Bass Pro eliminates jobs at trio of boat manufacturing plants in the Ozarks

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Bass Pro has confirmed it’s laid off a total of 176 employees at three boat manufacturing facilities in Lebanon, Bolivar and Flippin, Arkansas because of a downturn in product sales.

The largest number of layoffs came at the Tracker Marine manufacturing plant in Lebanon where 85 employees were let go with 900 still in the workforce. At Flippin, Arkansas where Ranger Boats have been made for more than a half century, 70 people were released with a remaining staff of 500. And in Bolivar there were 21 layoffs at two facilities still employing 400 people at what Bass Pro says is the largest pontoon production facility in America.

Bass Pro’s marine manufacturing division is known as the White River Marine Group which manufacturers and distributes brands Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Triton, Sun Tracker, Regency, Tahoe, Mako and Ascend Kayaks.

In a statement confirming the layoffs, Bass Pro’s Communications Department said:

“Similar to others in the marine industry we needed to make adjustments to our operations in response to the current soft demand for marine products and the overall economic climate. We are grateful for the contributions of these team members and will be supporting them through this transition.”

When asked about the possibility of additional layoffs coming next week Bass Pro Communications responded:

“At this time we do not anticipate any additional near-term reductions in staffing.”

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, an estimated 85 million people go boating each year and 95 percent of the boats are made in America. After a boom in sales during the pandemic, new powerboat sales were down 1-3 percent in 2023 and are expected to remain that way mainly due to interest rates and lower consumer confidence because of inflation.

The recreational boating industry supports more than 812,000 American jobs and Bolivar is a prime example of the boom-and-bust industry. Back in 2009, the Tracker aluminum boat production plant in Bolivar was closed and consolidated into the Lebanon facility. But in 2018 the White River Group returned to Bolivar to open a pontoon boat facility and then added another plant in 2021 to keep up with the demand.

But three years later comes a reduction in the workforce, just another example of the many ebbs-and-flows in an industry where both facilities and employee-size rises and falls with the changing business tide.

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