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
Marine Industry Career Path: Brett Ramsey
Wendy and Brett Ramsey
Boating Industry Canada is kicking off its Marine Industry Career Path series once again. For the first installments this year, we have two subjects to highlight. Introducing Wendy and Brett Ramsey!
The Ramsey’s have been working in the marine industry for many years but have both had unique paths in getting to where they are now. They’ve also been working on an impactful pilot project for a long time, which will now be launching this spring. The focus of this initiative is to bring more young people into the marine industry.
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Building on its award-winning M Series, Bayliner unveiled the all-new M19 at the Miami International Boat Show. The M19 joins the M Series lineup of the M15 and M17 delivering the stability and versatility the series is known for with a focus on expanding boater participation through its intuitive design, ease of maintenance and inclusive price point.
With an overall length of 19 feet and starting at $30,995 USD, the M19 is built on an improved M-hull foundation offering increased stability and automotive style handling for familiarity to appeal to the next generation of boaters. The M19 features an upgraded nine-person capacity and is watersports capable for a full day of adventure on the water.
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Televisions on a boat are increasingly commonplace. With the simple-to-install Glomex Avior VT300 Omnidirectional TV/FM antenna from GA Communications, it's never been easier to bring analog and digital broadcasts onboard—at a price that's hard to ignore.
The most noticeable feature of the Avior VT300 antenna is its compact white, anti-yellowing radome. At only 4" dia. x 8" H and 8.8 oz., it's specifically made for smaller boats that can't accommodate large TV antenna domes and only need short range reception, depending on height and conditions. The amplifier allows the antenna to have an increase in gain with a 24.5 dB average to receive vertical and horizontal polarized TV signals simultaneously from 360°.
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