Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/556112
www.BoatingIndustry.com 6 | Boating Industry | May 2015 AT THE HELM JONATHAN SWEET jsweet@BoatingIndustry.com Boating Industry EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Jonathan Sweet (jsweet@boatingindustry.com) SENIOR EDITOR: Liz Keener (lkeener@boatingindustry.com) MANAGING EDITOR: Brianna Liestman (bliestman@boatingindustry.com) ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Nicholas Upton (nupton@boatingindustry.com) DIGITAL MAKETING COORDINATOR: Shauna Spencer (sspencer@boatingindustry.com) MANAGING ART DIRECTOR: Dodi Vessels PRODUCTION ARTIST: Kelsey Houle (khoule@epgmediallc.com) PRODUCTION MANAGER: Angela Schmieg PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Cherri Perschmann NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR: Kathy Johnson 480-988-3658 (kathyjohnson@boatingindustry.com) SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER, EAST: Chris Pelikan 954-964-8676 (cpelikan@boatingindustry.com) CEO: Marion Minor SR. VICE PRESIDENT/FINANCE & OPERATIONS: Gerald Winkel SR. VICE PRESIDENT/MARKET DEVELOPMENT: Joanne Juda-Prainito VICE PRESIDENT/MARINE, POWERSPORTS, BEVERAGE: Amy Collins AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Tim Morgan SENIOR SALES ADMINISTRATOR: Bernadette Wohlman BOATING INDUSTRY (ISSN #1543-4400) is published nine times per year – January, February, March, April, May, July, August, October and December – by EPG Media & Specialty Information, 3300 Fernbrook Lane N #200, Plymouth, MN 55447. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Free to qualified members of the boating industry. Annual subscription rate is $99 per year for U.S., Mexican and Canadian residents and $149 for residents in other countries. All paid subscriptions must be paid in advance and in U.S. funds only. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Boating Industry, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Visit www.BoatingIndustry.com, call (847) 763-9565, fax (847) 763 9569, email BoatingIndustry@halldata.com or write to Boating Industry, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823. EDITORIAL: All manuscripts, materials, photographs and artwork submitted are at mailer's risk and must include self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage for return. No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited materials. Boating Industry is a registered trademark of EPG Media & Specialty Information. © 2015 by EPG Media & Specialty Information. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited unless expressly authorized by publisher. For more information on e-prints or reprints from Boating Industry, contact Bernadette Wohlman, 763-383-4400 x2464 Printed in U.S.A. AS WE HEAD INTO the 2015 Top 100, we get ready to celebrate our second decade of recognizing the best dealers in North America. If you're a long-time reader of Boating Industry, you're familiar with the benefits of par- ticipation: marketing perks, access to benchmarking statistics, networking with the best dealers and more. But one of the most important facets of the Top 100 is that from day one it has been about the dealers: recognizing the best of the best and making them (and all dealers) better by sharing best practices. With that in mind, we asked some of our Top 100 dealers about why they participate in the program. "We at Sail & Ski think the Boating Industry Top 100 competition will ultimately be recog- nized by the marine industry as an event of unparalleled significance. … The benefit to those participating dealerships is that they are better prepared to meet the challenges ahead and to provide the marine industry customers a better boating ownership experience." — Rod Malone, The Sail & Ski Center "I've built my business using the disciplines that being a Top 100 dealer requires. Over the last 10 years those disciplines have grown my company from eight employees and one facility to 32 employees and three facilities." — Rob Brown, Clark Marine "Participating in the Top 100 has pushed us to improve our products, service and processes each year, and has been a valuable marketing tool in distinguishing us from the local competition." — Douglyss Giuliana, Advantage Yacht Sales Are you ready to join the elite of the industry? You can find the online application at BoatingIndustry.com/top-100/application. You can reach me at jsweet@boatingindustry.com with any questions. I'd also like to thank those companies that make the Top 100 possible, the Leadership Alliance: GE Capital Commercial Distribution Finance, Volvo Penta, Manheim Specialty Auctions, Sunbrella, Brunswick Dealer Advantage and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. These companies support the Top 100 program throughout the year because they recognize the importance of encouraging professionalism in the boating industry. Top 100: The Second Decade Boating Industry magazine and the