solid power for life - Charles Industries, Ltd.
solid power for life - Charles Industries, Ltd.
solid power for life - Charles Industries, Ltd.
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amped<br />
SOLID POWER FOR LIFE
President’s Letter<br />
WELCOME TO AMPED!<br />
I’d like to welcome you to the premiere<br />
issue of Amped, our new magazine/catalog<br />
hybrid dedicated to showing you<br />
how <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> can <strong>power</strong> your <strong>life</strong>.<br />
We think this innovative “magalog” package,<br />
with the magazine on one side and the catalog<br />
on the other, will more fully capture all of the<br />
possibilities that <strong>Charles</strong> products represent.<br />
On the catalog side, I’m proud that we can<br />
truly be your one-stop source <strong>for</strong> marine electrical<br />
system needs and industrial solutions.<br />
On the magazine side, we take deeper looks at<br />
our new offerings and show <strong>Charles</strong> products<br />
in action right where you’ll use them.<br />
It’s no secret that I’m an avid boater. Over the course of a year, my wife<br />
and I navigate the Great Lakes, eastern seaboard and Florida coasts. So<br />
when you choose a <strong>Charles</strong> product, remember that they’re not only tested<br />
in the lab, but also on the water. I would never sell a product I wouldn’t be<br />
proud to have servicing my own boat. That’s why <strong>for</strong> more than 35 years,<br />
the <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> Marine Group has worked hard to provide sport,<br />
commercial and recreational boaters with the highest quality AC and DC<br />
<strong>power</strong> systems, shore-<strong>power</strong> cabling and onboard communications systems.<br />
As a boater myself, the last thing I want to think about is whether everything<br />
will work when I’m offshore. In the magazine portion of Amped, we<br />
explore how <strong>Charles</strong> products enable your onboard <strong>life</strong>style. Dr. Keith<br />
DeGreen, a radio talk show host, embarked on a journey around the world<br />
onboard his Nordhavn 55, broadcasting the entire time thanks to reliable<br />
<strong>power</strong> (page 14). But <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> isn’t only on the water—we also<br />
charge up Chicago’s Sears Tower, keeping the aircraft warning lights steadily<br />
blinking (page 26). Lastly, find out how we create all of these products<br />
and ensure quality with a tour of our factory (page 18).<br />
A cause that has always been important to me is helping individuals with<br />
disabilities, which is why Barb and I donated two boats to help some of<br />
these individuals become involved in the sport of sailing (page 30). There is<br />
nothing more satisfying than a day on the water, and I am proud to have<br />
shared that experience with such an inspiring group of people.<br />
Whatever your inspiration may be, I hope that you enjoy this issue of<br />
Amped and that you’ll find even more ways we can help <strong>power</strong> your <strong>life</strong>.<br />
All the best,<br />
Joe <strong>Charles</strong><br />
President and CEO<br />
PRESIDENT AND CEO<br />
JOE CHARLES<br />
GENERAL MANAGER<br />
LYLE ST. ROMAIN<br />
OPERATIONS MANAGER<br />
JEAN MIKA<br />
ENGINEERING MANAGER<br />
JEFF KAISER<br />
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT<br />
SUZANNE HAWLEY<br />
amped<br />
SOLID POWER FOR LIFE<br />
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER<br />
DOUGLAS LEIK<br />
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR<br />
RANDY HESS<br />
SENIOR EDITOR<br />
JENNIFER CHESAK<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
EMILY FORD<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
LIZZIE CARLSON<br />
EDITORIAL INTERN<br />
AMY WEINFURTER<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
RUSSELL DUNCAN<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
HAIYEN CHIN<br />
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE<br />
ANNIE ETHRIDGE<br />
P U B L I S H I N G<br />
WWW.DINOPUBLISHING.COM<br />
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER<br />
DOUGLAS LEIK<br />
Amped is published two times a year <strong>for</strong><br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> by Dino Publishing LLC.<br />
Any correspondence should be directed to:<br />
Dino Publishing<br />
350 W. Hubbard St. Suite 400<br />
Chicago, IL 60610<br />
Tel: 312.822.9266 Fax: 312.822.9268<br />
email: dleik@dinopublishing.com<br />
The opinions expressed in this magazine<br />
are not to be considered official<br />
expressions of Dino Publishing or <strong>Charles</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong>. The publisher reserves the<br />
right to accept or reject all editorial or<br />
advertising matter. The publisher assumes<br />
no responsibility <strong>for</strong> unsolicited<br />
manuscripts, photographs or artwork.<br />
Reproduction in whole or in part of any<br />
text, photograph or illustration without<br />
prior written permission from the<br />
publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in<br />
U.S.A. Copyright © 2007
amped<br />
SOLID POWER FOR LIFE<br />
VOLUME 1, NO. 1<br />
2<br />
26<br />
TOWER ABOVE<br />
22<br />
NEW ORLEANS<br />
GLOBE TROTTER<br />
14<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
4 PLUGGED IN<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> hangs out in your backyard, helps Cinderella and<br />
goes to Hong Kong. • Boaters get heart smart with <strong>Charles</strong><br />
seminars. • Store your boat in <strong>Charles</strong>’ safe haven.<br />
8 CHARGED UP<br />
Parties on your boat are fun, safe and fully charged with<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine.<br />
10 KEEPING CURRENT<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine gives you the low-down on caring <strong>for</strong> all<br />
of your onboard AC/DC needs so that you never lack <strong>for</strong><br />
adequate <strong>power</strong>.<br />
12 B-SAFE<br />
Isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers from <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> ensure<br />
you’ve always got the <strong>power</strong> to play on the water.<br />
amped / PREMIERE ISSUE<br />
FEATURES<br />
14 GLOBE TROTTER<br />
A radio talk-show host embarks on a global voyage,<br />
broadcasting his show from his ship along the way.<br />
18 MADE IN THE U.S.A.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> fosters a sense of family, purpose and American<br />
pride at its five Midwestern manufacturing plants.<br />
22 REPOWERING NEW ORLEANS<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> takes commerce to the Big Easy with<br />
a product demo following Katrina.<br />
26 TOWER ABOVE<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> supplies the trans<strong>for</strong>mers <strong>for</strong> the<br />
air-traffic safety lights on top of the Sears Tower.<br />
30 LAUNCHING BOATS AND DREAMS<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> supplies <strong>power</strong> that goes way beyond<br />
electricity.
4<br />
PLUGGED IN<br />
Numbers, nomenclature and news <strong>for</strong> the thoroughly plugged in.<br />
IT KEEPS<br />
GOING &<br />
GOING<br />
THE INVINCIBLE INCHARGER<br />
Every parent knows to stock up on extra batteries<br />
at Christmas time. The last thing you want<br />
is <strong>for</strong> little Timmy’s excitement about his new<br />
gadget to turn into a tantrum when the thing<br />
won’t blink and bleep. Industrial engineers seem<br />
to feel the same way about their gadgets. Deny<br />
them an uninterrupted supply of DC <strong>power</strong><br />
where they need it, and the tantrum may be<br />
more subdued, but the emotions will run just<br />
as deep.<br />
Like a prescient parent on Christmas morn,<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> offers those engineers the<br />
new InCharger, a rugged industrial battery<br />
charger that combines ground-breaking design<br />
with high-tech features. <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> has<br />
provided reliable DC-<strong>power</strong> solutions to the<br />
marine and industrial markets <strong>for</strong> decades, and<br />
the new InCharger builds on that legacy with<br />
enhanced ease of use and a rugged constitution.<br />
Constructed from industrial grade anodized<br />
aluminum, the InCharger is specifically<br />
designed to per<strong>for</strong>m in the most demanding<br />
environments. The unit’s universal AC input<br />
and configuration <strong>for</strong> gel, flooded lead acid,<br />
AGM or NiCAD batteries with 12- or 24-VDC<br />
selectable output makes the InCharger a onestop<br />
purchasing decision <strong>for</strong> industrial customers.<br />
That flexibility of output is delivered through<br />
an elegant soft-touch interface that will make<br />
any engineer smile, with a fully customizable<br />
setup <strong>for</strong> all industrial settings.<br />
“Our engineering team has developed the<br />
most innovative battery charger system to<br />
enter the marketplace,” says Lyle St. Romain,<br />
managing director of the <strong>Charles</strong> Marine<br />
& Industrial Group. “The InCharger has<br />
revolutionized the use of battery chargers in<br />
an industrial setting to surpass all customer<br />
expectations.”<br />
amped / PREMIERE ISSUE<br />
Rugged and elegant, the InCharger stakes its claim on greatness.<br />
IN THE ’HOOD<br />
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood<br />
with <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
in your backyard. Didn’t know<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> was there? Look at your<br />
NID. A Network Interface Device<br />
is a device installed by your<br />
phone company to connect your<br />
indoor wiring to the telephone<br />
network, and it’s usually mounted<br />
near your electrical meter. Check<br />
yours—<strong>Charles</strong> just might be<br />
helping you reach out and touch<br />
someone each time you pick up<br />
the phone. <strong>Charles</strong> even goes<br />
beyond your boat and your<br />
backyard. To find out how <strong>Charles</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> plays a role in air traffic<br />
safety, turn to page 26.<br />
DO YOU NEED A BOOST?<br />
With the increasing demand <strong>for</strong><br />
onboard marine electronics, it can<br />
be difficult to keep nautical tools<br />
and toys <strong>power</strong>ed up. That’s<br />
where SmartBoost, <strong>Charles</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong>’ new universal AC<br />
voltage booster, comes in.<br />
Whenever dockside <strong>power</strong> falls<br />
below 210 VAC, SmartBoost adds<br />
a 15 percent AC voltage boost to any<br />
existing 50-amp trans<strong>for</strong>mer. Designed to<br />
increase incoming AC shore <strong>power</strong> voltage, it<br />
ensures that the equipment you and your boat<br />
depend on has enough juice to do its job.<br />
This <strong>power</strong>-enhancer fits neatly into any<br />
<strong>power</strong> management system. Designed as a<br />
separate boost control unit, it works with<br />
any 12Kva or 15Kva (50 amp) isolation<br />
As much as he searched, Joe<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> couldn’t find a<br />
suitable place to store his<br />
Florida-based yacht during<br />
the summer. He wanted to<br />
be confident it would be<br />
protected from the<br />
elements—especially if a<br />
hurricane rolled in.<br />
After failing to find the<br />
ideal solution, he developed<br />
one of his own. His River<br />
Forest Yachting Center in<br />
Stuart now provides a safe<br />
haven <strong>for</strong> not only his own boat, but <strong>for</strong><br />
dozens of other discriminating owners<br />
of large yachts. “We’re not a boatyard,”<br />
says Joe, the president and CEO of<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>. “We’re a long-term<br />
summer boat storage facility.”<br />
The key difference is climate control.<br />
The facility protects boats from the<br />
ravages of sun, extreme weather,<br />
humidity and mold. “It’s like giving your<br />
boat another birthday,” <strong>Charles</strong> says.<br />
Launched in 2004 at a 9-acre facility<br />
in Stuart, Florida, with room <strong>for</strong> 150<br />
boats, the concept caught on fast.<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mer, even those made by other<br />
manufacturers.<br />
Additionally, terminal blocks facilitate easy<br />
customer connections. Once installed, this<br />
product is simple and straight<strong>for</strong>ward to use:<br />
A fully automatic operation, manual 1:1<br />
override and low-voltage Boost & Power LED<br />
indicators keep the consumer in<strong>for</strong>med and<br />
in control. With an optional remote indicator<br />
panel, users can also monitor its status from<br />
any location, making the SmartBoost as<br />
versatile as it is <strong>power</strong>ful.<br />
The only trans<strong>for</strong>mer made especially <strong>for</strong><br />
the marine industry and to fit ABYC and<br />
NMMA standards, it also has CE certification<br />
<strong>for</strong> European use. No matter how large your<br />
electronic collection grows, SmartBoost ensures<br />
you’ll always be able to <strong>power</strong> up safely.<br />
YACHT STORAGE GALORAGE<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> is already expanding to the<br />
other side of Lake Okeechobee, serving<br />
the west coast of Florida with an<br />
Ortona location that will be open next<br />
spring. There’s also a site in Grand<br />
Haven, Michigan.<br />
A successful offshoot of the yachting<br />
center is the Hurricane Club, which<br />
guarantees its customers a safe spot<br />
whenever a named storm approaches.<br />
“Come hurricane time,” Joe says, “they<br />
come flooding through the St. Lucie<br />
Lock like crazy.” For more in<strong>for</strong>mation,<br />
call (772) 287-4131.<br />
(Above, left) <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> hangs out in your backyard in the <strong>for</strong>m of a Network Interface Device.<br />
PREMIERE ISSUE / amped<br />
5
6<br />
PLUGGED IN<br />
GENTLEMEN,<br />
START YOUR<br />
ENGINES<br />
You’ve got a full fishbox and are ready<br />
to head home to cook your catch, but<br />
there’s one problem: Your engine<br />
won’t start.<br />
Electric trolling motors, bilge pumps,<br />
stereos and lights can all be the cause<br />
of a zapped engine battery. Avoid the<br />
frustration with StartNow, <strong>Charles</strong><br />
Marine’s innovative new product that<br />
keeps batteries and boats up and running<br />
so you can get to the fish and back.<br />
StartNow provides automatic starting<br />
assurance <strong>for</strong> vessels<br />
from 15 to 29<br />
feet, helping<br />
boaters travel<br />
more safely<br />
and with greater<br />
peace of mind.<br />
Its microprocessor<br />
allows the main<br />
battery to drain<br />
without depleting<br />
the reserve battery,<br />
ensuring that the reserve<br />
battery will always be ready if needed.<br />
The device’s computer monitors the<br />
main engine, draws additional energy<br />
from the reserve battery when the<br />
engine shows signs of trouble and<br />
then automatically recharges itself.<br />
This ingenious product’s exterior<br />
matches its dazzling interior features.<br />
Enclosed in a high-quality, ABS-plastic<br />
sealed case, it uses stainless steel connections<br />
and rubber caps to enhance safety.<br />
StartNow is waterproof, maintenancefree<br />
and designed to last the <strong>life</strong> of your<br />
boat. It can be conveniently mounted<br />
close to the battery, and with minimum<br />
wiring it’s a snap to install.<br />
StartNow’s intelligent and durable<br />
design will get you home in time <strong>for</strong><br />
dinner everytime.<br />
POWER SURFING<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> is making waves everywhere,<br />
helping out with homeland<br />
security as well as all your marine<br />
<strong>power</strong> needs. To learn more<br />
about <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>, visit<br />
www.charlesindustries.com. You’ll<br />
find press releases, as well as a list<br />
of upcoming marine aftermarket<br />
product shows.<br />
Also, flip this magazine over and<br />
check out the catalog section <strong>for</strong> a<br />
complete listing of our marine<br />
electrical products.<br />
We want to hear your <strong>Charles</strong><br />
stories. Do you have a favorite<br />
product or a picture of your boat<br />
in a fabulous port of call?<br />
Send to ampedmag@dinopublishing.com or Amped Magazine,<br />
350 W. Hubbard St., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60610.<br />
SLEEK, SAFE & ISOLATED<br />
For as long as boats have been built, boaters<br />
have tried to bring the best of the onshore<br />
world—which increasingly includes electronic<br />
equipment and energy—to the sea. They have<br />
long relied on isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers to bridge<br />
this shore-to-sea gap and provide clean and safe<br />
<strong>power</strong> to marine vehicles.<br />
Since <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mers make it possible<br />
to fully isolate a boat’s<br />
electrical system from the<br />
shore, they reduce the risk<br />
of in-water shock and<br />
eliminate the need <strong>for</strong> galvanic<br />
isolators and polarity<br />
alarms. They also protect<br />
onboard electronics from<br />
dangers such as reverse<br />
polarity, voltage transients, spikes and noise.<br />
The new <strong>Charles</strong> ISO-G2 upgrades these<br />
advantages into a sleek and improved model,<br />
available at the same cost as previous models.<br />
The ISO-G2’s reconceived design fosters<br />
versatility, allowing it to more easily fit into a<br />
variety of boats and spaces. A new lightweight<br />
60-pound model increases maneuverability and<br />
makes installation simple. Terminal blocks have<br />
wiring options to match both vertical and horizontal<br />
installation, so owners can choose the<br />
orientation that works<br />
best <strong>for</strong> them.<br />
Additionally, the 30-<br />
amp ISO-G2 comes in<br />
both 3.6kVA and 3.8kVA<br />
versions, offering solutions<br />
<strong>for</strong> smaller vessels in<br />
both North America and<br />
abroad. Built with a full<br />
current-carrying shield,<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers<br />
are the only<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mers created specifically <strong>for</strong> the marine<br />
industry. They meet all ABYC and NMMA<br />
standards and are certified <strong>for</strong> European use.<br />
Mix the best of the electronic and marine<br />
worlds with ISO-G2.<br />
STEVEN J. CONWAY<br />
GUY NOWELL TAY KAY CHIN<br />
HONG KONG<br />
CONNECTION<br />
You may have thought it was<br />
Prince Charming, but it’s actually<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> that lights<br />
up the lives of Cinderella, Snow<br />
White and Sleeping Beauty.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> supplies light to movie<br />
theaters at Disney Hong Kong,<br />
rescuing all those damsels in<br />
distress from the dark and<br />
bringing big-screen adventure<br />
to Far East viewers. <strong>Charles</strong> is<br />
also a superstar on Hong Kong’s<br />
famous Star Ferry—the passenger<br />
ferries that run across<br />
Victoria Harbour between the<br />
island of Hong Kong and<br />
Kowloon use the new <strong>Charles</strong><br />
HQ ABS Battery Chargers.<br />
HEART SMART<br />
DeFever Cruisers, a worldwide<br />
group of enthusiastic boaters,<br />
have been getting more than just<br />
a little R & R on their rendezvous<br />
lately. They’ve also been picking<br />
up the necessary skills to ensure<br />
that everyone makes it safely to<br />
their final ports of call. <strong>Charles</strong><br />
Marine’s seminar, “Lifesaving<br />
Defibrillators—Beating the Odds<br />
of Sudden Cardiac Arrest,”<br />
teaches boaters how to use<br />
portable defibrillators to save<br />
lives on the water.<br />
The American Heart<br />
Association estimates that coronary<br />
heart disease kills between<br />
225,000 to 300,000 people each<br />
year, most be<strong>for</strong>e they ever<br />
reach a hospital. Since the rate of<br />
survival decreases by seven to<br />
10 percent with every minute<br />
between the onset of cardiac<br />
arrest and defibrillation, finding<br />
immediate care is crucial.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine’s seminar aims<br />
to train boaters in using<br />
HeartSine’s new PAD (Personal<br />
Access Defibrillator). PAD’s audio<br />
prompts and illustrated icons can<br />
guide even infrequent users to<br />
deliver <strong>life</strong>-saving care. Compact,<br />
shockproof, water-resistant and<br />
extremely lightweight (it weighs<br />
less than two pounds), the defibrillator<br />
is easy to carry and store.<br />
The Samaritan PAD includes a<br />
carrying case, prep kit and two<br />
Pad-Paks (each has a set of<br />
defibrillator pads with a 6-hour<br />
battery capable of delivering<br />
more than 30 shocks).<br />
With these seminars, <strong>Charles</strong><br />
Marine hopes to ensure that<br />
hearts keep beating out the<br />
rhythm of many trips to come.<br />
For more in<strong>for</strong>mation about<br />
the Samaritan ® PAD, visit<br />
www.charlesindustries.com.<br />
7<br />
(Above, left) <strong>Charles</strong> Marine keeps boaters on smaller vessels safe, confident and secure with StartNow.<br />
(Above, right) DeFever Cruisers pull into port to have a heart-to-heart with <strong>Charles</strong> Marine about safety.<br />
amped / PREMIERE ISSUE<br />
PREMIERE ISSUE / amped
DEPARTMENT NAME<br />
8<br />
CHARGED UP<br />
POWER TO PLAY<br />
Good times on your boat are fun, safe and fully charged with <strong>Charles</strong> Marine<br />
BY LIZZIE CARLSON<br />
It may not be the holiday season, but<br />
summer is a sort of season-long holiday<br />
in itself. From backyard barbecues to<br />
pool-side parties, there’s a nation-wide shift to<br />
the outdoors—and to any activity that allows us<br />
to be outside as much as possible. This craving <strong>for</strong><br />
sun and sea is what makes boating the quintessential<br />
way to celebrate the summer season. But,<br />
outdoors or not, you’ll still need one incredibly<br />
important ingredient to make those dock-side<br />
parties and summer night cruises really sizzle:<br />
<strong>power</strong>, and lots of it. The engineers at <strong>Charles</strong><br />
Marine make it their duty to provide boaters<br />
with every gadget they could possibly need to<br />
safely and easily <strong>power</strong> their boat and any<br />
necessary appliances during all their summer<br />
on-water celebrations, whether a full day out on<br />
the lake, or a full night docked in the marina.<br />
When you take the fun on the run away from<br />
the marina and its shore-<strong>power</strong> source, you’ll<br />
need a new arsenal of products to keep the good times rolling. When the engines are running, they<br />
will take care of charging the batteries; however, your boat’s batteries produce DC <strong>power</strong>, and many<br />
of your boat’s party-friendly electronics need AC <strong>power</strong> to run. <strong>Charles</strong> Marine’s DC-to-AC Power<br />
Inverters come to the rescue. Inverters convert 12V and 24V DC battery <strong>power</strong> into 110V/60Hz<br />
or 220V/50Hz of AC <strong>power</strong> that can be used to operate onboard equipment and appliances while<br />
underway. Inverters can be a viable alternative to turning on a generator, as they produce less noise<br />
and no fumes and require less <strong>power</strong> to run.<br />
Back at the marina with your boat’s engines shut down, shore <strong>power</strong> will handle your AC needs,<br />
but you’ll also use it to charge your boat’s batteries and keep your DC system cranking. <strong>Charles</strong><br />
Marine’s SP Series Electronic Battery Chargers work with all three types of batteries—lead acid, gel<br />
cell and AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat). The new 5000 SP and 2000 SP Battery Chargers feature a<br />
battery-type selector switch that enables boaters to use the charger with any of the three battery<br />
types. <strong>Charles</strong> Marine batteries also feature three-stage charging, automatic recharging, resistance to<br />
harsh marine environments and the ability to simultaneously function as a battery charger and a<br />
<strong>power</strong> supply.<br />
Parties in the marina definitely have their perks. The captain can more com<strong>for</strong>tably stray from the<br />
helm to have a little fun, revelers can come and go on their own schedule and neighbors down the<br />
dock can join the festivities. But even better, the marina has all the <strong>power</strong> you could possibly need,<br />
just a shore outlet away.<br />
Once hooked up to shore <strong>power</strong> with one of <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>’ C-Cable Marine <strong>power</strong> products,<br />
KELLY KOON<br />
AC <strong>power</strong> from your ship-to-shore<br />
connection will run all the electronics on your<br />
boat that you would usually use at home…<br />
you’ll enjoy a dependable, secure connection<br />
between your onboard electrical system and<br />
the marina’s shore outlet. <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
boasts more than 35 years of in-house molding<br />
and metal stamping capabilities to offer a wide<br />
range of corrosion-resistant shore-<strong>power</strong> cables<br />
that ensure the safety and reliability of your shipto-shore<br />
connections. However, just being<br />
hooked up to shore isn’t enough. AC <strong>power</strong> from<br />
your ship-to-shore connection will run all<br />
the electronics on your boat that you would<br />
usually use at home with a regular wall outlet,<br />
from blenders to refrigerators to air conditioning<br />
to speakers <strong>for</strong> playing your iPod’s summer party<br />
mix. But, hooking up to shore <strong>power</strong> also carries<br />
some risks. The main problem with marina<br />
shore-<strong>power</strong> systems is grounding, but corroding<br />
junction boxes or outlets can also cause a short.<br />
This kind of fault can fail to push enough juice<br />
back up the line to trip a breaker. If the breaker<br />
doesn’t trip, it could heat up the fault area and<br />
cause a fire, or it could <strong>for</strong>ce the current flowing<br />
into the boat to seek another route back to<br />
land—most likely through the boat’s DC ground<br />
and into the water. While posing numerous risks<br />
to the boat and its passengers, this is especially<br />
dangerous to any party-goers who may end up in<br />
the water, as even minimal amounts of electrical<br />
current can cause injuries or worse.<br />
The safest solution to this potential problem<br />
is an isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mer. <strong>Charles</strong> Marine’s line<br />
of C-Power Isolation Trans<strong>for</strong>mers electrically<br />
isolate the AC shore <strong>power</strong> from the boat’s AC<br />
<strong>power</strong> system, preventing issues with grounding<br />
and potential dangers <strong>for</strong> swimmers. In addition,<br />
this isolation also means that your AC <strong>power</strong> will<br />
be cleaner and unaffected by possible interference<br />
from neighbors’ electrically noisy chargers or other<br />
issues. The units also prevent galvanic action<br />
between your vessel and others, eliminating the<br />
need <strong>for</strong> a dedicated galvanic isolator.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers are the<br />
only isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers that are approved by<br />
Marine UL, an independent lab that tests marine<br />
equipment <strong>for</strong> temperature, shock, vibration,<br />
corrosion and safety considerations specific to<br />
the marine environment. C-Power Isolation<br />
Trans<strong>for</strong>mers are also unique in that they have a<br />
full current-carrying shield, which means even a<br />
lightning strike won’t have an adverse effect on<br />
the boat’s electrical system.<br />
The technical details <strong>for</strong> all of these <strong>Charles</strong><br />
Marine products are important, but more<br />
important is the peace of mind and good times<br />
they deliver. <strong>Charles</strong> has you covered. And what<br />
better to toast than that?<br />
9<br />
Put <strong>Charles</strong> in charge of all your <strong>power</strong> needs so you can stay in charge of the festivities.<br />
Kerry O’Hare finds AC bliss with a frozen margarita fresh from her galley blender.<br />
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PREMIERE ISSUE / amped
DEPARTMENT NAME<br />
KEEPING CURRENT<br />
10<br />
IT’S ELECTRIC!<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine gives you the low-down on <strong>power</strong>ing up<br />
BY AMY WEINFURTER<br />
There’s nothing quite like taking a<br />
long cruise and waking up in a different<br />
port every morning ready to<br />
explore. With the steam wafting from your<br />
espresso machine and a podcast piping through<br />
your MP3 player, it’s easy to take the electricty<br />
<strong>power</strong>ing all the com<strong>for</strong>ts you’ve brought from<br />
home <strong>for</strong> granted. The folks at <strong>Charles</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> hope you will. They make worry-free,<br />
hassle-free products to <strong>power</strong> all of your<br />
onboard needs, so you can sit back, relax and<br />
enjoy your cruise or port of call. But if you’re<br />
looking <strong>for</strong> the skinny on juicing up, here are<br />
the basics. On boats, <strong>power</strong> stems from two<br />
sources: AC <strong>power</strong>, which comes from generators,<br />
shore <strong>power</strong> or inverters; and DC <strong>power</strong>,<br />
which comes from batteries.<br />
AC (Alternating Current) <strong>power</strong> sustains<br />
anything you would connect to a typical home<br />
outlet, such as hair dryers, blenders, microwave<br />
ovens or coffee makers. The new <strong>Charles</strong> Marine<br />
PM3 Modular AC Power Management System<br />
makes it possible to operate the maximum rated<br />
amount of AC electrical equipment without<br />
danger of exceeding load capacity. Built <strong>for</strong> vessels 50 feet or longer, the PM3 harnesses a minimum<br />
of 50 amps and a maximum of 100 amps of shore <strong>power</strong> into the vessel’s main distribution point. Its<br />
unique three-piece modular design enables boat builders to distribute its weight and size as required<br />
onboard the ship. The microprocessor, controlled by customizable software, also helps you tailor the<br />
system to better fit into your boat.<br />
DC (Direct Current) <strong>power</strong> is <strong>for</strong> battery-operated equipment like lighting, bilge pumps, radios<br />
or bow thrusters. For marine DC <strong>power</strong>, three types of batteries are commonly used: lead-acid, gel cell<br />
and AGM. When choosing a battery <strong>for</strong> your boat, consider cost, level of care and your specific <strong>power</strong><br />
needs. Lead acid is the most common, most economical and requires the most maintenance. Lead acid<br />
batteries must be refilled, usually on a monthly basis. Gel cell batteries are also common and a bit<br />
more expensive, but they require less maintenance than the lead acid variety. AGM (Absorbed Glass<br />
Mat) are the newest technology and the most expensive, but they require very little maintenance.<br />
Once the batteries are in place, the next step is to keep them <strong>power</strong>ed up. While the boat is underway,<br />
the boat engines keep the batteries charged. When the boat is hooked up to shore, however,<br />
battery chargers do this work. Chargers like the <strong>Charles</strong> 5000 SP Series charge all three battery types,<br />
so you can upgrade to a different kind of battery without purchasing a new battery charger. They also<br />
provide the constant voltage needed by some of the DC equipment and multiple-stage charging to<br />
multiple battery banks. When first turned on, they send a strong charge into the batteries. As the<br />
batteries near full charge, the charging diminishes. In the final stage, they put out a<br />
“trickle” or maintenance charge, essential <strong>for</strong> items that automatically turn on and off, such as bilge<br />
pumps and lighting. If these items continue to operate without a small charge going to the batteries,<br />
you could find yourself with dead batteries that cannot be recovered.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> takes care of your AC and DC <strong>power</strong> needs, so you can enjoy your espresso,<br />
your air conditioning and your favorite songs <strong>for</strong> many summers to come.<br />
(At right) Galley ho! With <strong>Charles</strong> Marine products, your boat is in ship shape <strong>for</strong> your home-away-from-home appliances.<br />
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DEPARTMENT NAME<br />
12<br />
B-SAFE<br />
One device safeguards your entire array of<br />
vital, and expensive, electronic equipment<br />
onboard the vessel...<br />
electronic equipment onboard the vessel, providing<br />
peace of mind and smooth stopovers at any<br />
port. Isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers also protect you and<br />
your guests from in-water electric shock.<br />
The <strong>Charles</strong> Marine unit’s heavy-duty encapsulation<br />
resists shock, vibration and fluctuations<br />
in temperature, so your trans<strong>for</strong>mer is low-maintenance<br />
and lasts the <strong>life</strong> of your boat. It’s also the<br />
only Marine UL-approved isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mer,<br />
guaranteeing users an unprecedented level of<br />
safety. Isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers provide the best<br />
protection from potential shore-side hazards,<br />
giving you peace of mind as you start your next<br />
adventure.<br />
The added features of <strong>Charles</strong>’ products<br />
mean that all you’ll have to worry about the next<br />
time you pull into dock is how to keep the music<br />
and refreshments in safe hands.<br />
13<br />
SHIP TO SHORE<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers take the worry out of plugging in<br />
so you can hook up to good times<br />
BY AMY WEINFURTER<br />
After a long day of cruising and<br />
entertaining on your boat, the<br />
thought of getting back to the<br />
dock—to finally crack open some cold beverages<br />
or heat up some of your famous paella <strong>for</strong> dinner—can<br />
be music to happy, wind-blown ears.<br />
You expertly pull into port, envisioning the warm shower that awaits you after the night is over and<br />
listening to your guests good-naturedly argue over who gets to play DJ <strong>for</strong> the night. As you trail your<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> Marine cables over to connect to shore <strong>power</strong>, your breath catches <strong>for</strong> an instant and you look<br />
with trepidation at the lights and music coming from the large yacht next door. In all the commotion,<br />
you nearly <strong>for</strong>got that without a good <strong>power</strong> connection, the party might just end early.<br />
Hooking up to shore <strong>power</strong> can be a tricky and sometimes risky business. There’s often no way<br />
to check on a connection’s reliability or predict the way marina <strong>power</strong> will affect a boat’s<br />
electrical system. Fortunately, isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers take the worry out of plugging in, putting<br />
an end to anxious guessing games upon arrival at port. By electrically isolating boats<br />
from shore, trans<strong>for</strong>mers protect them from <strong>power</strong> nemeses such as galvanic corrosion,<br />
fluctuations in <strong>power</strong> and noise and polarity problems.<br />
Isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers work by isolating the AC shore <strong>power</strong> from the boat’s AC <strong>power</strong><br />
system, making your boat impervious to <strong>power</strong> surges and interruptions, and reducing fire<br />
hazards. Additionally, <strong>Charles</strong> Marine trans<strong>for</strong>mers come with a unique full current-carrying<br />
shield, which makes them capable of withstanding up to a 3,000- to 5,000-amp<br />
surge. In the most extreme case, even a lightning strike won’t adversely affect the boat’s electronic<br />
system.<br />
In addition to protecting your electronics, <strong>Charles</strong> Marine’s Iso-Boost function ensures<br />
STEVEN J. CONWAY<br />
that onboard appliances always get the<br />
voltage they need to operate properly.<br />
In the past, a boat in an unlucky spot<br />
(like the last slip on the dock or right<br />
beside a large, <strong>power</strong>-hungry yacht)<br />
might struggle to get enough <strong>power</strong>.<br />
This common hitch leads to dimmed<br />
lights, overheated motors and slowheating<br />
stoves. Since motor-driven<br />
appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners<br />
require a full 240V to work<br />
properly, this is also problematic if you<br />
want to kick back in cool com<strong>for</strong>t or<br />
enjoy a frozen treat. The Iso-Boost lets<br />
you leave such worries behind, so that<br />
the only thing you have to stress about<br />
is whether to choose a popsicle or an ice<br />
cream sandwich.<br />
Trans<strong>for</strong>mers also prevent galvanic<br />
corrosion, a dockside threat that<br />
degrades metals electrochemically. It<br />
causes corrosion that eats away propellers<br />
and any zinc onboard, threatening<br />
the health of your vessel. The<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mer eliminates this damage<br />
and the need to invest in a dedicated<br />
galvanic isolator, saving you money<br />
and extraneous equipment.<br />
The benefits of isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mers<br />
extend beyond the immediate<br />
protection they provide from <strong>power</strong><br />
surges, galvanic corrosion and noise<br />
and polarity glitches. Cost-effective<br />
safety precautions mean more time<br />
spent on the water and fewer<br />
headaches. One device safeguards your<br />
entire array of vital, and expensive,<br />
STEVEN J. CONWAY<br />
The ladies and gentlemen of F Dock in Chicago’s Burnham Harbor like their fun well-<strong>power</strong>ed.<br />
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It’s easy to toast the good times when the tunes are cranking and the champagne is flowing nice and cold.<br />
PREMIERE ISSUE / amped
FEATURE / ADVENTURE<br />
GLOBE TROTTER<br />
FINANCIAL ADVISOR KEITH DEGREEN EMBARKS ON AN<br />
AROUND-THE-WORLD JOURNEY ON HIS NORDHAVN 55<br />
BY JENNIFER CHESAK / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY THE GLOBAL ADVENTURE
16<br />
There are those who say they’ve traveled<br />
the globe: New Agers who’ve<br />
participated in yoga retreats in Goa,<br />
jet setters who’ve red-eyed to every major<br />
European city and Peace Corps vets who’ve lived<br />
in yurts while teaching English in Mongolia.<br />
They’ve certainly been around. But then there<br />
are those who’ve really been around: the rare few<br />
who’ve actually circled Earth. In a little more<br />
than a year, Keith DeGreen, a nationally known<br />
financial advisor, and the crew aboard his<br />
Nordhavn 55 will be able to say they’ve done<br />
it—toured the world. But <strong>for</strong> many people<br />
acquainted with Keith and his renowned financial<br />
advice, it will be as if he never left home.<br />
Arizona is home <strong>for</strong> Keith, where listeners in<br />
the Phoenix area tune in to NewsTalk 550 KFYI<br />
each Sunday morning to hear his suggestions on<br />
everything from Roth IRAs to stock investments<br />
to mortgage payment plans. Though Keith won’t<br />
be anywhere near home this year (except <strong>for</strong> the<br />
occasional flight back to visit his family in<br />
Scottsdale), his listeners won’t have to miss him<br />
or his tips.<br />
“It had always been a dream of mine to travel<br />
by private ship around the globe,” says Keith.<br />
“But I love to write, and I enjoy broadcasting my<br />
radio show at KFYI—sharing investment advice<br />
and economic and political perspectives along<br />
the way. So, I was at the office one day when I<br />
thought, why can’t I bring it all with me? And<br />
amped / PREMIERE ISSUE<br />
All systems must work like clockwork<br />
because they are traveling open waters<br />
and airwaves simultaneously.<br />
that was the start of The Global Adventure.”<br />
Outfitted with state-of-the art communications<br />
systems and gear, Keith’s Nordhavn 55 is<br />
serving as a “floating communications beacon.”<br />
He and his crew are dedicated to exploring the<br />
economical, political and cultural aspects as well<br />
as investment opportunities of interesting ports<br />
of call and reporting their discoveries through a<br />
variety of media channels.<br />
All of that getting around and sending<br />
around requires some serious <strong>power</strong>. The<br />
Nordhavn’s engines keep batteries charged while<br />
en route, but battery juice requires a charger<br />
when the ship takes to shore. A <strong>Charles</strong> Marine<br />
C-Charger 80-amp Battery Charger provides<br />
multiple-stage charging and the constant voltage<br />
needed by most DC-<strong>power</strong>ed communications<br />
equipment. The final stage of the battery charger<br />
puts out an important maintenance charge<br />
when the battery is fully charged. If any equipment<br />
continues to operate without a “trickle”<br />
charge to the battery from the charger, it could<br />
drain a battery.<br />
All systems on The Global Adventure must<br />
work like clockwork <strong>for</strong> Keith and his crew, not<br />
only because they are traveling open waters, but<br />
because they are traveling airwaves, as well, and<br />
often simultaneously. “Whenever the Sunday<br />
morning time comes up, whether in port or on<br />
the open sea, he goes on air,” says Matt Dutile,<br />
The Global Adventure cruises by Sokehs<br />
Rock, also known as the “Diamond Head”<br />
of Micronesia.<br />
PHOTO CREDIT FOR DEPTS HERE ONLY 6 PTS DOWN FROM MARGIN AT X HEIGHT<br />
account coordinator at Gordon C. James Public<br />
Relations, the company that helps the crew find<br />
contacts in each port of call and handles media<br />
inquiries.<br />
Keith, who recently sold his estate-planning<br />
law firm and registered investment advisory firm<br />
so he could plan and embark on his adventure,<br />
made history with his first broadcast from the<br />
Nordhavn, which took place in Mexican waters<br />
15 miles southeast of San Diego on January 25,<br />
2007. It was the first offshore regularly scheduled<br />
broadcast from a private ship. Since then he’s<br />
broadcast from places like the<br />
Republic of Palau, Hong Kong<br />
and on the North Pacific about<br />
200 miles west of Pohnpei,<br />
Micronesia.<br />
He broadcasts from the flybridge<br />
of the Nordhavn 55. A<br />
Comrex Access codec converts<br />
Keith’s analog voice signal to a<br />
digitally encoded version that<br />
is broadcast to a satellite via a<br />
Fleet 77 KVH domed transmitter.<br />
The transmitter is<br />
mounted on a gyroscope so<br />
it can lock onto different satellites<br />
to produce broadcastquality<br />
audio and video signals.<br />
An internet frequency picks up<br />
the signal so it can be decoded<br />
by another Comrex codec<br />
located at the radio station.<br />
“It’s basically pinging digital<br />
signals,” says Matt, “and it<br />
comes out as if he’s right there<br />
in the studio.”<br />
“It’s so clear,” adds Keith, “I<br />
sometimes wonder if people<br />
might think I’m really still in<br />
Phoenix and making up the<br />
whole trip!” The website, theglobaladventure.com,<br />
provides<br />
evidence that they’re really out<br />
there, cruising from port to<br />
port. The crew updates a blog, photo gallery,<br />
video section and message board with detailed<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation on the economic and political situations<br />
of interesting countries. Sometimes web<br />
surfers can even chat with Keith.<br />
Keith and the crew—which includes Captain<br />
Wolfgang Petrasko, ship engineer Brian Wallace,<br />
and Alida Christianson, coastal captain and the<br />
ship’s cook—put a lot of thought into their voyage<br />
be<strong>for</strong>e embarking. Their goal of not only<br />
keeping in touch but also keeping people<br />
in<strong>for</strong>med of every detail along the way required<br />
bringing a heap of communications equipment<br />
onboard that would be compact enough to travel<br />
with.<br />
The Global Adventure has 11 fixed and two<br />
handheld video cameras, a broadcast mixer with<br />
studio outlets, a VHF radio, a shortwave radio<br />
and an iridium satellite phone. All data is sent via<br />
the KVH transmitter, which has two modes of<br />
transmitting and receiving: ISDN and MPDS.<br />
The first is used <strong>for</strong> broadcasting the show or<br />
communicating by phone and the second <strong>for</strong><br />
sending documents or <strong>for</strong> streaming video.<br />
With a strict broadcasting schedule and a lot<br />
of in<strong>for</strong>mation to transmit, The Global<br />
Adventure crew doesn’t have time to waste waiting<br />
<strong>for</strong> <strong>power</strong>. Luckily, if input voltage is low, an<br />
80-amp <strong>Charles</strong> C-Charger can simultaneously<br />
recharge and supply. The C-Charger automatically<br />
boosts the 12V and 24V circuit to full<br />
capacity when needed. Also, <strong>Charles</strong> battery<br />
chargers will not cause interference with onboard<br />
electrical equipment. No matter where Keith and<br />
crew are, his listeners and readers are guaranteed<br />
insightful in<strong>for</strong>mation via his radio show and<br />
website.<br />
Amidst all of this high-tech equipment it is a<br />
surprise then when Keith’s son, Sam (13), cannot<br />
access his MySpace account while visiting<br />
his father in Hangzhou, China. Turns out this is<br />
not because of a technological snafu, however.<br />
Keith writes in his blog about his son’s inability<br />
to access his 30,000 or so cyber friends as an<br />
example of how China’s government expects to<br />
maintain political control over a country that<br />
has economic freedom by limiting the flow of<br />
non-economic in<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />
“How do you control the economic interests<br />
of 1.3 billion people?” he writes in his blog. “You<br />
don’t. John Maynard Keynes<br />
would have loved the spirit of<br />
enlightened self-interest that<br />
drives the Chinese. But in<br />
their robust growth-at-allcosts<br />
economy (according to<br />
the World Bank, air and water<br />
pollution kill 750,000<br />
Chinese each year), the freemarket<br />
here is as much<br />
Darwinian as Keynesian. You<br />
see the intense competition<br />
among the Chinese everywhere.<br />
They are very polite to<br />
each other, but whether competing<br />
<strong>for</strong> a cab or a job, the<br />
competition is beyond fierce.”<br />
Amidst <strong>for</strong>eign policy and<br />
<strong>for</strong>eign currency, not to mention<br />
the breathtaking scenery<br />
of these distant lands, Keith<br />
still fields financial questions<br />
from folks listening at home<br />
or posting questions on the<br />
website on revocable living<br />
trusts, splitting divorce assets<br />
and property swaps.<br />
“He’s a financial guy,” says<br />
Matt. “He takes the time <strong>for</strong><br />
everyone and he knows other<br />
financial advisors and will<br />
recommend someone in your<br />
area. He really wanted to<br />
make the trip about that. It’s not just a joyride.”<br />
But, of course, Keith is having a blast, too.<br />
You can’t beat taking a swim in depths of 25,000<br />
feet of water en route to Hawaii, embarking on a<br />
leisurely stroll through the Nan Madol ruins in<br />
Pohnpei or engaging in a two-hour fishfight with<br />
a 180-pound marlin caught by Captain<br />
Wolfgang. That’s the beauty of the trip. Not only<br />
do Keith’s listeners get uninterrupted financial<br />
advice, but they also get a free tour of the world,<br />
one that’s rich with knowledge of economic and<br />
political situations to boot—and that’s true<br />
wealth.<br />
PREMIERE ISSUE / amped<br />
17
FEATURE / MANUFACTURING<br />
18<br />
BORN IN THE USA<br />
CHARLES INDUSTRIES FOSTERS A SENSE OF FAMILY,<br />
PURPOSE AND AMERICAN PRIDE AT ITS FIVE MIDWESTERN<br />
MANUFACTURING PLANTS<br />
BY JOHN JANOWIAK<br />
When Joe <strong>Charles</strong> pilots his 80-foot<br />
Berger yacht, you won’t see him<br />
fly an offshore flag. For Joe, the<br />
president and CEO of <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>, it’s red,<br />
white and blue all the way. “I’m just big on<br />
America,” he says with a shrug. Not coincidentally,<br />
Old Glory is proudly displayed at each of his<br />
five Midwestern manufacturing plants. From the<br />
earliest days of the company, Joe has believed in<br />
making his products in the United States and supporting<br />
small local communities along the way.<br />
And what a long way the company has come.<br />
Pioneered by Joe out of his Mount Prospect,<br />
Illinois, basement in 1968, <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
now employs about 700 people. With headquarters<br />
in Rolling Meadows, Illinois—not far from<br />
its basement origins—the company also has an<br />
engineering facility in Pleasanton, Cali<strong>for</strong>nia, and<br />
a trans<strong>for</strong>mer facility in Jasonville, Indiana. But<br />
the core of the manufacturing is accomplished by<br />
good old-fashioned American labor at small-town<br />
plants in Canton, Missouri; Rantoul, Illinois;<br />
Casey, Illinois (two locations); and Marshall,<br />
Illinois.<br />
Whenever Joe sets up a new plant in a small community, he sees an interesting trans<strong>for</strong>mation.<br />
First, the local bank starts to remodel. Then, in short order, the furniture store gets a new front, and<br />
then the grocery store and the church repave their parking lots. “I mean, you can watch it,” he says.<br />
“In a small community like that, figure <strong>for</strong> about every 50 employees, it probably puts three quarters<br />
of a million dollars into the local economy. If you put $2 million worth of revenue into a small<br />
community, it’s amazing what that does. You start building homes. You have a tremendous impact.”<br />
That impact goes beyond the purely economical benefits. <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> uplifts these communities<br />
in myriad ways, sponsoring little league teams, holding company picnics and offering college<br />
scholarships to outstanding high school students. The company will pay <strong>for</strong> any education an<br />
employee decides to pursue, covering 100 percent of tuition costs as long as the student maintains<br />
passing grades. For good attendance, employees are rewarded with grocery store coupons, which feed<br />
mouths and local retail business.<br />
Why does Joe care so much about supporting small U.S. communities? Partly because that’s the<br />
way he is; he’s someone who likes to give back, and he gets great personal satisfaction from his role as<br />
small-town benefactor. “You feel like you have a real obligation to take care of these people in small<br />
communities,” he says. Joe enjoys visiting his plants and knows almost all his employees by name.<br />
And ultimately, helping these communities is good <strong>for</strong> business. “Joe is really big on the <strong>Charles</strong><br />
family,” says Lyle St. Romain, general manager of the company’s Marine and Industrial group. “His<br />
employees are his family.” That atmosphere is the engine that drives employee morale. It inspires them<br />
to work hard, and they tend to stick around. When employees work <strong>for</strong> the company <strong>for</strong> five years,<br />
they become part of the Anniversary Club. They’re rewarded with luncheons and gifts. It isn’t<br />
uncommon <strong>for</strong> employees to be recognized <strong>for</strong> 10, 20 or even 30 years with the company.<br />
Daughters work alongside their mothers and even grandmothers. In some cases, a mother will<br />
take the summer off and her daughter will take over her job during summer break. “We’ve had<br />
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20<br />
people who have retired at 80 years old,” Joe<br />
says. “Better than 60 percent of our employees<br />
have been with the company <strong>for</strong> more than five<br />
years. It’s a unique thing. We don’t run it like a<br />
family business, but it’s a family business in the<br />
way we treat people.”<br />
Not that Joe’s motives are entirely altruistic.<br />
For a manufacturer, there’s much to be gained<br />
from a presence in small-town America. A plant<br />
in downstate Illinois is less expensive to operate<br />
than a plant in Chicago, and as a big fish in a<br />
little pond, it carries more clout. “We could<br />
build a plant in downtown New York or<br />
Chicago, and no one would even know we’re<br />
there,” Joe says. “We could come and go and no<br />
one would even miss us.”<br />
In small towns, there’s less red tape to cut<br />
through and few political battles to fight. When<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> needs something—a road in<br />
front of the plant, say, or a sprinkler system <strong>for</strong><br />
insurance purposes—it’s usually just a matter<br />
of asking. “You go to the community, and the<br />
next thing you know, the community gets an<br />
“Our culture has a sense of urgency. Our<br />
culture is filling a need. Putting out a quality<br />
product is really the reward.”<br />
industrial revenue bond and puts up a water<br />
tower,” Joe says. “Those are the kinds of things<br />
that happen.”<br />
In these days of widespread corporate outsourcing,<br />
it takes a special kind of company to<br />
keep its manufacturing within U.S. borders.<br />
Among manufacturers of marine battery chargers,<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> is unique in this sense,<br />
and it’s a source of great pride <strong>for</strong> the company.<br />
Granted, <strong>Charles</strong>’ products incorporate some<br />
components made offshore, things like capacitors<br />
and resistors that just aren’t made in the<br />
United States anymore. “You can’t do much<br />
about that,” Joe says. “But we do make our own<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>mers locally. We do our own fabrication.”<br />
That in itself sets <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> apart<br />
from the competition.<br />
It’s tempting to think a manufacturer can<br />
only compete nowadays by jumping on the outsourcing<br />
bandwagon. As a savvy businessman,<br />
Joe wouldn’t rule it out if he felt it was the best<br />
way to deliver a quality product at a competitive<br />
price. In fact, he did give it a whirl, but he was<br />
unsatisfied with the results. At times, he has had<br />
plants in the Philippines, Haiti and Mexico, but<br />
eventually he brought everything back to the<br />
United States. The “Made in the U.S.A.” credo<br />
fits better with his personal conviction of supporting<br />
small local communities, and he likes<br />
small-town America’s work ethic. Moreover, it<br />
makes good business sense. There’s something to<br />
be said <strong>for</strong> keeping operations close to home.<br />
“From a productivity standpoint, if you automate,<br />
and you set your lines up right, you can be<br />
competitive,” Joe says. “You might be amazed to<br />
come through some of our plants and see how<br />
automated we are. That’s where you make up the<br />
difference.” When he moved operations from<br />
Mexico to Casey, Illinois, <strong>for</strong> example, Joe paid<br />
higher wages, but he had two people doing what<br />
six workers were doing be<strong>for</strong>e. “It’s all about<br />
productivity, laying lines out, automating,”<br />
he explains. “The trick in the manufacturing<br />
business it to get from point A to point B as<br />
fast as you can. Not to see how many people you<br />
can hire.”<br />
For the end consumer, it adds up to a better<br />
quality product, Lyle explains. “Typically, if<br />
you’re dealing with an overseas company, they’ll<br />
give you a great price, and they’ll probably give<br />
you a great product <strong>for</strong> six months. Then you<br />
start seeing the degradation of the specification.”<br />
If someone has an idea <strong>for</strong> improving a product<br />
or enhancing it with a new feature, it can be slow<br />
and costly to implement those changes at an<br />
overseas plant. “The ideal situation is being able<br />
to engineer your own product, market your own<br />
product and manufacture your own product, all<br />
while having total control,” Lyle says.<br />
Total control is exactly what <strong>Charles</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> has over its manufacturing. Joe and his<br />
management team make frequent visits to their<br />
plants. They’re intimately involved with the dayto-day<br />
operations, and plant employees can see<br />
their impact on the company’s output. At each<br />
plant, up-to-the-minute in<strong>for</strong>mation is posted<br />
about product orders in each company division.<br />
Everyone knows what’s being shipped each day.<br />
They’re aware of annual volume, and if there’s an<br />
issue with a customer, they know about that, too;<br />
they’ll invite customers directly to the plant to<br />
work out a problem.<br />
“These people all know the company mission,<br />
and the quality is reflected in that type of<br />
culture,” Joe says. “Our culture has a sense of<br />
urgency. Our culture is filling a need. Putting<br />
out a quality product is really the reward. That’s<br />
what helps the business grow.”<br />
Employees aren’t just punching the clock.<br />
They’re part of a process, and that gives them<br />
pride in the work they do and the products they<br />
manufacture. That’s rare in the manufacturing<br />
business, where workers often assemble products<br />
without knowing what they’re used <strong>for</strong> or who<br />
the customer is. “We try to get our people<br />
involved,” Joe says. “As long as you keep them<br />
involved, they know what they do and why they<br />
do it. They have a much different attitude about<br />
the pride that they take in creating the product.”<br />
Customers can see this attitude firsthand.<br />
When they open a battery charger box, they’ll<br />
find a note from the person who actually inspected<br />
it. Clearly, this is a product that came from<br />
the corn belt, not from the other side of the<br />
world. And in case there’s any doubt, it comes in<br />
a white box marked “Made in the U.S.A.” and<br />
emblazoned with an American flag.<br />
Joe exudes enthusiasm about his company.<br />
This enthusiasm—as well as pride in his country<br />
and in his employees—shows up in everything<br />
that <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> manufactures. “We’re just<br />
excited about what we do,” Joe says. “It’s contagious.<br />
If you’re excited, you get people excited.<br />
And if you get the product out the door, and the<br />
product is good, you get customers back and<br />
business grows. It just has that domino effect on<br />
everybody.”<br />
21<br />
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PREMIERE ISSUE / amped
FEATURE / NEW ORLEANS<br />
22<br />
REPOWERING<br />
NEW ORLEANS<br />
A THRIVING HOST FOR CONVENTIONS BEFORE KATRINA HIT,<br />
NEW ORLEANS IS ONCE AGAIN ASKING BUSINESS PEOPLE TO COME<br />
ENJOY ITS HOSPITALITY. CHARLES MARINE ANSWERED THE CALL<br />
BY EMILY HAUSER<br />
“The famously resilient nature of the area’s residents was strained to its absolute limit in that terrible time, but within days,<br />
the people of New Orleans and all along the coast were back at what remained of their homes, businesses and schools.”<br />
In August 2005, the Gulf Coast was<br />
overwhelmed by the destructive <strong>power</strong><br />
of Hurricane Katrina. Horrifying days<br />
followed, as people scrambled desperately to<br />
save their own lives and those of loved ones. The<br />
area’s infrastructure collapsed, entire neighborhoods<br />
were wiped off the map, and many thousands<br />
lost everything they had. The famously<br />
resilient nature of the area’s residents was<br />
strained to its limit, but within days, the people<br />
of New Orleans and all along the coast returned<br />
to what remained of their homes, businesses and<br />
schools, and tried to rebuild a <strong>life</strong> once marked<br />
by music and good food, historical resonance<br />
and welcoming neighbors.<br />
This great city continues to rebuild, with the<br />
help of many across the nation <strong>for</strong> whom the<br />
struggles of their fellow citizens felt like a call to<br />
arms. Among the most complicated issues <strong>for</strong> the<br />
city of New Orleans has been the question of<br />
tourism. One-third of the city’s operating budget<br />
comes from the tourism industry—how could<br />
streets be re-paved or hospitals rebuilt if tourism<br />
came to a complete halt?<br />
There is, then, a palpable gratitude among New Orleanians toward those who have recognized that<br />
need, and then spread the word: The Big Easy is open <strong>for</strong> business.<br />
Lyle St. Romain, general manager of the <strong>Charles</strong> Marine and Industrial group, currently works<br />
outside Chicago, but is a New Orleans native. Like many, he watched the August 2005 news reports<br />
with horror; in fact, his own parents’ home was flooded out in the storm surge.<br />
“It was tough to see,” he recalled. “You grow up somewhere, and places that you loved are devastated.<br />
People know it was bad, but then when you go down there, it’s like a small nuclear bomb went off.”<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>’ first ef<strong>for</strong>ts at helping the region came immediately after the hurricane. With<br />
electrical outages across much of the Gulf Coast, <strong>Charles</strong> stepped up to the plate and provided <strong>power</strong><br />
pedestals to bring electricity to the area. But beyond initial recovery, Lyle realized that he had a<br />
perfect opportunity to make a lasting difference in his childhood city.<br />
With the International Workboat Show returning to New Orleans last fall, Lyle hatched a plan to<br />
do good <strong>for</strong> New Orleans while introducing new <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> products.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> invited 15 recreational boating editors down to the show to be wined and dined and shown<br />
a new product demo out on Lake Pontchartrain from November 30 to December 1, 2006.<br />
Overwhelmingly, the editors jumped at the chance <strong>for</strong> a night’s stay at the luxe Omni Royal Orleans<br />
hotel, and to get their hands on some fancy new gear, while enjoying the hospitality <strong>for</strong> which New<br />
Orleans has always been known. “These editors know that, pretty quickly, whatever’s happening in<br />
commercial boating works its way down to recreational boats,” Lyle said.<br />
The weekend began with an elegant dinner at Antoine’s. Established in 1840, the restaurant is the<br />
original home of Oysters Rockefeller, with which the group started their evening, ending it with<br />
flaming Baked Alaska as the grand finale.<br />
The guests were greeted by Mary Beth Romig, director of communications and public relations at<br />
the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, who was moved by <strong>Charles</strong>’ ef<strong>for</strong>ts.<br />
PHOTOS (FACING PAGE) ©iSTOCKPHOTO.COM (TOP) KELLY POLLAK (BOTTOM) CHAD PURSER<br />
amped / PREMIERE ISSUE
Lyle St. Romain (in white) takes questions<br />
from reporters about new <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
products while touring Lake Pontchartrain.<br />
24<br />
“Every single meeting and event in the<br />
city brings so many things… there’s just<br />
such a deep sense of appreciation <strong>for</strong> every<br />
visitor who comes.”<br />
25<br />
“Every single meeting and event in the city<br />
brings so many things,” she said. “First, it’s a<br />
boost to the economy. The people who come,<br />
offer a vote of confidence in the city. And there’s<br />
just such a deep sense of appreciation <strong>for</strong> every<br />
visitor. The New Orleans experience is very<br />
much alive!”<br />
The next day, <strong>Charles</strong> teamed with the city’s<br />
own Mayer Yachts, which provided a gorgeous<br />
31 Luhrs Sportfish Hardtop <strong>for</strong> a tour of the<br />
lake. Though Mayer suffered its own damage at<br />
the hands of the storm, the company is now fully<br />
up and running, a part of the boating community’s<br />
ongoing ef<strong>for</strong>ts to rebuild and restart.<br />
The group launched from the historic<br />
Southern Yacht Club where, in spite of losing<br />
their facilities in the hurricane, the staff<br />
welcomed <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> and their guests<br />
graciously, providing a location <strong>for</strong> breakfast,<br />
lunch and meetings in the lovely modular unit<br />
that houses the club while it’s being rebuilt. The<br />
group enjoyed local delights such as turtle soup,<br />
muffuletta and fried shrimp po’ boys.<br />
After filling their tanks, all set out <strong>for</strong> a cold,<br />
clear day on Lake Pontchartrain. “It was one of<br />
the roughest days I’ve ever seen on the lake,”<br />
Lyle reported, but the ride was smooth and the<br />
demos were a great success.<br />
Ben Ellison, editor of Power & Motoryacht,<br />
was impressed by the quality of the presentation,<br />
as well as by the products on display. “They obviously<br />
really care about New Orleans and really<br />
wanted us to see the city,” he said. Having spent<br />
a winter in the Big Easy in 1972 working on oil<br />
field supply boats, Ben was happy to join the<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> outing. “I really love this city,” he said.<br />
He was stirred by the dramatic contrast between<br />
those businesses that have managed to get on<br />
their feet, such as the Yacht Club, and the<br />
destruction still surrounding them.<br />
Among the products <strong>Charles</strong> brought out <strong>for</strong><br />
the event was SmartBoost, a new AC voltage<br />
booster that adds boosting capability to any<br />
existing 50-amp marine trans<strong>for</strong>mer. When dockside<br />
<strong>power</strong> drops below 210 VAC, SmartBoost<br />
provides a 15 percent AC voltage boost. Easy to<br />
install and use, SmartBoost provides fully automatic<br />
operation with manual 1:1 override.<br />
Also ready <strong>for</strong> its close-up was StartNow,<br />
<strong>Charles</strong>’ microprocessor-controlled back-up<br />
starter unit. StartNow is designed to provide<br />
guaranteed back-up battery charging while the<br />
boat’s engine is turned off, allowing electronics<br />
to run off the main battery system, and automatically<br />
switching batteries if it detects a lack of<br />
cranking <strong>power</strong>.<br />
What grabbed Ben’s eye most, though, was<br />
the new isolation trans<strong>for</strong>mer, the ISO-G2, a<br />
deceptively simple-looking plain white box that<br />
serves to protect boats from shore-<strong>power</strong> problems.<br />
“You’ll never know it’s on your boat,” he<br />
reviewed, “except perhaps because of all the bad<br />
things that don’t happen.”<br />
The ISO-G2 allows a shore ground to<br />
terminate to a shield between the trans<strong>for</strong>mer’s<br />
windings, separated from the yacht’s AC ground.<br />
“It makes a boat into a bird on a wire,” says Larry<br />
Budd, an engineer at <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>, referring<br />
to the same kind of electrical isolation that<br />
allows birds to land safely on high-voltage wires.<br />
For Anne Giovingo, a <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> sales<br />
representative based in New Orleans’ Waters &<br />
PHOTO (ABOVE LEFT) ©iSTOCKPHOTO.COM / CHAD PURSER<br />
David, the entire event met a need that was both<br />
municipal and personal.<br />
“<strong>Charles</strong> took the leap of faith and invested<br />
time and money to bring people here,” she said.<br />
“It goes to so many levels, so many layers where<br />
one event spreads out and helps in so many ways.<br />
As a local, I won’t <strong>for</strong>get that. It was a very standup<br />
thing to do.”<br />
Of course, the irony is that, after all the loss,<br />
the commercial marine business is actually now<br />
booming in the Gulf region. Donovan Marine,<br />
<strong>Charles</strong>’ distributor in the area and the second<br />
largest marine products distributor in the country,<br />
is experiencing a rise in business as recovery<br />
continues. Big supply vessels are being built, and<br />
the Workboat Show has made a commitment to<br />
return to New Orleans every year. <strong>Charles</strong> will<br />
also return, and whenever they have something<br />
new to debut, Lyle said, they will certainly consider<br />
adding another full-scale presentation.<br />
Anne Giovingo <strong>for</strong> one is quite pleased with<br />
that plan. “We are all very sensitive now to who<br />
sticks with us,” she said. “And conventions, as a<br />
general rule, bring in high caliber people—the<br />
kind that any city would want to have visit.”<br />
Bill Parlatore, publisher and editor of<br />
PassageMaker Magazine, was also among <strong>Charles</strong>’<br />
guests that weekend, and he says that his hosts<br />
went out of their way to showcase New Orleans<br />
at its best. “This was a story I needed to write,”<br />
he said.<br />
Lyle is thrilled to be part of the greater story<br />
of recovery in New Orleans. “The people were<br />
blown away by everything,” Lyle said, “by the<br />
resiliency of the people of New Orleans, by the<br />
new products and by the show we put on.”<br />
Like all those who have helped with the<br />
recovery ef<strong>for</strong>ts, <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> is a testament<br />
to the true <strong>power</strong> of people.<br />
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FEATURE / SEARS TOWER<br />
26<br />
TOWER ABOVE<br />
IN THE TOWERS ABOVE THE EARTH, WE SCRAPE THE SKY,<br />
WRITE CURSIVE NOTES IN THE CLOUDS AND LIGHT THE HEAVENS.<br />
IN THE TOWERS ABOVE THE EARTH, WE ARE HUGE<br />
BY RANDY HESS<br />
Lofty buildings and spindly spires<br />
boldly proclaim our competence and<br />
nerve. On the shoulders of architects,<br />
financiers and builders, we stand tall, buzzing on<br />
our own hubris. And when we get that elevated,<br />
up there at the highest points, we shine our<br />
brightest lights. At that altitude, why be shy?<br />
“Here we are,” we seem to say. “We’ve arrived.”<br />
It certainly feels that way in Chicago.<br />
Chicago’s skyline is one of the world’s most celebrated,<br />
a true classic <strong>for</strong> both its breadth and<br />
drama. Historic gems rub shoulders with the<br />
thoroughly modern; stately reserve complements<br />
fierce ambition. And standing sentry over it all is<br />
Sears Tower, broad of shoulder and topping out<br />
110 stories above the street. The tower has good<br />
company, of course, not least its 100-story older<br />
sibling, the John Hancock Building. But since<br />
1973, the Sears Tower has been top dog in<br />
Chicago and, <strong>for</strong> much of that time, the world.<br />
As such, the tower has always drawn a lot of<br />
attention, both a blessing and a challenge that the<br />
building’s management treats as a sacred trust.<br />
And the group whose attention they are perhaps<br />
most interested in capturing? Pilots, of course, because at 1,454 feet, Sears Tower is not only awe-inspiring,<br />
it’s a hazard. That’s why if you watch the tower’s radio and television broadcast antennas closely,<br />
you’ll see the telltale strobe of the building’s aviation obstruction lighting system sending out its warning<br />
both day and night.<br />
“You have to have FAA approval of the lighting on any towers more than 200 feet tall, and there<br />
are different requirements at different heights,” explains Rick Sullivan, president and owner of Skytec,<br />
Inc. His company specializes in the high-intensity aviation obstruction lighting required <strong>for</strong> anything<br />
that reaches more than 500 feet into the sky, and Sears Tower was one of Skytec’s highest altitude contracts.<br />
“It’s quite thrilling to be up on top of Sears Tower,” Rick continues, “perhaps more so because<br />
any servicing has to be done late, late at night after the broadcasters have shut down so you don’t get<br />
bombarded with R.F. (radio frequency).”<br />
Skytec’s main product is a strobe system that bursts out 1,000 volts to fire xenon gas-discharge<br />
tubes. The resulting flash can be seen <strong>for</strong> at least three miles day and night and often much farther<br />
depending upon visibility. The strobes fire 40 times per minute…<strong>for</strong>ever. The FAA allows almost no<br />
margin <strong>for</strong> error, and they must be notified within 30 minutes when a light goes down so they can<br />
warn pilots in the area. It’s crucial functionality, and when Skytec needs trans<strong>for</strong>mers to handle the<br />
load, they turn to <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong>.<br />
“We started using <strong>Charles</strong> trans<strong>for</strong>mers around 1980, giving us 27 years of exposure to them,” Rick<br />
says. “It really comes down to reliability. Getting access to these installations can be quite difficult. Sears<br />
Tower isn’t that bad because you ride an elevator most of the way and then climb 200 feet, but many<br />
of our setups are ladder climbs the whole way. These trans<strong>for</strong>mers typically weigh 20 pounds or more,<br />
and you don’t want to carry one up an 800-foot ladder very often. We might have to replace two or<br />
three a year out of the 10,000 that we’ve put in. The <strong>life</strong>span on them is supposed to be 15 to 20 years,<br />
but truly the failure rate is so small that they don’t really have a definable <strong>life</strong>span.”<br />
PHOTO (FACING PAGE) ©iSTOCK / JEREMY EDWARDS<br />
amped / PREMIERE ISSUE
28<br />
The <strong>Charles</strong> trans<strong>for</strong>mers have to take a<br />
relatively constant 480-volt input and spike<br />
it up to 1,000 volts every second and a half<br />
to fire the lamp...and do it <strong>for</strong>ever.<br />
Rick’s accent announces that he’s from Maine<br />
even be<strong>for</strong>e he tells you Skytec is based there. “It’s<br />
kind of a specialized field,” he says of the aviation<br />
obstruction lighting business. “There are really<br />
just three primary U.S. manufacturers. I got into<br />
it in 1975. It’s easy to remember because I’m an<br />
avid Red Sox fan and in ’75 they were in the<br />
World Series. When they got to game 7, I tried to<br />
find scalped tickets, but there was no way, so I<br />
ended up climbing up on top of the center field<br />
wall to watch the game. My brother saw me up<br />
there on TV and said, ‘If you’re going to do something<br />
that stupid, you might as well get paid <strong>for</strong><br />
it.’ And now here I am, 30-some years in the<br />
business.” Other notable Skytec clients have<br />
included the Kennedy Space Center at Cape<br />
Canaveral, the Omega global navigation stations<br />
in Liberia, communications towers at the end of<br />
the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in Prudhoe Bay, the<br />
IDS Tower in Minneapolis and the Great<br />
Western Forum in Los Angeles.<br />
Typical setup is a single multi-tap, feroresonance<br />
constant current trans<strong>for</strong>mer <strong>power</strong>ing<br />
several lamps. The trans<strong>for</strong>mers have to take a<br />
relatively constant 480-volt input and spike it up<br />
to 1,000 volts every second and a half to fire the<br />
lamp. The high-output xenon tubes used on<br />
most installations produce 270,000 candela (or<br />
roughly the light of 270,000 candles) with each<br />
flash during the day. They are turned down to a<br />
mere 2,000 candelas at night when they are easier<br />
to see and might annoy neighbors. Skytec’s<br />
systems also incorporate louvers to reduce<br />
“ground scatter” and further spare the neighbors.<br />
The FAA requires that all systems earn the ETL<br />
testing mark from Intertek Laboratories. Among<br />
other tests, the <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> trans<strong>for</strong>mers and<br />
the rest of the system’s components must prove<br />
their endurance at plus- and minus-50 degrees<br />
centigrade, in driving rain, in a blanketing salt fog<br />
and at extreme humidity. On top of this, in the<br />
field the units are constantly struck by lightning.<br />
“I think it’s just amazing that these things can<br />
pass these really stringent tests and hold up so<br />
well <strong>for</strong> so long,” Rick says. “Over the years we’ve<br />
found that the trans<strong>for</strong>mers were able to withstand<br />
even a lot more than we thought. We used<br />
to put way too many fuses on them to protect<br />
them because nobody wants to climb the tower<br />
with a 20-pound trans<strong>for</strong>mer to replace a busted<br />
one. But we realized that we kept having to<br />
replace fuses, instead. So we worked with <strong>Charles</strong><br />
to make some minor changes to the units, and<br />
now we’ve found that they can take the abuse<br />
even without all that excess protection.”<br />
And that’s per<strong>for</strong>mance taken to another level.<br />
Nearly 1,500 feet above the earth, that’s huge.<br />
29<br />
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT<br />
(Previous page) Sears Tower twinkles above<br />
Chicago’s skyline. (Here) Rick Sullivan (mid-climb,<br />
at left) has built Skytec around reliability, counting<br />
on <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> trans<strong>for</strong>mers, whether<br />
lighting buildings, communications towers or<br />
Kennedy Space Center towers.<br />
TOWER PHOTOS BY STUDIO SHELBY PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PHOTO ©iSTOCK / WOLFGANG MAJOR<br />
The rugged reliability that makes <strong>Charles</strong> the right<br />
choice at 1,500 feet in a crackling thunderstorm is the<br />
same bulletproof per<strong>for</strong>mance that makes it right <strong>for</strong> a<br />
tank charging across the desert or a Coast Guard patrol<br />
boat fighting the surf off Cape Disappointment.<br />
Whether the <strong>power</strong> needs are AC or DC, <strong>Charles</strong> has the<br />
technology and <strong>for</strong>titude<br />
to deliver the goods in the<br />
harshest environments.<br />
When the U.S. Coast<br />
Guard and the U.S. Army<br />
requisition equipment <strong>for</strong><br />
their fleets they don’t do it<br />
blindly; their testing protocols<br />
ensure that crucial<br />
M1 ABRAMS TANK<br />
components won’t fail at<br />
the wrong time leaving<br />
their people in trouble.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> is<br />
proud to be the exclusive<br />
battery charger onboard<br />
the Army’s M1 Abrams<br />
Tank and the Coast<br />
Guard’s 87’ Coastal Patrol<br />
Boat. “It’s an honor to<br />
USCG 87’ CPB<br />
have these agencies that<br />
are so crucial to our nation’s safety and well-being<br />
place their trust in our chargers,” says Lyle St. Romain,<br />
general manager of the <strong>Charles</strong> Marine and Industrial<br />
group. “It is mission-critical equipment <strong>for</strong> them. We<br />
take that responsibility very seriously, just as we do <strong>for</strong><br />
all of our customers.”<br />
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FEATURE / SHAKE-A-LEG<br />
30<br />
LAUNCHING BOATS<br />
AND DREAMS<br />
JOE CHARLES OF CHARLES INDUSTRIES GIVES A BOAT AND HIS<br />
TIME TO THE INSPIRATIONAL SHAKE-A-LEG MIAMI WATERSPORTS<br />
COMMUNITY CENTER<br />
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SUZANNE HAWLEY<br />
We come across thousands of<br />
people and places throughout<br />
our lives, and yet, there are<br />
certain ones that linger in our minds, long after<br />
they’ve left our sight. One of these places is<br />
Shake-A-Leg Miami (SALM), a watersports<br />
community center serving children and adults<br />
with physical, developmental and economic<br />
challenges. Located in Coconut Grove, approximately<br />
15 miles north of Miami, SALM is<br />
often described as the ‘gateway to Biscayne<br />
Bay.’ Universally accessible, the facility offers<br />
recreational sailing and instruction, kayaking,<br />
canoeing, <strong>power</strong> boating and more to people<br />
from 8 to 80 years plus. Operating in partnership<br />
with the City of Miami Parks<br />
Department, the organization has successfully<br />
created an inspirational haven, where people of<br />
all backgrounds and abilities find common<br />
ground or, perhaps, common water.<br />
The cornerstone and founder of this experiential<br />
learning facility is Harry Horgan, a man<br />
with piercing blue eyes and a kind smile. The roots of Shake-A-Leg Miami go back to 1982, when<br />
Horgan founded Shake-A-Leg in Newport, Rhode Island. Paralyzed after an accident in 1980,<br />
Horgan discovered during his own rehabilitation that the physically challenged need a place where<br />
they can build confidence and strengthen their bodies after traditional hospital-based rehabilitation.<br />
Dr. Barth Green, neurosurgeon and director of the applied research programs of The Miami<br />
Project to Cure Paralysis, recognized this pioneering work and convinced Shake-A-Leg to expand<br />
its operation to Miami, where he co-founded the new facility in 1990. “At Shake-A-Leg Miami,<br />
we don’t believe in walls; we believe in water,” says Harry. “Our motto has always been ‘Launching<br />
Boats and Dreams.’”<br />
During my visit to the grand opening of Shake-A-Leg’s world-class watersports center, I had<br />
the pleasure of meeting some of the kids who were learning to sail on a gloriously sunny south<br />
Florida day. To witness a child who has never been on a boat be<strong>for</strong>e get into a Shake-A-Leg<br />
sailboat and become an active participant of the crew is a sight that will remain one of my <strong>life</strong>’s<br />
most inspiring memories. Wheelchairs were eagerly traded <strong>for</strong> the helm of the sailboat as the wind<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>tlessly carried them across the surface of the water. Standing at the dock, I was overcome by<br />
the strength of their spirit and what it must mean to them to feel this kind of physical freedom.<br />
In support of Horgan’s mission of healing broken spirits and restoring a measure of<br />
independence to broken bodies, more than 100 successful partnerships have been created with<br />
community organizations, both public and private. One of SALM’s ardent and passionate supporters<br />
is Joe <strong>Charles</strong>, president and owner of <strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> in Rolling Meadows, Illinois,<br />
and founder of River Forest Yachting Centers located in Stuart and Ortona, Florida. A <strong>life</strong>long<br />
boater and active participant in the marine industry, Joe donated a 20-foot Catalina Freedom<br />
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32<br />
Independence sailboat to Shake-A-Leg Miami,<br />
and a second boat to its sister organization in<br />
Chicago, the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing<br />
Foundation (JGASF). Liberator is one of nine<br />
Freedom Independence sailboats at Shake-A-<br />
Leg Miami’s watersports center that were<br />
designed and built by Everett Pearson, president<br />
of Tillotson Pearson Inc. Designed to be<br />
universally accessible, this unique sailboat has<br />
two swivel seats, and all lines come to the<br />
cockpit to give wheelchair-bound individuals<br />
maximum safety and control. Liberator is a<br />
well-loved and popular vessel used as part of<br />
the organization’s extensive sailing instruction<br />
and sailboat racing program. Joe has remained<br />
a consistent supporter of SALM and has<br />
recently hosted some of the SALM children at<br />
River Forest Yachting Center in Stuart.<br />
I keep a photo of the Shake-A-Leg Miami<br />
crew on my desk at home as a constant<br />
reminder of the amazing accomplishments<br />
that are possible even in the most difficult of<br />
The <strong>Charles</strong> family is pleased to sponsor<br />
the Shake-A-Leg Miami foundation and<br />
to support their mission of making dreams<br />
come true and enabling people to achieve<br />
their goals.<br />
circumstances. Perhaps Winston Churchill<br />
said it best: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in<br />
every opportunity, but an optimist sees the<br />
opportunity in every difficulty.” Harry and the<br />
rest of his crew at Shake-A-Leg Miami, it<br />
seems, have chosen to take the optimist’s<br />
perspective, and have helped hundreds of<br />
physically, developmentally and economically<br />
challenged men, women and children to see<br />
the opportunities in their own hardships.<br />
<strong>Charles</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> President and CEO Joe <strong>Charles</strong><br />
(back row, in hat) poses with Shake-A-Leg Miami<br />
guests and crew, including SALM founder Harry<br />
Horgan (front row, far right), in front of the Catalina<br />
Freedom 20 sailboat Joe donated.<br />
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