Vicem Yachts opens new U.S. office

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Vicem Yachts USA, the U.S. sales and service operation for Turkish yacht builder Vicem Yachts, has expanded, opening a new office in Newport, R.I., and adding three people to its team, the company said in a press release yesterday.

In the middle of Newport’s downtown yachting district, the new office is Vicem Yachts’ third U.S. location. The other two North American locations are in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Huntington, N.Y.

“We felt it was important to establish a presence in one of the yachting destinations on the East Coast not only to serve the needs of our many clients living and boating in the region, but also to reach out to a potential base of Vicem owners who are getting a first-hand look at our yachts when they’re out on the water,” said Michael Landsberg, Vicem Yachts USA president.

Ted Gersen has been hired on as lead broker to operate the new office. He is a certified professional yacht broker with knowledge on yacht construction, engineering and boat handling. Gersen joins Vicem after nearly 10 years with Freedom Yachts, where his career progressed quickly from entry as an engineer in 1999, to project manager to yacht broker in 2001, garnering top broker honors three times during his tenure.

Michael Grame has joined Vicem Yachts USA as service manager. His more than 15 years of experience in marina and shipyard service management and operations began at age 16 when he was employed as a yard worker at Knutson West Marine in Halesite, N.Y. He most recently worked as marina manager and test center supervisor for Bertram Yachts.

Bret Schlanger has also joined the Vicem Yachts USA sales force. Shortly after graduating in 2000 with a bachelor’s from the University of Florida Gainesville, Bret co-founded Star Yacht Charters in Fort Lauderdale, where he managed a 30-boat fleet of motor yachts and sport fishers ranging from 45 feet to 120 feet.

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