Michael White savors the view from what the Missourian calls his office. That is a Toyota Tundra loaded with everything he needs to work on Nitro Boats. As a tournament support field technician, the Tundra most of the time is parked with a lakeshore view.
“It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing, it’s just all about being outdoors,” he said.
Five years ago, White set himself free from a factory job, where he’d spent about 20 years working inside a building without windows.
White works for White River Marine Group, part of the Bass Pro Shops family, and the world’s largest manufacturer of recreational boats. Here is more about his life on the road.
Where are you from and how much do you travel?
I am from Pierce City, Missouri, a small town that is about an hour away from Springfield, where Bass Pro Shops is headquartered. I travel about 27 weeks a year.
What is your job and how long have you been at it?
I have been with White River Marine Group now for five seasons.
What kind of job training did you go through?
I am mechanically inclined and love to fish. I was trained for this job at Bass Pro Shops Base Camp in Springfield.
How do you travel and what’s in the truck?
I travel in a Toyota Tundra Limited, and I carry all the parts and tools needed to work on our boats.
What kind of service do you perform?
Most of it is just normal wear and tear. Tightening things up. I don’t have a lot of issues with our boats. It’s just fixing things that come up from the conditions these guys put our boats through. By that I mean these pros put their boats through more in the short span of eight months, than the average weekender will over the life of the boat.
How do you all go about determining how the service yard gets set up?
The tournament directors want us to make it as small as possible, so we try to do that. I’m an exception since I only have a truck, but what we do is look at how the trailers are configured and line them up the best possible way for it to work for them. The trailers need to be planned out. Us being mobile is very nice.
How is being mobile so nice?
I can do house calls. Especially with a tournament where there is so much fishing time involved, I just let the angler go back to their hotel or campground, get the battery charger plugged in, and work on it right there. It’s just easier and more convenient for the guys too.
Does the tournament location determine your workload?
It sure does. On a body of water like Lake St. Clair there will be more issues because of the rough water. On shallower water where there are unforeseen obstacles there can be more, too. The lake is a big deal on how late a day it will be.
What is one tool you cannot do without?
My screw gun and my impact driver.
Do you have any travel quirks?
I bring my personal DVD player and movies to keep entertained and occupied. I also bring my bow with me too, to practice shoot and stay tuned up for the hunting season.
What about anything else that everyone is quirky about?
The food. It’s funny. Just as soon as the schedule is announced a bunch of us will sit down and start making rooming reservations. And while we are at it, we’ll make a list of the restaurants that we’ve been to before. Food is a big deal, and we look forward to that kind of stuff. People usually know a place is good, because all our trucks are parked outside.
What do you most like about your job?
Being outside all the time. For 20 years I worked inside a window-less building at the factory for 12 hours a day. Outside, you’ve always got a view. I send pictures to my buddies of me sitting inside my truck and took the shot from my windshield view and facing the lake. I caption it, “Here is the view from my office.”
What do you do away from work?
I live on a farm and do chores. I hunt a lot. But I do really enjoy working on the farm.
