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As Director of Operations for Vexus Boats, Matt Raynor’s mornings always begin with a team meeting at 7:00 am, where he talks to department supervisors about everything on the day’s to-do list. But on Thursdays, the 20-year marine industry leader gladly adopts the important role of pizza delivery man for a Bible study group he and a few others help lead for Vexus employees each week.
Raynor, an Indiana native who grew up in the same small town as singer-songwriter John Cougar Mellencamp, began his two-decade journey in the marine industry as one of America’s very first college bass anglers when he co-founded the Ball State University bass fishing team in Muncie, IN.
“There were no organized national college fishing trails when we started, so most of our events simply consisted of partnering with local bass club anglers who were kind enough to share their boats with us,” reflects Raynor.
He may have lacked his own boat and national trails to compete on back in 2003, but Raynor’s youthful desire to spend a lifetime around bass fishing was evident enough to convince a local boat dealer to loan his college team a boat to park on campus as a tool to recruit additional student anglers.
That relationship with the dealer ultimately led him to meeting a full-time regional boat salesman who encouraged him to pursue an internship opportunity in Flippin, Arkansas. Wide-eyed, optimistic, and passionate, Raynor packed up his truck and drove 9-hours to interview for the summer internship that ultimately shaped the rest of his life, including meeting his treasured wife, Rebecca.
“I can still remember pulling in for the interview and seeing Forrest L. Wood’s name painted on his personal parking spot at the front door. I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” smiles Raynor.
Two decades later, despite the stress that comes with overcoming inevitable manufacturing curveballs, Raynor is still smiling over the fact he has a fruitful career — and a fulfilled life — working for a premium fishing boat manufacturer.
“The people who work at Vexus are the biggest reason I love my job. I get to work with people who are uniquely gifted with homemade ingenuity. When you combine that with years of experience it results in them being master craftsmen in the boat building industry. And there’s no quit in their souls, they refuse to get beat or be defeated by obstacles,” says Raynor, who still treasures a good topwater bite under cloudy skies at nearby Bull Shoals.
Many of Raynor’s beloved co-workers will also be there every Thursday at lunch, when he is often tasked with hauling pizza into an upstairs conference room at Vexus for Bible study.
“Fiberglass and aluminum last a longtime, but there’s only one thing that’s eternal,” says Raynor. “I may spend my days making sure we’ve got the people and parts to build the best boats on the planet, but nothing I do is more important than pointing others to Christ,” says Raynor.
A number of Vexus employees have actually been baptized as a result of those Thursday lunches. So, it’s easy to understand why Raynor treasures the role of pizza delivery guy when he’s not busy chasing down fiberglass resin, boat seats, or trailer tires.
To learn more about high quality fishing boats Raynor helps build, please visit https://vexusboats.com/.
