board led by company founder Scott Peterson, serving as chairman of the board.
He is supported by vice chair Bill Hoglund and board members Dean Lee, who contributes in an executive leadership development capacity, and Tom Norton, who serves as treasurer of the board.
“Our people have always been the heart of Safe Boats,” said Peterson.
“This structure reflects who we are — collaborative, customer-focused, mission-driven, and united by the pride of employee ownership.
“With this leadership team and this model, we’re positioning Safe Boats for a strong and innovative future.
“It honours our history while giving us the agility and shared perspective we need for continued success.”
Safe Boats is a employee-owned company.
