Company Profile

The guiding force behind Formula's philosophy of excellence is the Victor B. Porter family, with Chairman and CEO Vic Porter and four sons and a daughter actively managing the business. As a young man, Vic Porter began building and selling small fiberglass runabouts in 1962, enjoying success largely in the midwest and the northeast. With Porter as president, the boats were marketed under the Duo, Incorporated name and were among those developed early in marine fiberglass technology. Because of a timely product and increasing recognition, Starcraft, a large regional manufacturer, purchased Duo in 1966. Porter remained as president for a time. In 1970, Vic Porter once again exercised his entrepreneurial spirit and founded the Signa Corporation, along with five business associates. This venture resulted in a quality line of trihull boats manufactured in Decatur and marketed throughout the midwest and east. With Porter as president, Signa's growing success attracted the attention of an Atlanta based conglomerate, Fuqua Industries, which had acquired Thunderbird/Formula four years previously. Fuqua's offer to buy Signa was accepted by Porter and the five other principal owners in 1973. Porter was named president of Fuqua's entire small-boat division, drawing on his expertise in the boating industry. In mid-1976, Vic Porter purchased Thunderbird Products from Fuqua, with his family joining in the management team. The first Thunderbird models originated in 1956 in the Miami, Florida area and were exclusively of trihull or "cathedral" design. Definitely proving their staying power and design merit, it was an eighteen-foot Thunderbird, which made the first successful Miami to Nassau sterndrive crossing in 1962. The trihull design was ultimately discontinued in 1979, with company emphasis placed on the offshore deep-V hull configuration of the Formula models. Formula, a company founded in Miami in 1962, introduced the 233 deep-V hull design, which earned notable victories on the national offshore racing circuit. While today's Formulas have matured well beyond the speed-only image, the popularity originating with past racing success is still quite evident. Formula was purchased in 1964 by an Ohio-based industrialist who also owned Thunderbird. Both Formula and Thunderbird models were then produced in a combined operation. The Porters' decision to consolidate corporate and production headquarters in the Midwest is based on employee work ethic and integrity factors. A product of such unusual quality requires a dedicated, conscientious work force, one that realizes the importance of personal commitment. Today, Vic Porter, chairman and CEO of Thunderbird, remains active in the business he knows so well. With the Porter family focusing on quality in every aspect it is certain that Thunderbird will continue to maintain Formula's reputation as the premier powerboat worldwide.