[By: MIASF]
The Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) hosted its 2022 Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon at the Lauderdale Yacht Club on May 18th for its members, local elected officials, and community business leaders.
The event kicked off as Doug West, President/General Manager of Willis Custom Yachts, and chairman of the MIASF Board of Directors, announced the newly and re-elected members. “On behalf of the MIASF Board of Directors, I am excited to welcome our newly elected board members, Katie Hagan of FHG Marine Engineering, Inc., and Bill Walker of Water Taxi Fort Lauderdale, as well as Graeme Lord of Fairport Yacht Support who will return to the board and serve on the executive committee as Secretary/Treasurer. Additionally, I congratulate Julie Berry of CBRE Marina Group, Andrew Doole of Informa Markets, and Michael Kelly of Bradford Marine on being re-elected to the board. It has been my honor to serve as your chairman for the past two years, but I am more honored to be passing the torch to Jimmie Harrison as he steps in to serve as chairman” MIASF also recognized outgoing board members Jim Naugle (Past Chairman), Tyler Chappell, and Dean DuToit for their contributions to the association.
In a brief recap of the past year, Phil Purcell, MIASF CEO/President, remarked, “Although much of our industry benefitted from an unexpected bump this past year, we must remain vigilant as we will without a doubt face hurdles in the road ahead and make thoughtful decisions to maintain our momentum and continue to move in a positive direction. I have no doubt, with the tremendous leadership throughout our industry we will do just that. The team at MIASF continues to check boxes, achieve success together, and show leadership in our industry and community.”
There were three Award of Excellence winners announced at the event for their outstanding achievement and contributions including Bob Crawford, Principal and Director of Atlantic Technical College, Roger Moore, CEO and Chairman of Nautical Ventures Marine Superstore, and Katie O’Fallon, Marine Magnet Coordinator at New River Middle School. Additionally, the Frank Herhold Memorial Scholarship recipient was announced as Shaman Patel who is conducting research to generate an understanding of which corals are critical to ecosystem stability in the Caribbean.
Jimmie Harrison, Owner of Frank & Jimmie’s Propeller, received the prestigious 2022 Golden Anchor Award which recognizes an individual for their lifetime of work and achievement in the marine industry. Jimmie has led his third-generation family business to become the largest propeller shop in the nation that is celebrating its 75th year of existence, since it was founded in 1947.
The event concluded as those in attendance received educational and insightful presentations from both Shane Strum, President/CEO of Broward Health, and Brooks Smith, CEO of InComm Payments. On stage, Shane shared about his time in his current role leading one of the largest public health systems in the nation and briefly looked back at his time in Tallahassee serving as Governor Ron DeSantis’ Chief of Staff. Then, in a back-and-forth conversation with Phil Purcell, Brooks Smith provided insight into starting and growing his company, InComm Payments, and how he has most recently been coupling his passion for boating with his entrepreneurial spirit and making significant investments and acquisitions in the marine industry.
