Anchors Aweigh

Matt Putnam is a founding partner and Managing Director of the Leisure Property Advisors . He specializes in the sale of marina, golf and leisure properties throughout the United States and Canada. Prior to becoming a broker, he served as the financial analyst and marketing coordinator for the National Golf and Resort Properties Group for two years. Matt has held an active real estate license sinc...

Matt Putnam is a founding partner and Managing Director of the Leisure Property Advisors . He specializes in the sale of marina, golf and leisure properties throughout the United States and Canada. Prior to becoming a broker, he served as the financial analyst and marketing coordinator for the National Golf and Resort Properties Group for two years. Matt has held an active real estate license sinc...

Matt Sellhorst is the founder and CEO of Boat Dealer Profits and the creator of the SPLASH System guaranteed to help select dealers sell more boats, make more money and have more fun. Matt is the sales and marketing columnist for Boating Industry Magazine , host of the Boat Dealer Profits podcast and Boat Dealer Profits TV where he shares tips, tricks and tactics to boost profitability in any deal...

Claude Beaulac is the VP of Sales and Marketing for the Canadian Electric Boat Company . I spoke with Claude just before it was announced that the CEBC was awarded the ' Future of the Industry ' award at Quebec's annual Marina Industry Gala. The Canadian Electric Boat Company manufactures a line of 100% electric boats that do not produce any pollution or emissions. Powered by a lithium battery, CE...

Niels Kisling is in charge of Marine Sales and Marketing at Davis Instruments , a company with a huge range of products for sailors and powerboaters. Many of you boaters and especially sailors are probably using or have used Davis products and may not even know it. In 2017, Neils accepted the Miami International Boat Show Innovation Award in the Category of Boat Care and Maintenance for their Snap...

Rok Babarovic is part of a team that is redfining a genre of yacht. As Business Development Manager, Rok has helped launch the Overblue series of yachts – part power cat, part houseboat. Sensing that people today are seeking comfort, safety, innovation, efficiency as well as adventure all combined in one product, Overblue designed a yacht that offers all the comfort of modern home, is able to crui...

Paul Fenn's career in the boating industry led him to Jeanneau  where he eventually took the helm as President of Jeanneau America. Paul 'passed the baton' in 2014 but is still on board in a consulting and marketing role with a major focus on brand and lifestyle videos. Paul's video production extends to his Take a Shot Media company as well as his personal boating life which you can see on his gr...

Last year, Warner University announced a partnership with the Institute of Marine Technology to start the Marine Technology program on campus in Lake Wales, Florida. The intent of IMT's Marine Technology program is to prepare individuals for entry-level technician opportunities in the watercraft industry. Attendees not only learn how to work on watercraft and gather hands-on experience, they work...

I really enjoyed recording this episode, as the guest is a friend who I have been fortunate to have a lot of fun on the water with. Chris Hefferen currently helps manage Subsea Fleet Support for Noble , a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. The company owns and operates one of the most modern, versatile and technically advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industr...

Randall Lyons' career in the marine industry spans more than 20 years and he is currently the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association . Prior to his role with the Trades Association, Randall had extensive experience in the marina world managing the Newburyport Marina on the North shore of Massachusetts, and as Director of Communications for the Nantucket Boat Basin . Rand...

As climate change becomes a bigger issue for boaters every year (see boat damage from this year's storms as exhibit A), there are many companies looking for solutions that will help slow down this process while also enabling boaters to continue using the waterways in powered vessels. Electric mobility is one of the top solutions and I was fortunate to speak with Steve Trkla, President of Torqeedo...

I caught up with Scott Croft, Vice President Public Affairs at BoatUS , after he spent some time on the road assisting with BoatUS teams in Hurricane damaged Florida. When he is not out in the field, Scott is Responsible for all external publicity and media relations for the half-million member boating services, advocacy and safety organization. Duties cover all BoatUS departments, including Gover...

I was able to catch up with Reagan Haynes, Senior reporter and social media manager for Soundings Trade Only , between her travel for stories. Reagan has been writing in-depth business analysis and news for the boating industry, specializing in banking and finance regarding the marine industry, as well as EPA and environmental standards in boating, for over 15 years. One of my favorite features ea...

Jim Palmer is a marketing and business building expert and in-demand coach. He is the founder of the Dream Business Academy and Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program. He is the host of Dream Business Coach TV, the hit weekly Web TV show watched by thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners, and he is also the host of  Dream Business Radio , a weekly podcast based on Jim's unique...

One of the things I have come to realize in talking to so many boaters over the last few years is that boating in and of itself is great, but often times it is the means to another end. It is a gateway to a wide variety of activities and experiences that bring happiness into so many lives. Just think of all the things boating can give you access to: fishing, diving, cruising, skiing, wake boarding...

Nathan Heber is the Founder and CEO of Boatyard , the world's first on-demand marketplace for recreational boating. The Boatyard app makes it easy for boaters to find and book qualified marine professionals for services ranging from fuel delivery to cleaning to captaining a boat. Boatyard also has a B2B application. Boatyard for Business provides marine professionals with an easy-to-use platform f...

It was a real pleasure speaking with Barry Berhoff, CEO of Shurhold Industries. Barry is an avid boater who lives and breathes Shurhold everyday not only as a job, but as a lifestyle. Under his direction Shurhold has become the global leader in high quality detailing products. Shurhold was started in 1973 in the garage of William E. Peach. Over the next two decades Shurhold continued to grow and m...

Wanda Kenton Smith has worked in the boating industry since 1980. A journalist, she launched her career as editor of Water Ski  and Windsurf magazines , and later worked as editor on additional trade titles in both the sailing and watersports sectors. She also has served as the marketing columnist for Soundings Trade Only  since 1998, a post she still holds today. Wanda previously served as vice p...

Zenon Bilas is a 7-time USA Barefoot Water Skiing Champion. He has over 30 years of teaching all levels of water skiers, including national and world champions. He has performed barefoot shows and water ski clinics on four continents with stops in the USA, Sweden, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, Lebanon, and China, including one show for over 500,000 people in Yueyang, China. He has authored hundreds of a...

Episodes 6-10 featured a wide range of boating experts and industry people: Betty Bauman, Founder/CEO of Ladies Let's Go Fishing; Dan DeGeorge, VP of Sales for Docka; Stephanie Vatalaro, VP of Communications, Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation; Diane Seltzer, Marketing Director, SureShade, Founder/Editor myboatlife.com and boaterkids.com; and Kristen Frohnhoefer, President of SeaTow Interna...

Leading up to National Safe Boating Week, I was excited to speak with Kristen Frohnhoefer, President of Sea Tow International . Sea Tow has been the on-water assistance fleet of choice for boaters since 1983. A franchise-based marine assistance organization headquartered in Southold, New York, Sea Tow was founded in 1983 by Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer after the U.S Coast Guard stopped responding to...

You could say Diane Seltzer is a jack-of-all trades in the marine world. In her day job Diane is the Marketing Director for SureShade. SureShade designs and manufactures innovative retractable sunshade systems for the marine industry that enhance and facilitate the boating experience. Diane is responsible for branding, public relations, social media implementation, advertising, web site management...

Stephanie Vatalaro was recently promoted to Vice President of Communications for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation. RBFF's mission is to implement an informed, consensus-based national outreach strategy that will increase participation in recreational angling and boating and thereby increase public awareness and appreciation of the need to protect, conserve and restore this nation's aq...

Dan DeGeorge is VP of Sales for Dockwa . Founded in May 2015 and since Featured in Forbes, the NY Times, Boating Magazine, the Boston Globe, and more, Dockwa is changing the way boaters and marinas connect and reserve dock space. It allows boaters to search, reserve, and pay for transient dockage from their mobile device. It also allows marinas to manage their inventory online and connect with tho...

All I can think about is fishing after speaking with Betty Bauman, the Founder and CEO of Ladies Let's Go Fishing /Executive Director of the LLGF Foundation , Founder and CEO of MetroMedia, and Program Manager for Save-Fish.com . Betty started her career as a PR Manager for Wellcraft , Donzi , and Aquasport before starting her own agency. Along the way she has supported the Fort Lauderdale Billfis...