GLENN FICHTER | SOUTHERN ENTERPRISES, INC.
P.O. BOX 545  ALVA, FL 33920
PHONE 239-694-5759 | FAX 239-694-5214

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SOUTHERN ENTERPRISES WAS ESTABLISHED IN DECEMBER 2002, IN ALVA, FLORIDA AND IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY GLENN FICHTER.

GLENN IS A NATIVE FLORIDIAN, WHO IS KNOWN FOR HIS DESIGN, QUALITY, SUPERIOR WORKMANSHIP, AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. 

SOUTHERN ENTERPRISES WON "BEST OF SHOW" AT THE BROWARD COUNTY AIRBOAT SHOW  FOR EIGHT YEARS 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

SOUTHERN ENTERPRISES IS THE SOUTH FLORIDA DEALER FOR SENSENICH AND WARP DRIVE PROPELLERS AND DIAMONDBACK AIRBOATS.  WE SPECIALIZE IN FULL DECK ALUMINUM HULLS BUILT WITH ONLY THE HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIALS.

 AT SOUTHERN ENTERPRISES STAINLESS STEEL METALWORK IS A SPECIALTY AND WE USE JURNIGAN ENGINES FOR THE AIRCRAFT APPLICATIONS AND GM PERFORMANCE PARTS ENGINES FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS, WITH ONLY THE BEST ACCESSORIES. 

 WE ALSO HAVE MANY PARTS AND ACCESSORIES IN STOCK. BILLET VALVE COVERS, JET HOT COATED HEADERS, RUDDERS, MUFFLERS, ETC.

 DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES. WE HAVE CUSTOM DESIGN AIRBRUSH AND DETAIL PAINTING AVAILABLE.

SOUTHERN ENTERPRISES CAN MANUFACTURE A BOAT TO MEET ANYONE'S NEEDS  FROM CUSTOM PLEASURE BOATS TO WORK BOATS.

WE STRIVE FOR QUALITY AND A SATISFIED CUSTOMER......

When Glenn Fichter gets away from it all, he doesn’t play around. He travels far out of reach of cars and buses and airplanes. He goes where only airboats can go.Life gets hectic, so Fichter climbs into an airboat and heads out into the Everglades or some other hard-to-reach swamp. It’s a whole other world,” says Fichter, who builds custom airboats for his Alva company, Southern Enterprises. “You can see deer and gators out there. And it’s quiet. “But if you don’t have an airboat, you’re not getting out there.”

     Fichter is a member of the new Airboat & Buggy Conservation Club of Southwest Florida. The group promotes the swamp-hopping lifestyle and fights to preserve people’s rights to travel in those places. “We’re just trying to get folks to enjoy the outdoors,” says club president Randy Hodges, who also makes and services airboats with his Fort Myers company, RDH Air Parts and Fabrication.

     The club held its first public event Saturday Jan. 15, 2012 at the Lee Civic Center: An airboat and buggy show that organizers hope rivals similar events in Broward County and elsewhere. The show was joined by the Caloosa Cook-Off, a barbecue contest held by the Fort Myers East Rotary Club. The show features airboats and swamp buggies from Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties. Hodges expected vehicles from at least 70 to 80 people.

     Airboats are flat-bottomed boats powered by a giant fan. Swamp buggies are custom-made vehicles with big balloon tires. Both are used to navigate swamps. Some people race their boats and buggies. Some use them for hunting. Some just like to escape to somewhere quieter. The show will feature vehicles of all types, including buggies with nitrous-oxide boosts and airboats powered by airplane and sports-car engines. “People do some crazy stuff to their vehicles,” Hodges says. “Some of these boats are really tricked out. It all depends on how extreme you want to go.”

     Fichter showed his 13-foot airboat “Eight Up.” The name refers to the boat’s eight-cylinder Lycoming aircraft engine. The boat is painted with flames along the sides and fitted with a lot of chrome. “The chrome is just something for people to look at,” he says. “It’s hard to walk away from something shiny, right?”

     Fichter’s boats have consistently won Best of Show at the annual Broward County Airboat Show. He’s worked with airboats since he was a kid and saw his best friend’s dad working on them. “I kind of hung around the shop,” he says. “Later, I couldn’t afford to pay people to work on my boat. So I started doing it myself.”