Despite its size, MarineMax Inc. (Ranked 1 in 2005 and 2006) works to ensure its employees – and salespeople in particular – have and maintain a passion for boating. Not only do you have to be a boater to join the MarineMax team, the company has created events like Passion Days to remind employees of the joy of the boating experience they sell. The idea actually came from MarineMax President Bill McGill, who insisted when the retailer took on the Ferretti line that his salespeople sleep on and use the boats as part of their training. The best way to learn about a boat is to go boating, he said, a philosophy that has been incorporated into sales training on all of the retailer’s boat lines.