Employment
We are employee-owned.
View our current openings here.
Our Employee Benefits
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Brooklin Boat Yard offers a traditional 401k Retirement Plan. We match up to 4% of employee contributions.
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Every full-time employee can own a part of Brooklin Boat Yard at no cost. Employees become eligible after one year of employment and become fully vested after three years.
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Brooklin Boat Yard’s health insurance plan is generous and a rarity at the small business level. We pay close to 100% of an employee’s premium. The plan is a co-pay structure, and BBY pays 70% of the co-pay for employees.
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Outside of earned paid leave as required by Maine law, all employees at Brooklin Boat Yard benefit from PTO. Distributions are as follows:
1 year = 1 week
5 years = 2 weeks
10 years = 3 weeks
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Some other perks available to Brooklin Boat Yard employees are:
Flexible Scheduling
Mileage Reimbursement
Wholesale Pricing on Marine Supplies
Educational (relevant certifications are 100% paid with pursuant employment contract)
Competitive pay
“This is the best place I’ve ever worked. They treat me really well.”
Allen Dodge, Mechanic
Allen Dodge’s family has owned property in Brooklin since the 1800s, and Allen grew up sailing like many generations before him. Allen’s grandfather owned a 1950’s lobster yacht built by Arno Day, the mentor of Joel White. Her name was Lydia. After inheriting his family house in Brooklin, the same one where he spent every summer of his life, Allen moved to Maine full-time. Before that, though, he spent most of his life living between Vermont and New Hampshire year-round.
Even as a young person, Allen figured out he was mechanically-minded. He began working as a mechanic early in his twenties, and by the time he was twenty-six, he had gained all the certifications he needed. He apprenticed under experienced professionals, and he worked in various shops, gradually progressing to the point where he felt he was ready to open his own business. Allen did open his own business- a heavy truck repair shop- and for sixteen years, he operated that small business. After a successful run, Allen sold it with the intent to retire early.
Like so many, Allen realized he wasn’t quite ready for retirement, so he took a job at Brooklin Boat Yard, and he’s been working here since 2020. “The people here are extraordinarily skilled, especially the woodworkers.”
Keith Claybaugh, Lead Carpenter
Keith Claybaugh found his way to Brooklin Boat Yard after discovering the joy of wooden boats vacationing in Maine.
From Kansas City originally, Keith and his wife moved to Brooklin in 2003. He’s been boatbuilding at Brooklin Boat Yard ever since.
When asked what is the best thing about working at Brooklin Boat Yard, his first response is, “Other than the view?” But he continues with, “This place is not a factory; you can take on as much responsibility as you want.”
One of Keith’s favorite builds is Marjorie, which was his first build with the crew. “That was an eye opener,” he says.
Keith’s signature: the Brooklin Boat Yard Wheel
“The health insurance is really good.”
Trent Glisson, Project Manager
Trent Glisson hails from Deer Isle, Maine, just down the road. After graduating high school, he knew he wanted to be a wooden boatbuilder. He attended The Landing School, graduated, then “landed” at Brooklin Boat Yard. That was sixteen years ago.
“It’s great to work on different projects all the time. You never get bored,” he says.
Trent’s favorite build was a local double-ender, Northern Rose. “She’s just a simple and beautiful boat.”
Trent’s Signature: “I’m the toe rail guy.”
“It all works.”
“It’s like Thanksgiving dinner everyday.”
Mike Schaefer, Paint Shop Supervisor
When asked about the culture at Brooklin Boat Yard, Mike Schaefer’s first words were, “It’s like Thanksgiving dinner every day.” He stresses the importance of family at Brooklin Boat Yard, and he also says, “If you’re willing to work hard and you have a good attitude, there’s a lot of opportunity here.”
We couldn’t agree more. At Brooklin Boat Yard, we care less about your experience and more about your mindset. If you like to learn and you want to be part of something really special, you’re our kind of crew member. We’ll teach you the rest.
There’s one thing all of our employees love: every day brings a different kind of work. It just never gets old. “No project is the same,” says Mike, and he should know. His favorite job is Foggy (he painted a red toilet for that one!).
“The project manager on our boat was so good I told him I would offer him a job in my company if he was ever interested. His response was, ‘You couldn’t pay me enough to even think about it.’ ”
Ron Zarrella, Blackfish
Want to work at Brooklin Boat Yard?
According to Brian Larkin, President and employee since 1987, it’s not about your experience or level of skill. Instead, he says, “It’s all down to personality.” He says, “If you are open-minded, like to problem solve, and appreciate pushing the envelope, you’re our kind of employee.”
Brooklin Boat Yard is an employee-owned company, or what’s commonly called an “ESOP.”
What is an ESOP?
ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. An ESOP allows employees to share ownership of the company. After completing one year of full-time employment, each employee is allocated shares on an annual basis and becomes fully vested after three years. Tenure, overall compensation, and job performance rating determine the size of each employee’s annual share allocation.
Each year, a third-party valuation is performed to assess the fair market value of the company, and this determines the annual share price. It is similar to owning shares in a publicly traded company, but the valuation is determined once a year instead of continuously like companies on the stock market. Upon leaving the company, an employee will be paid cash based on the amount of accumulated shares multiplied by the share price in the year of departure.
What are the benefits of an ESOP?
In the simplest terms, an ESOP is a retirement plan. But, in reality, it is much more than that: ESOPs motivate employees, increase productivity, improve worker retention, keep jobs local, contribute to business longevity, and much more.
ESOPs are often used when there is no apparent successor to take over the company when the owner retires. Rather than selling to a larger, corporate entity, some owners prefer to “sell to employees.” Steve White elected to implement an ESOP to allow the current leadership to carry on the legacy of Brooklin Boat Yard. There are also significant tax benefits for the company.
An ESOP allows all employees to share in the success of Brooklin Boat Yard.
Our ESOP does not require any out-of-pocket contribution from employees. Combined with a 401k Retirement Plan, ESOP earnings can supplement a long-term plan for retirement. These days, not many small businesses can offer this type of retirement planning.