Tag Archives: Editor’s Choice

By David Gee A short boating season of 90 days or less, combined with a relatively remote location, in a small market with a lower-than-average household income. Those are some of the inherent business challenges Hagadone Marine Center faces. So how and why do they continue to grow, including a 34% increase in revenue from 2020 to 2021? They do ...

By Adam QuandtManaging Editor & Top 100 Program Director Off Shore MarineBranchville, N.J. As a single-location dealership located about 12 miles away from one of only two lakes in New Jersey, with 14 marinas all competing for the same business, Off Shore Marine is sure to set itself well above the rest of the pack. “Our business has been built ...

By David GeeEditor-in-Chief Short’s MarineMillsboro, DE Short’s Sales & Service opened four years after World War II in 1949. Located in a one-stall garage in Oak Orchard, Delaware, it quickly became established as the “go-to shop” for everything marine-related. Today, four generations and over 70 years later, Short’s Marine, Inc. continues to operate with the same mantra of being the ...

By Adam QuandtTop 100 Program Director, Managing Editor Jerry’s Majestic MarineLake Geneva, WI For those looking for a humble beginnings story, one doesn’t need to go any further than Jerry’s Majestic Marine in Walworth, Wisconsin. In 1984, after being out of work, Jerry Oglesby — a mechanic by trade since the age of 16 — painted the side of his ...

By David GeeEditor-in-Chief FB Marine GroupFort Lauderdale, FL Teamwork makes the dream work! If you spend much time around Kim Sweers, or her husband Randy, who together co-own and operate Florida’s FB Marine Group, you will no doubt hear that statement a lot. You can see the slogan on their website and sprinkled around their dealership locations. It’s also apparent, ...

By Jonathan SweetTop 100 Program Director Dockside MarineHouston, Texas Dockside Marine has only been in business for a decade, but has already established itself as a leading dealer in the Houston area. What started out with $750,000 in sales from a single gravel lot in 2008 now operates on a three-acre facility with revenue at nearly $20 million in 2018 ...

By David GeeEditor-in-Chief Clark MarineManchester, Maine A boat dealer has to be able to navigate change. At least they need to if they want to stay in business. There are changes in the economy, demographics, customer buying habits, staff, suppliers, weather and on and on. Clark Marine has endured way more than their share of changes in just the past ...

By Adam QuandtManaging Editor Pasadena Boat WorksPasadena, Md. Tucked in a dealer-saturated area of the Chesapeake Bay, Pasadena Boat Works continuously strives to provide its customers with the best of the best, while making boating a reality for all. Since opening its doors in 2015, the dealership has quickly grown from one small location to three large facilities including a ...

Clemons Boats Sandusky, OH Luckily for many Top 100 dealers, 2016 marked a year of growth. But few saw the revenue increase that Clemons Boats experienced. The one-location Sandusky, Ohio, dealership grew revenue by nearly 70 percent with no increase in staff, but simply a continued focus on improved business. While Clemons Boats didn’t boast of any flashy improvements or ...

Austin Boats and Motors Austin, Texas Austin Boats and Motors provides consistency to the community through its established boat brands and reliable service staff. The dealership’s ancillary services approach and attention to changing market demographics and environmental issues creates an unique level of engagement that’s not commonly found in the boating industry. Austin Boats and Motors’ U-Haul franchise, the largest ...