A new kind of product
In 2016 , Cohn was presented with the opportunity to break out of the boat group and gain exposure to a new aspect of the company in the form of leading the financial services arm of Brunswick Corporation .
From retail financing solutions to extended warranties and insurance to floor plan financing and a variety of other aspects , Cohn dove headfirst from physical products and into the service products side of the marine business . And over the next few years , he and his team would continue to completely alter how the boat business runs .
“ It was an adjustment , because we were never up against inventory when it comes to financing or extended warranties ,” Cohn said . “ It was a bit eye opening , because those tend to be higher profit margin opportunities , so that led to the strategic question of ‘ are there other services that we [ Brunswick ] should get into ?’.”
Cohn explained that one that came to mind rather quickly and looked rather attractive to the company was all of the emerging shared-accw-wess business models .
From there , the company began piloting programs with industry partners to validate interest in the space and ultimately began taking a look at various players in the space .
The venture into new territory led by Cohn and other Brunswick Corporation executives eventually led to a connection with John Giglio and Freedom Boat Club , and in May of 2019 , Brunswick officially acquired Freedom Boat Club , with Cohn at the helm ever since .
As president of Freedom Boat Club , Cohn has led the expansion of the club from 170 locations in 2019 , to more than 400 locations worldwide in 2023 . Freedom Boat Club announced its milestone opening of a 400th club location , located in Jupiter , Fla . in late summer 2023 .
“ We are excited to celebrate our 400th location – a milestone achievement as we continue to execute on our strategic growth plan ,” Cohn said at the time of the announcement . “ When Brunswick purchased Freedom Boat Club in 2019 , we had 170 locations and to achieve such growth in less than four years , is a testament to our team and especially our incredible franchise partners who are united in a mission to expand boater participation and deliver remarkable experiences on the water .”
Cohn celebrates the expansion of Freedom Boat Club in Spain .
Cohn and his family .
Cohn and the Freedom Boat Club team share company success .
Growing Freedom , growing boating
Now with 400 locations and counting and a fleet of more than 5,500 boats , Cohn and the team at Freedom Boat Club aim to continue growing the boating pie to a new and more diverse audience .
Yet , in their early years , boat clubs and other boat sharing models have not always been the most well received by retailers across the industry . However , that mindset has quickly been changing across dealers as they become more
www . boatingindustry . com october 2023
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