TOP 100 EDITOR ’ S CHOICE
TOP 100 EDITOR ’ S CHOICE
EDITOR ’ S CHOICE : EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & TOP 100 DIRECTOR ADAM QUANDT
With three locations across eastern Wisconsin , Marine 365 – formerly known as Shipyard Marine – took an already big year in 2021 and blew it up even bigger in 2022 . Marine 365 president Andy Howitt and his team took to 2022 with the mindset to “ work smarter , not harder ” and it paid off big time .
Marine 365 ’ s main location , located in Green Bay , Wis ., resides on 3.5 acres of water on Green Bay ’ s west shore . The location boasts a marina and 27,000-square-foot dry rack facility , offering sales and service , as well as over 130 wet and dry slips . This location is also home to Marine 365 ’ s Lifestyle Boat Club , paired with a boater ’ s lounge and a variety of amenities for customers to enjoy .
In Oshkosh , Wisconsin , Marine 365 sits on five acres in a new industrial park , right off of the main interstate in the area . Featuring a 10,000-square-foot sales and service facility , this operation operates very uniquely during nonbusiness hours , when staff is not readily available . During off hours , Marine 365 ’ s Oshkosh location operates as a 24 / 7 unmanned sales showroom site .
“ Marine 365 ’ s successful unmanned boat showroom strategy is one of the many innovations we offer as an industry leader , which allows our customers to view their preferred boat free from sales pressure , on their own terms , and on their own schedule with no salesperson present and no appointment to stress over ,” Howitt said .
In March of 2019 , Marine 365 acquired its third location , also located in Green Bay , Wis . The dealership ’ s newest location features a 18,000-squarefoot facility , utilized for indoor heated storage in the winter and a showroom / sales facility for new and pre-owned units in the summer .
Since 1985 , Marine 365 and its team have worked to provide consistency in aspects of its business .
“ It is our consistency and our attributes the make us one of the best in our industry ,” Howitt said . “ Consistency builds trust . Trust builds customer loyalty . Trust also improves employee retention , which is essential to consistency and trust . And consistency is built by having a solid set of systems and processes that are supported by a high-impact team culture with the right attributes to ‘ buy-in ’ and follow them .”
Part of Marine 365 ’ s consistency comes in the form of its team and the people that make it . In 2022 , Howitt created and implemented a new employee retention program that includes profit sharing and loyalty , further creating a strong team bond across the business . As of 2023 , the average tenure of a Marine 365 team member was around eight years .
And even with a strong tenure across the team already , team building remains a big focus for Marine 365 ’ s long-term goals while heading into the future .
“ We are continuing to work on a strategy to retain our key people ,” Howitt explained . “ Benefits of doing so include increased performance , improved productivity , higher employee morale , and improved quality of work , not to mention a reduction in turnover . We ’ re putting an extreme focus on developing a management team in order to build a ‘ bullet proof ’ business that runs on autopilot . We have a great team right now , but we want to have an AMAZING team ; a team that works at the highest level of efficiency and reacts responsively at lightning speed in every situation .”
Across implementing new strategies , zeroing in focus on the dealership ’ s core business , building and retaining its team and so much more , Marine 365 found unprecedented success in 2022 , with all of its efforts culminating in an almost 30 % increase in year-over-year revenue and a variety of other accomplishments . And with equally impressive goals leading the business into the future , Marine 365 is sure to continue to find success at every turn .
30 january 2024 www . boatingindustry . com