Features

Nautical VenturesFort Lauderdale, Fla. Traditional and ordinary are two words that could never be used to explain the marketing efforts at Nautical Ventures. This Fort Lauderdale-based dealership group is all about standing out from the rest of the crowd and showing the world what having fun on the water is all about. With nine locations across Florida representing almost 20 ...

Silver Spray Sports, Inc.Fenton, Mich. Silver Spray Sports was started by two laid-off schoolteachers in the recession of 1981 who became business owners because of their love of watersports and boating, and not necessarily because they wanted to be business owners. In fact, Jeff and Patti Smith say if the recession would not have hit so hard back then, they ...

Clemons BoatsSandusky, Ohio Clemons Boats is located on 15 acres of waterfront property in Sandusky, Ohio, along the shore of the Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie. The dealership, as third-generation dealer principal Jason Clemons points out, is in “vacationland,” i.e., where people boat, and not where they live. Jason’s grandfather, Bob, founded Clemons Boats in 1966 when he purchased 10 ...

Breath's Boats & MotorsBay St. Louis, Miss. In this new world of unprecedented demand for boats and boat service, it’s often easy to let some customer service standards slip a little, while each day seems busier than the next. A dealership in business since 1925, doesn’t stay in business without providing exceptional service to its customers, so Mississippi’s Breath’s Boats ...

By Adam QuandtManaging Editor & Top 100 Program Director Off Shore MarineBranchville, N.J. As a single-location dealership located about 12 miles away from one of only two lakes in New Jersey, with 14 marinas all competing for the same business, Off Shore Marine is sure to set itself well above the rest of the pack. “Our business has been built ...

By David GeeEditor-in-Chief Short's MarineMillsboro, DE Short’s Sales & Service opened four years after World War II in 1949. Located in a one-stall garage in Oak Orchard, Delaware, it quickly became established as the “go-to shop” for everything marine-related. Today, four generations and over 70 years later, Short’s Marine, Inc. continues to operate with the same mantra of being the ...

By David Gee The 11th Annual Boating Industry Movers & Shakers awards recognize innovative leaders and trailblazers in the recreational boating industry who embrace the challenge of change. Their leadership has been especially critical during this extraordinary past year-and-a-half when it seems as if the only constant in our lives – and the industry – has been change. Our 2021 ...

By Adam Quandt Each year, Boating Industry’s Movers & Shakers program brings a stack of quality nominations to the editors’ desks. While we’ve already highlighted this year’s Mover & Shaker of the Year and finalists, there are certainly more industry leaders worthy of recognition for 2021. The six following industry members exemplify what it means to be a leader — ...

By David Gee When the staff at Boating Industry and parent company EPG Media sat down in 2019 to reimagine what a recreational boating industry conference could be, we really did start with a clean sheet of paper. What arose from those strategic planning sessions was ELEVATE SUMMIT; a place where top marine industry visionaries and emerging leaders convene over ...

By Adam Quandt With only a handful of exceptions, the past year has seen one postponement or cancellation after another when it comes to boat shows. However, with an explosion in boating popularity and the world slowly reopening, the recreational marine industry is gearing up to bring boat shows back in full force. But before we look to the future ...