Award winners honored at MIBS 2022

NMMA along with various industry organizations presented numerous awards during the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show’s Industry Breakfast, presented by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Alan J. Freedman Memorial Leadership Award

The NMMA honored Greg Lentine, President of NorCross Marine Products, Inc., with the 2022 Alan J. Freedman Memorial Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals who’ve made outstanding contributions to the marine accessories industry through leadership, creativity and personal motivation.

“In addition to his relentless pursuit of quality marine innovation and building his company, Greg has been a longstanding advocate for our industry, particularly small businesses, making sure they always have a seat at the table with the ‘big guys’,” noted Bill Watters, president, Syntec Industries. “It’s my honor to present Greg with the 2022 Alan J. Freedman Award for all he has done for recreational boating.”

Greg has been tied to the marine industry his entire life. His family owned a boat dealership; he spent his early summers on the Jersey Shore waterskiing, fishing and crabbing; and worked at the family business while attending college, ultimately managing the service department at the dealership after graduating, where he gained a knack for business administration and marine innovation.

In 1999, Greg founded NorCross Marine Products. He launched the company’s first product in 2000 during Boating Week, the first-ever Wireless Depth Sounder. And in 2003, he pioneered another marine innovation, the portable fish finder, which is now an industry standard among inland and backwater fishermen.

Greg is one of the youngest tenured NMMA Board members and has been involved in numerous committees advocating for the industry, particularly small businesses. He has been a member of NMMA’s Marine Accessories & Components Division for more than 20 years and has served as Chairman; he has also served on NMMA’s Executive Committee and Membership Committee.

Near and dear to Greg’s heart is the Michael Shields Memorial Inshore Fishing Tournament, which was founded more than twelve years ago in memory of his close friend. Proceeds of the tournament go to Project Lift – a non-profit that serves more than 500 teens and young adults annually, providing mental health and substance abuse treatment through the unique platform of vocational training.

Greg attended the University of Central Florida, earning a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. He lives his passion everyday fly fishing the lakes and rivers of Utah, ice fishing, inshore and offshore fishing in Florida and the Caribbean.

Marine Industry CSI Awards

The NMMA announced 57 recipients of the 2021 Marine Industry Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Awards for excellence in customer satisfaction.

“The 2021 CSI Award recipients lead the recreational boating industry in product excellence and service in a climate where superior quality and consumer trust are essential to retaining customers,” noted Robert Newsome, senior vice president of operations for NMMA. “We thank the boat and engine manufacturers for their dedication to customer satisfaction, ensuring that today’s boaters remain lifelong boaters.”

The Marine Industry CSI Awards honor boat and engine manufacturers who actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve their customers. Award recipients achieved an independently-measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past program year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine during the period between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. Participating manufacturers must survey all new boat buyers during this period. For this reporting period, the program surveyed more than 175,000 customers.

The following companies, across 13 categories, were honored with 2021 CSI Awards for their efforts to increase customer satisfaction levels in the boating industry:

Aluminum Outboard Boats

G3
Lund Boat Company
Starcraft Marine
Tracker

Deck Boats

Hurricane
Regal Boats
Starcraft Marine

Fiberglass Bass Boats

Bass Cat Boats
Nitro
Ranger
Skeeter Products
Triton

Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Axopar Boats
Blackfin Boats
Boston Whaler
Chaparral Boats Inc.
EdgeWater Boats
Everglades Boats
Formula Boats
Grady-White Boats, Inc.
Jupiter Marine International
Monterey Boats
Nitro
Pathfinder Boats
Pursuit Boats
Regulator Marine
Robalo Boats
SeaVee Boats
Sportsman
Tahoe
Tiara Yachts

Inboard Express Cruiser Boats

Tiara Yachts

Inboard Watersports Boats

Centurion Boats
Supreme Boats
Nautique Boat Company, Inc.
MasterCraft Boat Company
Skier’s Choice, Inc. – Moomba Boats
Skier’s Choice, Inc. – Supra Boats
Tige Boats

Jet Boats

Yamaha Watercraft

Pontoon Boats

Avalon
Barletta Pontoon Boats
Bennington
Crest Pontoons
Crestliner Boats
Cypress Cay Pontoon Boats
Forest River, Inc.
G3
Godfrey Marine
Harris
Lowe Boat Company
Manitou Pontoon Boats
Ranger
Starcraft
Sun Tracker

PWC

Yamaha Watercraft

Sterndrive Bowrider Boats

Chaparral Boats Inc.
Chris-Craft
Formula Boats
Monterey Boats
Regal Boats

Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Formula Boats
Monterey Boats
Regal Boats

Inboard Engines

Ilmor
Indmar Marine Engines
Pleasurecraft Engine Group

Outboard Engines

Honda Marine
Suzuki Marine USA
Tohatsu America Corporation
Yamaha

NMMA Innovation Awards

The NMMA and Boating Writers International (BWI) honored 15 recipients with the 2022 Miami Innovation Awards, recognizing manufacturers and suppliers who bring new, innovative products for the boating industry to market.

The Innovation Awards judges’ committee was comprised of seven BWI members who perform product testing throughout the year and have specific expertise in marine products and equipment. The judges’ committee included Ben Stein (Chair), Zuzana Prochazka (Co-Chair), Alan Jones, Lenny Rudow, Gary Reich, Frank Lanier, and Ryan Gullang.

The 2022 Miami Innovation Award winners are:

Cabin cruisers, Motor Yachts, Trawlers: Azimut Yachts, Grande Trideck – “With the unique raised mezzanine deck, Azimut adds to and redefines outdoor living on a yacht,” said judge Zuzana Prochazka.
Center Console/ Walkaround Fishing Boats: Pursuit Boats, S 248 Sport – “Never before have I seen a fishing boat with such an incredible utilization of space that doesn’t sacrifice fishability,” said judge Lenny Rudow.
Consumer Electronics, Mobile Applications and Software: Raymarine, Cyclone Solid-State Open Array Radar – “Technology advancements make possible a streamlined, modern radar with full ARPA,” said judge Alan Jones.
Cuddy Cabin, Bowrider, Deck Boats: Ingenity Electric, 23 Electric – “Its skateboard platform could be the start of a new generation of electric boats,” said judge Jones.
Deck Equipment: Roswell Marine, Rise Telescoping Helm System – “Just about everything on modern boats is adjustable except the helm. How is it that it took until now for someone to develop an infinitely adjustable helm,” said judge Rudow.
DUAL WINNER: Docking and Fendering Equipment:
- Orenco Composites, DuraLast Floating Dock – “Born of necessity, a resin infused, extremely durable, well-thought out dock backed by a 25 year warranty. What’s not to like?” said judge Frank Lanier.
- Sunstream, SunLift SLX – “If anyone has come back to their boat lift only to wait through three minutes of grinding gears and slipping galvanized wires, they will see the benefits of this quick, quiet and highly adaptable boat lift,” said Gary Reich.
Electric Motor/ Battery Powered Propulsion/ Hybrids: e-Motion LLC, e-Motion Parallel and Serial Hybrid – “While there have been serial and parallel hybrid systems in boats for years, I have not seen any manufacturer implement a large system with such graceful integration and ease-of-use for the end user,” said judge Reich.
Furnishings & Interior Parts: Magma Products, Crossover Series – “The modular Magma Crossover series grill changes the way you cook onboard. From a pizza oven, to the grill, to the cooktop, to the griddle, you have no more excuses for bad cooking,” said Lanier.
Inboard Engines: Ilmor, Supercharged 6.2L – “Ilmor has done a remarkable job increasing horsepower while keeping a large engine with 630 horsepower inside a small footprint for watersports boats, thanks in large part to its innovative cooling system that prevents detuning at high temps,” said judge Reich.
Mechanical & Electrical Systems: Advanced Systems Group, CZone Control X – “It makes digital switching more flexible, allowing boat builders to build better boats,” said judge Ryan Gullang.
Outboard Engines: Mercury Marine, 7.6-liter V12 600hp Verado Outboard – “It’s changed the way boat builders design their boats. It’s so full of innovation we can’t even list it all,” said judges Jones and Rudow.
Personal Watercrafts: BRP, Sea-Doo Fish Pro 170 – “It advances the viability of pounding the open waters from personal watercraft,” said judge Gullang.
Tow Boats: Heyday, H22 – “The stern jump seats on the versatile and affordable Heyday H22 allow observers to get a ringside seat to view their friends’ in action,” said judge Jones.
Trailers, Parts and Trailer Accessories: Malibu Boats, Boat Trailers – “The Malibu Boat Trailer has many remarkable features including automatic water-level sensing, sealed metal frame, stowable chocks, steppable reinforced wheel fender platforms and remotely mounted out-of-the-water hydraulic tank,” said judge Reich.