Marine Connection Named as Only Boat Dealer on the Inc. 5000 for the 2nd Year in a Row
Published August 13th, 2015
Inc. Magazine Unveils 34th Annual List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies — the Inc. 5000
NEW YORK, August 13, 2015 — Inc. Magazine ranked boat dealer Marine Connection number 2,493 on its 34th annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. This year on August 13, 2015, Marine Connection made the list by achieving a three-year growth rate of 150%.
The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent entrepreneurs. Companies such as Yelp, Pandora, Timberland, Dell, Domino's Pizza, LinkedIn, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 5000. The 2015 list added such powerhouses as Fitbit, Smashburger, Bowlmor AMF, Planet Fitness, Giftcards.com, Radio Flyer, Box and Mindbody. Marine Connection topped companies including Planet Fitness, Giftcards.com, Radio Flyer, Massage Envy Spa, GoDaddy.com, and Tropical Smoothie Café on the 2015 Inc. 5000 list.
As the boating industry is getting back on its feet, the competition for boat dealers to sell more and more boats is growing. For us, this business is not just about selling more units or making more money; we believe focusing only on the end result is the wrong approach," said Stephanie Offutt, Marketing Director of Marine Connection. "We are focused on the process to make people’s lives better, because, we don’t just sell boats, we sell the boating lifestyle. The results are secondary for us. We are only rewarded if we do it right.
The 2015 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 18 to September 22) is the most competitive crop in the list’s history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 490%. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue is $205 billion, generating 647,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.
"Our commitment to quality of process is what truly set us apart from the competition. What shapes our process is our ease of doing business. It isn’t enough to simply offer a great product or service in a customer-focused way if the process of doing business with your dealership is difficult. We consistently make the process simple and easy for the buyer by adapting our way of doing business to suit each customer’s specific needs. Our ultimate goal is customer loyalty due to overwhelming customer satisfaction,” said Offutt.
Marine Connection is a premier South Florida boat dealer with locations in West Palm Beach, Vero Beach and Miami. Our new boat brands include Cobia, Hurricane, Sailfish, Rinker, Sportsman, Bulls Bay, and Pathfinder boats. Marine Connection ranks as the #1 Dealer in the World for Cobia Boats, Sportsman Boats and as the #1 Dealer in Florida for Hurricane Boats. In 2013 and 2014, Boating Industry Magazine named us as a Top 20 Dealer in the Nation.
Contact: For additional information about Marine Connection, contact Director of Marketing Stephanie Offutt at stephanie@marineconnection.com. For inquiries about buying, selling, or financing a boat, contact one of our South Florida locations at sales@marineconnection.com or call (877)497-2552.
Methodology
The 2015 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2011 to 2014. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2011. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent–not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies–as of December 31, 2014. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2011 is $100,000; the minimum for 2014 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/5000.