Karen and Jennifer Mitchell

Location of Interview
Collection Name

The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Description

The Working Waterfront Festival Community  Documentation Project is an ongoing oral history project documenting the history and culture of the commercial fishing industry and other port trades. The project was begun in 2004 in conjunction with the Working Waterfront Festival, an annual, education celebration of commercial fishing culture which takes place in New Bedford, MA. Interviewees have included a wide range of individuals connected to the commercial fishing industry and/or other aspects of the port through work or familial ties. While the majority of interviewees are from the port of New Bedford, the project has also documented numerous individuals  from other ports around the country. Folklorist and    Festival Director Laura Orleans and Community Scholar/Associate Director Kirsten Bendiksen are Project Leaders. The original recordings reside at the National Council for the Traditional Arts in Maryland with listening copies housed at the Festival's New Bedford office.

Interviewer
Date of Interview
09-23-2007
Transcribers

Janice Gadaire Fleuriel

Biographical Sketch

Jennifer Mitchell, also known as Jennifer Demalo, is part of the Mitchell family business. She grew up in New Bedford and attended Bishop Stang High School before graduating from Emmanuel College. Initially working as a business manager at a preschool in Boston, Jennifer joined the family business after her father asked her to work with him. She has been involved in bookkeeping and similar administrative tasks. Jennifer has been with the business for around eight years and is married with two children.

Karen Mitchell, also known as Karen Joseph, is another member of the Mitchell family involved in the business. She graduated from UMass Amherst with a business degree, specializing in HR. Karen had originally planned to work in the human resources department of the company, but she has been shadowing her father and learning about emergency generators and other aspects of the business. She is also involved in sales and repairs, working closely with her father. Karen is a mother of two and values the strong family ties within the business.

The R.A. Mitchell Company is a family business that has been operating for over fifty years. They specialize in selling motors, engines, and related equipment to people in the industry, particularly those in the fishing sector. The business has built a strong reputation based on providing excellent service and quality products. They emphasize the importance of maintaining parts availability and having knowledgeable employees who can assist customers in the industry.

Scope and Content Note
Jennifer and Karen discuss their experiences working in their family business, which involves sales, repairs, and services related to pumps, boat generator sets, and propulsion engines. They highlight the family aspect of the business, including their father's mechanical expertise and their grandfather's role in starting the business. As females in a male-dominated industry, they share their perceptions and challenges, mentioning that some customers prefer to speak to a man or their father due to his reputation. However, many customers appreciate their presence and have seen them grow up in the business. They emphasize the importance of having the necessary parts and providing excellent service to support fishermen's livelihoods. While most of their female interactions are with non-boat-related individuals at settlement houses, they sometimes engage with captain's wives. Both interviewees are mothers and discuss the balancing act of working and parenting. The Mitchell sisters mention the changes in communication and technology within the fishing industry and the need for fishermen to adapt to the electronic and computerized advancements in engine and generator technology. They mention their major suppliers, John Deere and Marathon, and highlight the support they receive from their family members, including their husbands and mother. The interviewees discuss their fast-paced work environment and the challenges of separating work and family discussions during gatherings. They approach their differences at work with humor and aim for a flexible work environment for themselves and their employees. Jennifer and Karen express their hope that as they become more knowledgeable about the business, their father can take more time off and relax. They acknowledge the nerve-wracking aspect of carrying on the business after their father, given his extensive engineering and mechanical background. Ultimately, they want visitors to recognize that their business involves more than just selling products and that many companies and hard-working individuals contribute to the fishing industry's success. Finally, the sisters express hope that visitors will develop a mutual respect for the industry and understand that it is not deserving of the negative reputation of harming the ocean.


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