Kruis Retherford is a self-made owner, operator, and visionary boatbuilder whose idea of freedom has always lived at the helm. Raised on Panama City Beach—splitting weekends between river runs and riding horses—she learned early that discipline, patience, and control translate from the saddle to the wheel. After a successful run in real estate funded her move into boating, she acquired the Glasstream name in the late ’90s and began building performance-minded center consoles that blended speed with practicality.

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When Glasstream outgrew its early footprint, Retherford stripped an old GE facility to the studs and rebuilt it into a purpose-built factory in Dothan, Alabama—where every step happens in-house: design, tooling, lamination, rigging, upholstery, and water test. That under-one-roof approach lets her team move fast, hold tight tolerances, and keep quality decisions close to the people who make them. It’s a crew of doers—many of the finest are women—who take pride in clean rigging, quiet lockers, and hulls that stay planted when the water turns real.

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Glasstream’s formula has always been simple: build boats that make the day feel longer—bone-dry, composed, and easy to run. As dealers and owners asked for even more pace and presence, Retherford launched sister brand GSX to serve the poker-run segment, while Glasstream remained the angler-first performance line. Across both badges, the mission is constant: own the process, listen to the people who run the boats, and keep improving until the ride feels unmistakably ours.