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Jimmy Fulks started Mariah Boats Inc. in 1989 in a temporary garage and quickly built it into one of the largest independent boat builders in the country.
News of the demise of Mariah Boats Inc. came more quickly and unexpectedly. Fulks, president of the company, announced the closing in a May 23 letter sent to employees and faxed to dealers and the mayor of Benton, Ill. Since then, people haven't been able to contact Fulks.
The news shocked the company's 300-plus workers and almost 200 Mariah boat dealers nationwide and abroad. The company had annual sales of about $48 million.
"All I know was that when I walked into my office on May 23, there was a letter stating that the company was closing," said Ray Machens, owner of St. Charles Boat and Motor Co., the sole Mariah dealer in the St. Louis area. "It also said that the company was not filing for bankruptcy, but was selling the company back to (National City Bank) and had hired a broker to sell the remaining boats."
Calls to Fulks at Mariah were not returned and he asked that his home phone number not be given out. Bank officials also did not return calls.
Mariah boats range in price from $20,000 to $80,000 for the luxury...