In our latest interview we caught up with Brian, who recently celebrated five years with Back Cove Yachts. Brian began in decking, and in the time since he has established himself as a go-to for help of all kinds. Now, in his role as Purchasing Agent, he puts all his friendly helpfulness to expert use, keeping the production lines running smoothly and ensuring everyone has what they need when they need it. Thanks Brian, from everyone here at Back Cove Yachts!

Do you have a lucky number?

11 – my birthday is on 11/11 and I’m the 11th of 13 siblings. The oldest of us is 73, I’m 49, and the youngest is 45. It’s been a few years, but we occasionally get everyone together for a Christmas party. 

If you could learn any instrument what would you play?

Guitar or Saxophone.

Tell me about something that was difficult but made you a better person:

Overcoming the death of my parents at a young age.

If you could send a message back through time to your younger self what would you say?

Enjoy life and travel more. 

Tell me about the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen:

The birth of my four boys.

Tell me about the person who has impacted your life the most:

My mother.

What do you cook when no one else is home?

Grilled Cheese. 

What is your dream car?

69 Camero SS

What are you best at?

Helping others.

What are you most proud of?

My boys.

If you had to sell everything you own, and could only keep one thing, what would it be?

A photo album of my family.

Tell me one thing that none of your coworkers know about you:

I have eight brothers and four sisters, and I’m the only lefty in my family.

What is your theme song and why?

The theme song from Rocky – it inspires me. 

What’s something your mother taught you that you’ve never foregotten?

Always be respectful to others.

What’s the most important thing you learned in school?

How important friends are. 

Tell me about your best childhood friend:

My neighbor. We did everything together and most nights I ate dinner at his house or vice versa. 

Tell me about your earliest childhood memory:

Riding the school bus with a broken arm when I was five years old. 

What movie, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, do you have to watch every time it’s on?

Shawshank Redemption.

How honest are you?

Very.

What super power would you like to have?

Teleportation. My youngest son helped me come up with that one.

What’s your favorite dessert?

Cheesecake with strawberries

What’s your favorite song of all time?

Every Rose Has It’s Thorn, by Poison

Is it ever okay to break the rules?

No.

Name one thing that always makes you smile, no matter what:

My boys.

What is your least favorite thing about the world today?

The government. 

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A successful business owner.

When you’re 80 what story will you tell your grandchildren?

How easy things were without technology.

If you won a million dollars what would you spend it on?

My friends and family.

If you could talk to someone who has passed away who would it be and what would you say?

My mom – I miss you and I wish you could be with me.

Would you rather be deaf or blind?

Deaf. 

Destiny’s time with Back Cove has been both productive and successful, to say the least. Luckily for us, she was able to take a few moments out of her busy schedule as a newly appointed Lamination Team Leader to answer a few of our questions. In the world of Back Cove Lamination there’s a lot of timing, logistics, and shuffling molds, but Destiny’s abundant knowledge and natural leadership quickly became apparent as we spoke, as did the deep respect of her coworkers. Everyone here at Back Cove would like to offer our thanks and congratulations to Destiny for five amazing years!

Do you have a lucky number?

Eleven. It was my jersey number from high school field hockey all the way through softball in the military. 

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

Italy to visit the vineyards. I love the culture of Tuscany, the art, the food and wine. I did a lot of traveling in the military, discovered that I love Korean food, but I never got to go to Italy.

If you could learn any instrument what would you play?

Guitar

Tell me about something that was difficult but made you a better person?

Leaving home and joining the army. I grew up a military brat, but I never anticipated the effect it would have on me. I always wanted to be a soldier, even when I was a kid.

If you could send a message back through time to your younger self what would you say?

Don’t grow up too fast.

Tell me about the person who has impacted your life the most:

My grandmother. She is my hero. She taught me a lot about life, compassion, and working hard. She was always ready to listen. I wish I could talk to her today, not about anything in particular, just about life.

What do you cook when no one else is home?

Margaritas and take out!

What is your dream car?

Range Rover

Pepsi or Coke?

Coke

What are you most proud of?

Joining the Army.

What’s something your mother taught you that you’ve never forgotten?

The Golden Rule

What’s your favorite book of all time?

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. I love the lesson of selfless generosity.

What movie, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, do you have to watch every time it’s on?

The Goonies.

How honest are you?

I’m very blunt.

What super power would you like to have?

X-Ray vision.

What’s your favorite dessert?

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting!

Is it ever okay to break the rules?

That’s a tough question to answer. I guess it depends on whether or not someone will be hurt by it. 

Name one thing that always makes you smile:

Tacos!

What’s your least favorite thing about the world today?

The general lack of empathy people have for each other. 

If you won a million dollars what would you spend it on?

Family and friends, then bank the rest.

Where would you go in a time machine?

I think I’d go to Medieval times. I’d break all the social constructs about women though, because I would want to learn a trade, support myself with the work of my own hands. Not to mention, I could ride horses everywhere.

Would you rather be deaf or blind?

Can I choose to be blind in one eye and deaf in one ear?

Aaron joined the Back Cove team five years ago and today he wears many hats, dividing his time between various Production Support projects in addition to his role in Engineering. In celebration we took some time to chat with Aaron, and discovered a number of new things, not the least of which being that he’s a former rock climber, a twin, and eats a peanut butter bagel every morning for breakfast. All of us here at Back Cove would like to thank Aaron for his time, talent, and dedication over these last five years; we hope you enjoy getting to know him a little better as much as we did!

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

South America. Specifically, I’d want to see Patagoina and the Andes Mountains.

Why the Andes?

I used to do a lot of rock climbing, especially in college. My uncle was a big climber and he is the one who got me interested.

Do  you still climb?

No, now I run. My wife has been running for a long time, she ran her first marathon after our first daughter was born. 

What do you cook when no one else is home?

I’d probably pick sleeping over cooking if nobody was home. Food doesn’t rule me. 

What are you most proud of?

My family. After college I spent a number of years just roaming around and climbing, now I’ve got a wife, two kids, and two dogs. I’m definitely proud of that. 

What’s something that your mother taught you that you’ve never forgotten?

Always write ‘Thank You’ notes.

What’s your favorite book of all time?

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silversein

What super power would you like to have?

I’d like it if I didn’t have to sleep. 

What’s your favorite dessert?

I don’t really eat dessert, but my favorite meal is Shepherd’s Pie.

Is it ever okay to break the rules?

Yes, but only in certain situations. If your family is starving I don’t think it’s okay to steal a loaf of bread, but I think maybe it would be okay to go out and shoot a rabbit or something. 

If you won a million dollars what would you spend it on?

First of all, one million dollars is not nearly enough to affect any real change. I suppose I would pay off debts and get set-up for the next part of life.

What are you best at?

Patience. 

What’s something that your coworkers may not know about you?

I have a twin sister. 

In his five years at Back Cove Yachts, Jason has developed an intricate understanding of how our boats function. He’s had to, as he does all the wiring into the control panel, which he relates to the nervous system of the boat. In his words, “If my part isn’t done right the whole thing falls apart.” This kind of attention to detail not only lets Jason excel at his job, but as the father of three girls. In celebration of five years of excellence, we set out to learn a bit more about him.

What super power would you like to have?

To know when someone is telling a lie. Not to always know the truth, necessarily, but just to know when someone isn’t telling it.

Where would you go in a time machine?

Into the future about 30 years to see how far my kids have come. I have three girls, and right now they are 13, 10, and 6 – I can’t wait to see the awesome things they will do.

What’s your favorite dessert?

Bananas Foster

Where did you grow up?

All over the Maine coast, really. We moved a lot for my parent’s jobs when I was a kid, so I spent a lot of years as the ‘new kid’ in school. 

What’s the most difficult decision you’ve made in the last two years?

Letting go of someone I love so that they could be happy.

Tell us about something that was difficult, but made you a better person?

Learning to trust people, despite their faults. 

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

A dog person. We have two, one is a young German Shepherd/Husky mix and she has a ton of energy, too much energy if I’m honest. Our other dog is a seven year old Terrier / Boxer mix and she’s pretty chilled out.

Name one thing that makes you smile, no matter what:

My girls.

Tell me about an embarrassing moment:

When I learned my kids are far more technologically advanced than I am.

What’s the most important thing you learned in school?

You’ll forget most of what they say is important.

If you won a million dollars what would you spend it on?

My Family.

What are you most proud of?

Again, my three girls. They are my life.

What’s your favorite color and why?

Green. I’ve always loved being outside and green is the color of nature and life.

What movie, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, do you have to watch every time i’ts on?

John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’

You have to sell everything you own and can only keep one thing – what do you keep?

My phone, unfortunately it has everything on it.

How honest are you?

As honest as I possibly can be. I’m brutal, I just can’t walk around wearing a mask. Unfortunately people don’t always want to hear the straight truth.

When you’re 80 what stories will you tell your grandchildren?

Nothing from my 40’s or younger, that’s for sure.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

New Zealand. My grandfather fought in WWII and he contracted malaria, so they sent him to New Zealand to recover. I’d love to go back and find the kids and grand-kids of the people he stayed with and learn more about them.