2013 Editors’ Choice: Miami Ski Nautique

Editors’ Choice

Miami Ski Nautique
Miami

Everything about Miami Ski Nautique is different. A black-skinned, avant-garde building with bold graphics nods to the city’s nearby art and design districts, matching web locations show off brightly colored boats and water sports equipment, and this athlete-centric dealer’s business extends far beyond the borders of the United States with a fast-growing presence in Latin America. More than a business, closer to the nucleus of an athletic lifestyle, Miami Ski Nautique demonstrates a unique attitude boosting boating’s cool factor, elevating water sports and bringing new enthusiasts into the marine industry.

Miami Ski Nautique’s Instagram page displays beautiful images of high-performance boats towing athletes in exotic locations and sponsored athletes celebrating on the podium. Its YouTube channel shows athletes “ripping a session” and reviewing product, with how-to videos for budding enthusiasts. The company’s Twitter page has nearly 500 followers, with the right mix between fun content and sales messaging. Its Facebook page has followers sharing competition videos and posting rave reviews about the shop and its staff. The official website looks more like a gear manufacturer’s, with its minimal, youthful design.

“Our social media strategy is a heavily involved and integrated process, aimed at connecting, engaging, interacting and communicating with our key customers worldwide,” said Kimberly Laursen, Miami Ski Nautique’s co-owner and president. “While our social media efforts are primarily geared towards sharing the brand lifestyle we’ve created, we also monetize our efforts by offering our fans exclusive discounts. Our strong social media presence has attracted many brand ambassadors that genuinely promote our brand, our service and our products.”

Its 4,000-square-foot sales and service center was recently renovated with the feedback of Parker Marine Consulting. The adjacent pro shop has black walls and high-energy graphics to complement its Midtown Miami surroundings, and is staffed by several athletes who can relate to its customers. A satellite location in Pompano Beach sits on a freshwater lake where the company sponsors Dean Lavelle’s Train Station wakeboarding school that frequently trains students from across the globe. There’s also a lake within 45 minutes of both locations used as a testing facility and playground where customers can test drive boats or attend water sports classes. It will soon be home to a large-scale cable park built in conjunction with the Miami Dade County Parks and Recreation Department.

Miami Ski Nautique is the top-selling Nautique dealer in South Florida and South America, with an e-commerce business that’s been growing approximately 30 percent a year.

The company regularly travels south to boat and water sports events in Latin America, focused on increasing awareness wherever it goes. It has represented Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Enterprise Florida international economic development initiative at business expos throughout the region.

If customer satisfaction is any reflection, Miami Ski Nautique’s merging of lifestyle and retail has been successful, with CSI scores from Nautique consistently between 95 and 100 percent, on top of achieving Nautique’s Top 5 domestic and international dealer recognitions many times over.

The company posted a healthy jump in revenue over 2011, to nearly $8 million. It’s also worth noting that more than 80 percent of its in-store sales come from people outside of the United States, a staggering number bolstered by a multilingual staff that collectively speaks eight different languages.

“Most of our employees compete and are internationally ranked,” said Laursen. “They live the sport, intimately know the products and share the passion. Being immersed in the sport gives our staff more credibility with our customers, so we are better able to provide excellent customer service due to a shared passion and a common language.”