At the Helm: Top 100 – The Second Decade

As we head into the 2015 Top 100, we get ready to celebrate our second decade of recognizing the best dealers in North America.

If you’re a long-time reader of Boating Industry, you’re familiar with the benefits of participation: marketing perks, access to benchmarking statistics, networking with the best dealers and more.

But one of the most important facets of the Top 100 is that from day one it has been about the dealers: recognizing the best of the best and making them (and all dealers) better by sharing best practices. With that in mind, we asked some of our Top 100 dealers about why they participate in the program.

“We at Sail & Ski think the Boating Industry Top 100 competition will ultimately be recognized by the marine industry as an event of unparalleled significance.  … The benefit to those participating dealerships is that they are better prepared to meet the challenges ahead and to provide the marine industry customers a better boating ownership experience.”
— Rod Malone, The Sail & Ski Center

“I’ve built my business using the disciplines that being a Top 100 dealer requires. Over the last 10 years those disciplines have grown my company from eight employees and one facility to 32 employees and three facilities.”
— Rob Brown, Clark Marine

“Participating in the Top 100 has pushed us to improve our products, service and processes each year, and has been a valuable marketing tool in distinguishing us from the local competition.”
— Douglyss Giuliana, Advantage Yacht Sales

Are you ready to join the elite of the industry? You can find the online application at BoatingIndustry.com/top-100/application. You can reach me at jsweet@boatingindustry.com with any questions.

I’d also like to thank those companies that make the Top 100 possible, the Leadership Alliance: GE Capital Commercial Distribution Finance, Volvo Penta, Manheim Specialty Auctions, Sunbrella, Brunswick Dealer Advantage and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. These companies support the Top 100 program throughout the year because they recognize the importance of encouraging professionalism in the boating industry.