Making Waves And Catching Fish

It was a year on Sept. 1, since Matt Cowen purchased Mon-Dak Marine in Glasgow from Brandon and Ronette Babb and what an exciting year of change it has been. Not only did Cowen purchased Mon-Dak Marine, he also added his own business, Go Fish Installations, to the list of services offered to the community.

"I did work with Brandon and Ronette, and they called one day saying 'We have an idea!' and it just launched from there," explained Cowen on why he took over the business from the Babbs.

Though owning a boat dealership in the "Middle of Nowhere" was new for Cowen, owning and running Go Fish Installations is not as he launched that business 15 years ago as a result of his work at Scheels in Billings. "When I was working at Scheels, issues came up with the electronics that we sold due to incorrect installations. So I started the company and it just took off from there," said Cowen. Go Fish Installations not only installs sonars, trolling motors and boat electronics but Cowen will also provide on-the-water training, training seminars and shrink wrapping boats.

"There is so much new technology out there now. The younger generation wants the latest and greatest, while the older generation wants to know what will get the fish. The on-the-water training also allows people to take photos and videos of the training so they can look back and continue to get more comfortable with their equipment," explained Cowen. "Anything that can be put in a boat we can do!"

Right now Cowen employs three mechanics, two front desk people and one office manager. "The mechanics do a lot of the installs. They are the brains of the operations of fixing and they make me look good," laughed Cowen. He is the only one that does on-the-water training which is usually a few hours with a customer and he will meet at a designated time and location to show how the equipment works in the best possible way. He is also available off-hours to help answer questions and/or guide through the process over the phone.

"People of northeast Montana often drive out to Billings to get things fixed, and now people can have the confidence to get things fixed here and it will work. If it doesn't work, we will fix it," stressed Cowen. He also stated the act of fishing and boating is all about having fun which is why he is so invested in his customers. In addition to being available for training, he wants to ensure his customers are first in the right boat for them before going out on the water. Mon-Dak Marine currently carries Warrior, Triton, Yar-Craft and Crestliner brands of boats and Cowen stresses there is a boat for everyone and their needs. He is happy to talk to customers about their needs and wants out of a boat and then help them make the right purchase for them.

Since officially moving to the area in January of this year, he has bought land in Fort Peck to build on and is looking forward to having his family, wife Stephanie and two sons, Blake and Caleb, join the area in the next few years. In addition to running Mon-Dak Marine and Go Fish Installations, he enjoys spending time on the lake himself catching fish as well as bow hunting. "Eventually the store will have hunting and fishing equipment. Conservative growth is all about listening to the customer and what they want and then making decisions from there," explained Cowen for how he is hoping to grow the business. He is also wanting to add other boat brands and pontoons with a grand goal of adding off-roading equipment in the future.

He appreciates all of the support the community has provided him over the past year and is looking forward to continued growth and involvement within the community he now calls home.

Mon-Dak Marine is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., located at 54106 US 2, Ste. 1, Glasgow. Cowen and his staff can be contacted at 406-228-2900 or by email at [email protected]. They are also available on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/mcowen05.