Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Denison.
Bob, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story got started way before I was born. In January of 1948, a young couple from Michigan came down on their honeymoon. Assuming they got a good deal, b/c a few months prior the little town of Fort Lauderdale was obliterated by back-to-back hurricanes. Both direct hits.
While they’re down here, they end up meeting Mr. Dooley, who owned a local marina. He wanted to get out. Too many storms. Unpredictable economy. Probably too many mosquitos. So this young couple somehow negotiates a deal to buy this little marina on their honeymoon in 1948. And they rename it Broward Marine. And they go on to build more yachts over a 50 year period than anyone else in the world.
Their story is the beginning of my story. And their story is pretty great. It ended in the late 90’s, but the things birthed out of their honeymoon in 1948 forever changed a lot of people’s lives here in Fort Lauderdale, and the landscape of the yachting industry in Fort Lauderdale. I’m really proud of what they accomplished. And my parents. And my uncles. I’m really lucky to stand on the shoulders of giants.
Has it been a smooth road?
The yachting industry has never been an easy place to make a living. Boats. Yachts. These are things are never on anyone’s ‘I Need’ list. They’re amazing assets that can provide families with unbelievably cool ways to experience nature, connect with each other, create memories, and chart adventures unlike any other luxury asset, but they are exactly that, a luxury asset. Not needed. So when things get uncertain, or scary, economically, they’re the last things on most people’s shopping list.
The year I jumped into the industry was 2001, just coming off the dotcom crash. Of course, later that year was 9/11. A few years later a real estate bubble pop. After that, we had multiple direct hit hurricanes, sky-high oil prices, trouble getting insurance, and of course, the Great Recession. So not a smooth road. But a road that’s created a lot of opportunities for growth.
Please tell us about Denison Yachting. What should we know?
Denison helps people buy or sell their boat/yacht. We also have a full team that helps people charter yachts, manage their yachts, and find jobs in yachting through our crew division. This also comes along with a suite of other services, including service, financing, insurance. There aren’t a lot of companies can walk a client through all aspects of yachting.
It’s a big deal that we can provide clients a one-phone-number experience.
Two other things:
1) We focus on people. Easy to say, always hard to do. As an organization, we make sacrifices to make sure our employees, brokers, and clients know they mean a lot to us. The rest usually takes care of itself.
2) We focus on digital. Not only on the marketing side but also on creating better client experiences. Whether it’s through transparent and easy communication, accepting Bitcoin, or data management, we invest digitally on all fronts.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
If you want to be in the yachting industry, the place to be is Fort Lauderdale. The city is known as the ‘Yachting Capital Of The World’, and our neighbor cities are likely right on our heels, Miami and West Palm Beach.
South Florida is a great location to do business as a yacht broker, captain, supplier, cleaner, charter company, or anything else you could think of attached to boating. Opportunities abound.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1535 SE 17th St Suite 119, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
- Website: www.DenisonYachting.com
- Phone: 9547633971
- Email: bob@denisonyachtsales.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denisonyachting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DenisonYachting/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/denisonyachting
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