Before Premier Marine kicked off its Factory Takeover Event Fri., April 12 at 4 p.m., this reporter sat down with Jay Lusignan, Premier’s Director of Marketing, and asked him why Premier was hosting the event.  Lusignan put it simply.  

“We just want to open our doors — we’re fairly new to the community —and let people understand and get a glimpse of what we’re all about,” he said.  “Premier Marine is all about building and selling the world’s best pontoons.  

Premier opened their Big Lake factory in August of 2022 and, according to Lusignan, the almost 200 people that Premier employs have been producing between four-to-seven pontoons a week.  Many of those employees were on hand Friday and Saturday.

The Factory Takeover Event offered many activities for attendees to choose from.  Inside, the Premier staff offered factory tours that gave the public the opportunity to tour their 150,000 square foot facility. The tour highlighted the process of how a pontoon is built from beginning to end.  At the end of the first tour of the day, Clay Hanson, Operations Manager, stopped to answer any questions that anyone had.  

Outside, people were given the opportunity to explore the latest models and technology on display by dealers throughout the area.  Food was provided by local food trucks.  Music was played in the background and games and fun was provided for the whole family.  Among those participating in the festivities was The Big Lake Bass Team, who Premier sponsors, led one of those activities, a modified Cornhole game.  Instead of throwing bean bags, players were asked to cast a lure into the hole on the board.  

Lusignan estimated that between 400-800 people would show up for the Factory Takeover Event.  All of them would have left the event feeling proud that Premier Marine is a part of their community and some of them might have even taken home their new pontoon.