THE ELECTRONICS SPECIALISTS

FFounded in 1997 in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, the GPS Store Inc. is a onestop shop that bills itself as “a better alternative to typical mail-order and internet companies” when it comes to GPS units, marine electronics, outdoor gear, accessories and GPS-related equipment. This is largely due to the experience of its staff.

Among the staff are Ashley Howard and Noelle Cruikshank, who have been with the company for 13 and 14 years, respectively.

Howard grew up boating on Vermont’s Lake Champlain. She is an NMEA-certified marine electronics installer and NMEA 2000-certified technician; not only was she the only woman to pass that round of certification tests, but she also got above 90 percent on both.

Cruikshank is an administrative coordinator for the company, and while she is not a lifelong boater, this Massachusetts native grew up on the water. She worked in the car business before the GPS Store.

“I was hired for accounting purposes, but I’m on the phone with customers a lot,” she says. “We’re self-taught; as our company grew, we learned about the products, which are constantly evolving, and the different issues we need to help resolve for customers.”

Although the GPS Store serves the automotive and general outdoor markets as well, Howard says 90 percent of the phone calls she receives are from boaters. While technicians do not handle physical installations, they provide guidance so boaters can determine what marine electronics packages will best meet their needs.

Howard says she fields a variety of questions about NMEA 2000 connectivity, the functionality of specific units, and how to handle pairing. She also notes that callers are occasionally surprised when the expert on the line is a woman.

“When we ask how we can help, we’ll get either, ‘Are you sure?’ or complete silence,” she says with a chuckle.

“I WAS HIRED FOR ACCOUNTING PURPOSES, BUT I’M ON THE PHONE WITH CUSTOMERS A LOT. WE’RE SELFTAUGHT; AS OUR COMPANY GREW, WE LEARNED ABOUT THE PRODUCTS, WHICH ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING, AND THE DIFFERENT ISSUES WE NEED TO HELP RESOLVE FOR CUSTOMERS.”

By the end of the call, Cruikshank says it’s common to hear, “Wow, you schooled me on all of this.”

“It’s a compliment,” she says. “I love it when people call back and ask to speak to one of us.”