R.J. de Recat passes away
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – R.J. (Bud) de Recat, who founded the manufacturer’s representative company that bore his name in 1958, passed away April 25 in Marin County, Calif.
The R.J. de Recat & Co. specialized in sporting goods and marine accessory manufacturers. In the early 1960’s, de Recat opened satellite offices in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
As the marine industry grew, so did the company’s portfolio and it worked with a number of manufacturers including Teleflex Marine, AFI, Marinco, Guest, Wellington/Puritan, Sierra Marine and Attwood.
R.J.’s three sons entered the business in the late 70’s and early 80’s and began to form a new direction for the company. Focusing strictly on boating products, R.J. passed the baton to his two sons, Chris and Scott in the early 1990’s. They built on their father’s foundation and expanded to the East Coast in 1992. Business grew rapidly through the 1990’s and, in 2000, the R.J de Recat & Co. merged with East Coast representative firm Eastern Marketing & Associates to form a new sales and marketing company called Derema Group.
“R.J. will be remembered as a great friend to many and as a pioneer in the “early days” of the boating industry,” the Derema Group wrote in a press release. “R.J. was one of the guiding reps in developing marine accessory companies and channel partners within the industry. Boat builders, distributors and dealers respected R.J. and his associate representatives for their professionalism and their energy for getting the job done and serving their needs.”
de Recat, who was surrounded by his four children when he died, was 81 years old.
- For more of the latest news, click here.
