The first On Water Houseboat Expo in 2009 became a Mecca for those wanting to admire the latest models of houseboats, or to simply just shake hands with the brains behind their favorite builders. It also became a place to find business partners, or at least it did for two Ukraine businessmen.
Last September, Alexey Malko and his father, Vitaliy Malko, traveled over 12 hours to meet with other boating companies at the first-ever On the Water Expo in hopes of creating a joint business.
"We are going to build firm mutual business cooperation between interested companies in Ukraine, former Soviet Union republics and the USA in maritime and river sector," said Alexey, the deputy director of Tekhfloat.
These businessmen have never been out on a lake; however, since 2003, Vitaliy established Tekhfloat, a company that deals strictly with crafts on the water. Tekhfloat is a ship building and ship repair company-from small vessels, yachts, houseboats and others as long as the length overall is below the maximum 260 feet. The company also creates a floating fuel-filling station that is similar to car gas stations- only for boats or planes.
"We are looking for companies that are honest, trustworthy, experienced and have the ability to work with us easily from across seas," he added. "We welcome anyone who can help us in our business to make money and to get mutual profit."
While at the Expo the Ukrainians visited companies such as Stardust and Lakeview as well as almost all of the houseboats that were being presented at the show.
Because they received a five-year visa to visit the U.S., they plan to attend more Houseboat Expos as they continue to build relationships and make contacts with boating companies.
To contact Tekhfloat, or to learn more about Teckhfloat's products visit www.tekhflot.com or email office@tekhflot.com.