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He's feeling no pain, now Photo from AP North River Jet Boats owner Brian Brush, a former Medford police officer, builds strong fishing boats for heavy river use. Jet-boat deal lifts ex-cop past injury By CRAIG REED The Associated Press ROSEBURG -- Brian Brush's pain sure didn't hurt his passions. After the 38-year-old Brush suffered an injury while on the job as a Medford police officer, he was able to turn his passions into his professions: boats and fish. Seemingly almost as fast as he could drift a boat down the Rogue River, he's become a major player in the boat industry and a respected fish advocate. "I love boats and I love to fish," said Brush, a St. Mary's High School graduate who moved from Medford to Roseburg two weeks ago. After suffering an injury while lifting a motorcycle, he had back surgery and was then offered a job as a Medford police dispatcher. The seven-year police officer declined the offer in 1994 and turned to the boating industry. This was not unfamiliar territory, though, since Brush had been both a full-time and part-time river fishing guide since age 18. He had drifted and rowed boats on the Rogue, Chetco, South Umpqua and Smith rivers in pursuit of salmon and steelhead. He went to work as a salesman for Fish Rite Boats in Medford and then, after only five months, helped open and took ownership of a Fish Rite franchise dealership in Red Bluff, Calif. But after a year, he decided he was ready to make a move and began to look into other boat business options. Up north in Roseburg, North River Jet Boat owner Mike Lorenzen was considering selling his business. Lorenzen made Brush an offer, but Brush decided to work at North River for six months before making a decision. Those six months, and the quality of the product, convinced Brush to make the move. In December 1997, he and his wife Tammie bought North River Jet Boats. "Mike Lorenzen built a fabulous product," Brush said. "He'd designed and built the finest aluminum jet boat made." In 1997, North River had only eight employees and sold 41 boats. While Lorenzen had the building expertise out in the shop, Brush has added a marketing expertise that has made the business boom since its purchase. Lorenzen still works for the business as a boat designer and salesman. North River sold 100 boats in 1998, 198 boats in 1999 and has a goal of 350 sales for this year. It's well on its way to that goal, with 89 boats sold in January. The number of employees has also increased to 50, including Brush's parents, Roy and Bonnie. And so has its working area as the building shop has been almost doubled in size and a finishing building has been added. "It's been an ability to market the product and a business sense to increase sales," Brush said of the two-year sales increase. "We've increased marketing, increased production and been more price competitive. We've dropped the profit margin to make our boats more competitive price-wise." The average cost of one of the in-board jet boats is $30,000. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA