Dan Kleitz Keeps The Faith
If loyalty and courage were legal tender, Dan Kleitz of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats in Bristol, R.I., would own a massive beach house— with an SV 50 sportboat at the docks—and a private jet. Instead, he lives modestly in Bristol and works six to seven days a week to keep alive a dream that began with company founder Mike Fiore, who died in August 2014, and was carried on by Fiore’s longtime friend and business partner Joe Sgro, who died a little more than four years later.
Despite the loss of two Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats leaders in four years, Dan Kleitz remains devoted to his family of employees and customers. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
That would be a lot for any 29-year-old to handle, much less one who became the righthand man for both of his bosses. That the transfer of ownership to longtime silent Outerlimits investor Brian McLaughlin since Sgro’s death has taken longer than anticipated—and is still pending completion—hasn’t made things easier for Kleitz. Not only does he have to deal with sometimes anxious employees and often nervous customers as the de facto general manager and public face of the company, he has to run the show and sell boats.
For the record, Kleitz doesn’t complain. Whatever doubts and fears about the future he may have, he keeps to himself, his parents Ken and Barbara and his longtime girlfriend, Karly Shea. In any given casual conversation with Kleitz, who started with the company when he was 20 years old and was still in Roger Williams University, you’ll hear him laugh often and drop more than few f-bombs.
But what you won’t hear him do is fall into self-pity, much less gripe about the past, present and future of Outerlimits.
and then