NW Missouri Times

Megan McLaughlin, a 2003 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, has turned her passion for the outdoors and entrepreneurial spirit into a successful career. Growing up in Maryville, McLaughlin spent much of her childhood on boats with her family. In 2008, she decided to turn this interest into a business.

"I had been on boats my whole life," McLaughlin said. "That entrepreneurial excitement started to take over and led to a business plan on how I could do this on a daily basis. I was seeking a way to make it easier for friends and families to be able to enjoy these beautiful waterways and have less stress on vacation."

McLaughlin is now the owner and operator of Island Time Charters in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Her business offers unique experiences that explore the natural environment surrounding the island, including historic settings, sandbar cookouts, sunset excursions, and fireworks displays.

With 17 years of experience as a boat captain, McLaughlin holds a U.S. Coast Guard master boat captain license along with other certifications. She attributes her ability to balance an active lifestyle to lessons learned during her time at Northwest.

"Balancing classes, collegiate athletics and extracurricular activities taught me how to create and achieve my goals – how to balance scheduling demands and how to be self-motivated," McLaughlin said. "These are skills I am constantly putting to use and grateful for every day in my business."

As a native of Maryville, McLaughlin attended Horace Mann Laboratory School before graduating from Maryville High School. She earned soccer and tennis scholarships at Northwest Missouri State University where she also participated in several student organizations and was a founding member of the Northwest Golf Club.

"That was my dream come true," McLaughlin said about attending Northwest. "Being a ‘bear cub,’ I watched those athletes my whole life and I couldn’t wait to put on that Bearcat green jersey and represent Northwest."

Her entrepreneurial roots run deep; her great-grandparents owned a nursery and garden center while her grandparents operated both a dairy farm and quilting business. Her father owned a legal practice, while her sister worked as an entrepreneurial consultant for businessman Wayne Huizenga.

McLaughlin gained valuable experience working at the Maryville Country Club as a lifeguard and at Mozingo Lake Golf Course as a clubhouse attendant during her studies at Northwest where she completed an internship on Hilton Head Island which led to an opportunity as an assistant golf professional before launching Island Time Charters.

"I wanted to create a life with a flexible work environment, one that allowed me the ability to still be able to share in those special moments with family and friends," McLaughlin said. "It is very well known in the self-employed world that your best preparation for tomorrow is doing your very best today, and I certainly live by that mantra."