Alumni Profiles
MIKE AKEROYD
Mike Akeroyd’s journey to starting his own marine systems business began far from Maine’s boat shops; in San Diego, where he found himself looking for a career change. “I just went online and found the school,” he recalls. “I gave them a call, and they said they had one spot left in the composites program. I said, ‘I’ll take it.’”
Four days later, Mike had packed up his car, loaded in his dog, and was driving across the country.
What stuck with Mike most wasn’t just the technical training — it was the people. “I’d say the most valuable thing I got from the school was meeting the people there,” he says. “Now that I’m out in the world… I know I have a whole bunch of people I can call.”
One of his strongest influences at the school was his systems instructor, Roger Hellyar-Brook. “He had this motto: ‘Keep them boating,’” Mike says. “His point was, if someone’s boat keeps breaking down during the short season, they’ll eventually end up selling them. Your job is to make sure you keep them boating.”
After graduating, Mike was hired by Great Island Boatyard in Harpswell. “They hired me because I went to the Landing School,” he says, specifically crediting his ABYC certifications. He worked there for nine years before starting his own shop, Shift Systems, in Portland. “I don’t think I would have that without the Landing School,” he says.