ABYC elects new board officers, directors

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The American Boat & Yacht Council recently announced the election of its officers as well as new incoming board directors. Election results were validated at ABYC’s annual meeting, recently held in Annapolis.

Chair of the Board is Gerry Douglas. Douglas is vice president and a principal of Catalina Yachts. Douglas most recently held the position of treasurer of ABYC and chair of the business & financial planning committee. He also serves on the executive committee, nominating committee and is on the Technical Information PTC.

Vice Chair of the Board is George Bellwoar. Bellwoar has more than 30 years of experience in the marine industry encompassing commercial, military and pleasure boats both in OEM and aftermarket. He has served as the vice president of sales and marketing for Perko Inc. since 1995. He is the immediate past chairman of the board of the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Technical Chair of the Board is Dave Marlow. Marlow is the director of product integrity for the Brunswick Boat Group. He is a past chair of the ABYC board of directors and is a current member of the board’s executive committee and nominating committee, as well as chair of the technical board and a PTC member.

Treasurer is Jack Hornor. Hornor is the president of Marine Survey and Design Company and a long-time surveyor, naval architect, a graduate of the Westlawn Institute, and current board member of ABYC.

Incoming Board Directors include:

— Larry Akins, Chairman/owner of Fireboy-Xintex, Inc./Aetna Engineering, LLC
— Ulrich Heinemann, Managing Director of the International Marine Certification Institute, IMCI
— Marcia Kull (Returning), Vice President, General Counsel and Special Assistant to the CEO, Volvo Penta
— Tom Marhevko (2nd Term), NMMA, IL

Returning Board Directors include:

— Barry Acker, The Landing School, ME
— Joe Charles, Charles Industries, IL
— Bill Drake, Actuant/Marinco, CA
— Stephen Felder, Senior Marine Consultant, FL
— Dennis Graham, Teleflex Morse, Inc., PA
— George Gallup, Gallup Yacht Surveying and President of SAMS, MA
— Jorge Guerra, Dean of Broward College’s Aviation Institute, Automotive Training Center and Marine Engineering Management program, FL
— Steve Herb, Partner, Nelson Hesse law firm, FL
— Jonathan Jones, General Manager, Haven Harbour Marina, MD
— Brian Kempf, Director of Marine Services, NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and NASBLA representative, NY
— Ken Kershaw, Technical International Standards Consultant, United Kingdom
— Rich Kolb, Volvo Penta of the Americas, VA
— Bill Munger, owner and General Manager, Conanicut Marine Services, Inc., RI
— Tim O’Connor, LEM Products, Inc., PA

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