Nine summers ago, the son of a rural school superintendent walked into a 14-acre hay pasture full of ticks alongside Forrest L. Wood’s grandson, Keith Daffron, his longtime close friend. Together they began staking out boundaries for an ambitious dream to build their own state-of-the-art boat manufacturing facility in Flippin, Ark.
Today, Lance Newton serves as V.P. of Operations for Vexus® Boats, working daily to lead nearly 200 dedicated teammates to build the highest quality fishing boats in the business, in a manner that is not only highly efficient, but also considerate of treating teammates with respect and appreciation throughout the process.
“I can’t help but be proud of the fact we literally started Vexus from the ground up by pounding PVC stakes in the ground that summer day, and have turned it into one of the most respected fishing boat brands in the world, while working with friends and family,” says Newton, who grew up in nearby Viola, and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Arkansas Tech in 2002.
As the ticks take a breather and the leaves disappear from the local Ozark Mountain landscape each autumn, Newton’s heart for serving others takes on an additional focus as he creates the design for the company Christmas ornament, of which close to 500 will be laser cut by Precision Technologies in Ft. Smith, and sent to treasured friends of Vexus along with a card signed by numerous Vexus employees.
“It’s something we’ve been doing since our first Christmas at Vexus for all of our employees, boat dealers, industry partners and even the local community, like the folks down at Flippin City Hall,” smiles Newton. “Everybody seems to love getting one, so now it’s an expected and fun tradition,” he adds.
This year’s design, shown in the photo, features a jumping largemouth with a Vexus logo where its eye is located. You can also see several of the ones Newton has designed in previous years in the photo. Look even closer, and you’ll note they’re resting on the original CAD-created blueprints he produced in 2017 to build the state-of-the-art factory.
“We based the factory design on our long-term production goals. Our goal is not to build the most boats, but instead, to build the best boats, and with input from so many people with decades of boat building experience, we’ve definitely learned what not to do, and to make the next new model even better than the last,” says Newton, who loves to drag a football jig on Bull Shoals and pheasant hunt with treasured friends, when he’s not leading the charge at Vexus.
“I think to be a great leader, you’ve got to be a great listener, as well as a great servant,” says Newton. “I’m here to make the lives of our employees and boat buying customers better through compassionate guidance. I believe that leads to us producing boats our customers are really proud to own.”
Certainly, the premium quality boats being built by Newton and his team nearly a decade after he and Daffron waded through ticks with a dream is all the proof necessary he’s a man of his word. But if you need a little added confirmation, look no further than the branches of Christmas trees owned by longtime friends of Vexus, and you’ll see reflections of his kind heart and creative mechanical mind there too.
To learn more about the quality fishing vessels he and his team build, please visit https://vexusboats.com.
Lance Newton leads Vexus® with a servant’s heart
