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S6E19 - The Business of Rowing: Inside RITA's Vision for the Sport
Think of all the companies represented in your boathouse. Maybe it’s boats manufactured by Vespoli, Pocock, or Hudson, and ergs and oars by Concept2. Maybe your coach keeps communications going using iCrew, or you open up the ErgZone app for training workouts. All of these companies – and nearly 20 others – are members of the Rowing Industry Trade Association (RITA).
On this episode we talk with two founding members of RITA – Michael Naughton, the COO of Nielsen-Kellerman; and Glen Burston, the Owner and Operations Manager of Hudson Boat Works. We’ll talk about how the association has opened up communication with World Rowing; about rules and regulations that impact companies and clubs; about what it would take to get more young kids into rowing, and more adults working in the rowing industry.
.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and welcome
03:19 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
04:25 - The Huddle
06:25 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:23 - Michael and Glen’s rowing origin stories began in high school after turning away from other sports
17:35 - Finding profession in the rowing industry
22:03 - How RITA came to be and the vision for the association
24:48 - Balancing the needs and interests of RITA members
29:22 - RITA’s relationship with NGOs
30:44 - RITA members and member benefits
39:00 - Acknowledging three major disciplines: traditional, coastal, and indoor
41:38 - Considering ways to make rowing more accessible
47:24 - RITA at HOCR, sparking innovation, and industry job shop talk
51:02 - Steady State Network news and notes
.
To see photos of Michael and Glen, and get links to the people, clubs, businesses, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
View all episodes
By Steady State Network
5
1313 ratings
Think of all the companies represented in your boathouse. Maybe it’s boats manufactured by Vespoli, Pocock, or Hudson, and ergs and oars by Concept2. Maybe your coach keeps communications going using iCrew, or you open up the ErgZone app for training workouts. All of these companies – and nearly 20 others – are members of the Rowing Industry Trade Association (RITA).
On this episode we talk with two founding members of RITA – Michael Naughton, the COO of Nielsen-Kellerman; and Glen Burston, the Owner and Operations Manager of Hudson Boat Works. We’ll talk about how the association has opened up communication with World Rowing; about rules and regulations that impact companies and clubs; about what it would take to get more young kids into rowing, and more adults working in the rowing industry.
.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Episode intro and welcome
03:19 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10
04:25 - The Huddle
06:25 - Hot Seat Q&A
11:23 - Michael and Glen’s rowing origin stories began in high school after turning away from other sports
17:35 - Finding profession in the rowing industry
22:03 - How RITA came to be and the vision for the association
24:48 - Balancing the needs and interests of RITA members
29:22 - RITA’s relationship with NGOs
30:44 - RITA members and member benefits
39:00 - Acknowledging three major disciplines: traditional, coastal, and indoor
41:38 - Considering ways to make rowing more accessible
47:24 - RITA at HOCR, sparking innovation, and industry job shop talk
51:02 - Steady State Network news and notes
.
To see photos of Michael and Glen, and get links to the people, clubs, businesses, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.
.
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE: www.steadystatenetwork.com/support
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork
IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
BLUESKY - steadystatenetwork.bsky.social
FB - /AllieswithOars
IG - @AllieswithOars
Connect on FB and IG with the hosts:
Rachel Freedman - @RowSource
Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber
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