M & P Mercury
Bob Pappajohn of M&P Mercury Sales won an award for Best Idea of the Year at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, which took place this week in Orlando, Fla.
Pappajohn's dealership in Burnaby, British Columbia, won for its efforts to sell to non-traditional boater populations. They included an outreach to the Chinese community through interpreters, ambassadors and advertising written in their native language.
The Best Ideas Awards, sponsored by Boat Trader, are part of an annual program that promotes the sharing of best practices among dealers in the marine industry.
Each year, Boating Industry solicits entries from the dealer body. The magazine's editorial staff narrows the applications to a group of finalists who present their ideas during an conference panel. A winner is selected based on the votes of the audience.
Other finalists included Rob Brown of Clark Marine in Manchester, Maine; Paula Fulton of BMC Boats in Longwood, Fla.; Douglyss Giuliana of Advantage Yacht Sales of Newburyport, Mass.; and Phil Miklo of Oak Hill Marina in Arnolds Park, Iowa.
Courtney Chalmers of Boat Trader and Mike Davin of Boating Industry magazine presented the award Wednesday at luncheon.