In Brief: Regulator, ABBRA, Ashland, Michigan City In-Water Boat Show, Trident Yacht Basin, Shakespeare Electronic Products Group
Edenton, N.C.-based boat builder Regulator Marine has appointed Connecticut dealership All Seasons Marine Works as an authorized dealer, carrying the complete line of Regulator’s offshore sportfishing boats. All Seasons Marine Works has two full service marinas, one located on the Five-Mile River in Rowayton near Norwalk and the other on the Saugatuck River in Westport.
In response to feedback from the marine industry, the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association (ABBRA) has scheduled its Marine Service Management (MSM) program in December. The next MSM course — offered through a partnership with the International Marina Institute (IMI), the training subsidiary of the Association of Marina Industries (AMI) — is scheduled for Dec. 3-6, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ABBRA’s decision to change the dates of the MSM course, traditionally offered in September, was based on an ABBRA survey that found December to be a slower period in service and repair yards and would be a more likely time to attract attendees.
Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) has finalized the sale of its Drew Marine unit to J.F. Lehman & Co. for $120 million, pre-tax, the company reported in a recent statement. The company first announced the sale in June. Drew Marine, with about $140 million in annual revenues, provides products and services to the marine industry, including chemicals and testing equipment, water treatment, tank cleaners and corrosion inhibitors. J.F. Lehman is a New York-based equity firm with interests in the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors.
The 30th annual Michigan City In-Water Boat Show attracted approximately 16,000 people during the four-day event, which ran Aug. 27 through Aug. 30. Organizers said the quality of attendees was up, noted the number of out-of-state visitors the show attracted and suggested that much of the buying activity was found along the show’s Brokerage Pier. The 2010 event is scheduled to take place Aug. 26-29.
Trident Yacht Basin has been named Rockland, Maine’s first Designated Clean Marina, according to the Maine Marine Trades Association (MMTA). The Maine Clean Boatyards & Marinas Program is a voluntary beyond compliance program that works to help Maine boatyard and marina operators achieve and exceed compliance in five areas of concern – Boat Repair and Maintenance, Stormwater Management, Erosion and Sedimentation Control, Fueling Activities/Petroleum Control, Waste Recycling, Storage and Disposal and Boat Pumpouts and Sewage. Facilities participating in the program must sign a pledge, conduct a self assessment based on the Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Best Management Practices and submit to a third party evaluation. The program is sponsored by the MMTA with funding from the Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection.
Columbia, S.C.-based marine antenna manufacturer Shakespeare Electronic Products Group has appointed Richard Belfrage to the position of European sales manager. Belfrage’s experience includes senior roles at Raytheon, SMG, Simrad and, more recently, at Tack Tick. He will take over when Tim Christie retires in early 2010, the company reported. Christie was formerly the owner and managing director of Communication Aerials Ltd., manufacturer of the V-Tronix antenna range, and Shakespeare acquired this business in February 2008.
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