Bill Edinger, 43, doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. Then again, he doesn’t plan on working anymore either. Edinger is now the membership director of the new Freedom Boat Club (FBC) location at Beach Marine in Jacksonville.
“This doesn’t even feel like a job,” Edinger said. “It certainly doesn’t seem like work.”
Edinger should know. After spending years as a pharmaceutical technician, working from the confines of a small cubical, Edinger’s new office is inside a spacious 73-foot houseboat, which features numerous large windows. Of course, he always spends a significant amount of his “work” day out on a boat, giving test rides to prospective new members. It seems like second nature to him.
Edinger first became acquainted with Freedom Boat Club in 2009, when he traded in his fishing boat and became a member. In 2010, he became a part-time membership representative for FBC, working weekends at the St. Augustine location, but he left the position shortly afterward.
“I was working every weekend and it was taking too much time away from my family,” Edinger said.
He continued in his regular career as a pharmaceutical tech. Then, in May of this year, Freedom Boat Club opened its newest location at Beach Marine and owner Lisa Almeida knew immediately who she wanted to hire.
“Bill was my first choice,” Almeida said. “The only question was how long it would take me to talk him into it.”
Edinger now works closely with existing members and cultivates relationships with new members and prospective members at the Jacksonville Beach location. He develops and implements membership plans, creates member events and serves as the liaison between members and other Freedom Boat Club locations around the country.
Since Edinger came on board, Freedom Boat Club’s Beach Marine location continues to add new members and boats. And for Edinger, that is part of his long-term plan.
“I expect to be doing this for a very long time,” Edinger said. “I have always loved boating and fishing, so this does not seem like work to me. I was enthusiastic about Freedom Boat Club from the moment I joined. Now, I get to share that with others.”
