Oct 5, 2021

Marine industry veteran Larry Porche, who died suddenly this past June, is the 2021 recipient of the National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) Mel Barr Award.

The announcement was made by NMRA President Scott Kolodny during the IBEX Industry Breakfast in Tampa last week.

The Mel Barr award was created in memory of Mel Barr, an independent marine rep deeply involved in the industry, one of the founders of NMRA and its first president. On his untimely death in 1967, his family, along with NMRA, established the award to honor an individual who has contributed to the improvement of the marine industry. It’s voted on by NMRA member rep groups.

“This year, we recognize the contributions of Larry Porche, who passed away suddenly earlier this year and served our industry, in so many ways, for 44 years,” Scott Kolodny said.

Larry Porche spent nearly half of his career with Land ‘N’ Sea, most recently as director of strategic business development. He was involved with multiple acquisitions throughout his tenure, including Bell Recreation, Kellogg and Diversified Marine.

He also played an important role in the forward progress of our industry as a whole, as a founding co-chair of S.T.E.P. and an NMDA Board Member and as a member of the boards of Amtech and the National Marine Propeller Association. He also served on several NMMA committees.

“We were so pleased to hear about Larry being accepted for this prestigious award. Larry was an icon in our industry and mentored so many of us over the years with his knowledge, leadership and appreciation for our industry. I can’t think of a more deserving person to receive this award. Larry would be so humbled and honored to be considered for this achievement,” said Mike Conners, President of Land ‘N’ Sea