Award Winning Members From This Year's US Superyacht Association Annual Meeting During 58th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., November 28, 2017 (Newswire.com) - The energy at this year’s U.S. Superyacht Association’s (USSA) Annual Meeting was palpable as a sold-out crowd of more than 200 members gathered to honor the leaders in the industry and to learn how the USSA is succeeding at being the Voice of the Superyacht Industry, as well as to hear about the amazing strides the organization has made since its inception 11 years ago.
The meeting focused on the progress made this year by highlighting our accomplishments in the various tenets of the association: advocacy, marketing and education. “The USSA continues to grow and try new things to provide additional benefits to our members,” said USSA President Kitty McGowan. “However, it is through strong partnerships and membership involvement that allows us to continue to offer more value.”
Also featured during the meeting was the introduction of the new Board of Directors. “The strength and the talent of this new board is absolutely incredible,” said new chairman Kate Pearson, Safe Harbor Marinas. “We’ve increased the size of our Board this year to better represent our growing membership base and to focus on those areas that will continue to be our major focus in the coming year, and this group is going to be fantastic.”
In 2014, the USSA created several awards to recognize those USSA members and industry professionals who have gone above and beyond to serve both the yachting industry and/or the community. Many talented and extraordinary people have been recognized over the past several years and this year was no exception.
The Golden Compass Award was created to honor the company or individual that is focusing the efforts of the USSA and the superyacht industry in the “true” direction. This year’s Golden Compass was presented to Phil Purcell, President of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. Phil has provided an integral leadership role in developing a Free Trade Zone for South Florida, Sales Tax cap for refit projects, and continues to preserve, protect and develop the marine industry in South Florida.
The Beacon Award was created to honor the company or individual that is shining a light and making a difference in our community. This year’s Beacon Award was presented to Lisa Morley of Maritime Professional Training. Lisa has proven to be one of our industry’s most generous and hard-working philanthropists. She has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars and has served on the boards for numerous charities including the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center and the Marine Industry Cares Foundation.
The Chairman’s Award is presented each year to the Member who provides outstanding service and extraordinary dedication to the USSA. This year, it was determined to honor both an individual and a group who each in their own way have impacted the industry.
The first award was presented to Murray & Associates for their utmost professionalism and attention to detail in creating the Gap Analysis for the Association’s use with the Coast Guard to increase the tonnage of the U.S. Flag from 300 to 500 gross tons. Special thanks was also given to Michael Reardon and his fantastic team at Reardon Yacht Consulting for their hard work on this project as well.
Additionally, the Chairman’s Award was also presented to Charles Scripps to recognize his outstanding efforts and for his work on the Boat Building Restoration Act. They became part of the driving force for helping evaluate the taxable opportunity to help bring boat building back to the United States.
These awards were generously sponsored by Chelsea Clock, the oldest clock company in America, and one of the most renowned and respected makers and repairers of fine nautical timepieces.
Special thanks to the Annual Meeting sponsors: AERE Marine Group, Alexseal Yacht Coatings, IGY Marinas and Superyacht Northwest, whose support helped make the Annual Meeting possible to attend.
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The U.S. Superyacht Association (USSA) is a nonprofit trade association incorporated in 2006, whose mission is to promote and support the U.S. Superyacht Industry and its members worldwide through advocacy, marketing and education. For more information, visit our website at ussuperyacht.com or call 800-208-5801.
Source: US Superyacht Association
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