Success at Allied Richard Bertram? It goes back generations
5/25/2004 12:32:37 PM by Rich Babl
It
was a perfect day to look at new boats in Coconut Grove. The gentle
wind and cobalt sky were the kind that has greeted boaters there for
generations. In the middle of modern slips and historic seaplane
hangars, Oscar Losada sells some of the best boats on the water. But,
his pitch was as gentle as that breeze. "We sell relationships here,"
he said. "We enlarge the family." Some of those relationships are two
and three generations deep, are as strong as a keel, and best define
the success of Allied Richard Bertram (ARB), the marketing alliance
formed two years ago when the Allied Marine Group and Richard Bertram
Yachts teamed up. Losada, a vice president of the combined sales and
marketing group, reviewed the history of both major players in the
marine industry. Richard Bertram Yachts, the brokerage firm, was
established in 1946 on the Miami River by the famous builder of Bertram
Yachts. Boats are still built at that location, next to today's Allied
Richard Bertram brokerage sales offices. Allied Marine Group was
established in 1945 (also on the river) and made famous by Winthrop
Rockefeller. In 2002, the organization became the largest privately
held yacht retail and service organization in the United States. The
numbers tell the story. ARB has offices in Miami, Coconut Grove, Fort
Lauderdale (16th Street and Bahia Mar), Ocean Reef on Key Largo,
Naples, Stuart, Jacksonville and a new Puerto Rico location. Undercover
sales facilities in Miami and Fort Lauderdale are among the largest in
the area. ARB also operates five state-of-the-art service facilities
and offers insurance and worldwide charter services.
ARB represents Tiara Yachts (29-52 feet); Atlantis Yachts (37-55 feet);
Azimut Yachts (39-116 feet) and open series (60-105 feet); Benetti
megayachts (100-145 feet) fiberglass line; Crescent Custom Yachts
(115-132 feet); Bertram Yacht (39-67 feet); and Sea Force IX
semi-custom sportfishing yachts (76-86 _ feet). Soon after the
marketing alliance two years ago, ARB Marine Group closely aligned
itself with Viareggio, Italy-based Azimut-Benetti, thus becoming the
lead distributor of Azimut yachts in the U.S. Arecent testimony to
ARB's attention to customer satisfaction is the Azimut Elite Customer
Care Program. It assigns a member of the ARB service team to personally
guide a new owner through the entire boat building process and beyond,
including maintenance procedures that will protect the value of the
investment. The organization Losada represents is the largest dealer
worldwide for Bertram, Tiara and Azimut yachts and is the exclusive
dealer in the U.S. for the Benetti fiberglass 100-foot to 145-foot
yachts and aluminum yachts. That's plenty to get excited about. But
he's just as excited about the launch of ARB's new facility in Fajardo,
Puerto Rico. That "family relationship" shows up again. ARB's partner
in Fajardo is Puerto del Rey Marina, whose owner worked for Allied
Marine Group 30 years ago.
According to George L. Jousma, president of Allied Richard Bertram
Marine Group, Puerto Rico has recently enjoyed a burst of growth and
progress. "We recognized a viable opportunity to reach out and deliver
to Puerto Rico boaters the kind of attention we've delivered for
generations. Aware of the rising wealth on the island, we took the
initiative to become the exclusive dealer for Azimut, Crescent Custom
Yachts, Sea Force IX and Atlantis." The new facility should be able to
tap opportunities in the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands as
well. Puerto Rico's boat show in January generated several orders and
all have been delivered, said Jousma, who is president of the Florida
Yacht Brokers Association and a board member of the Marine Industries
Association of South Florida. Back in Coconut Grove, Losada pondered
the mix of lunch customers dining al fresco near his bayside offices
and he spoke of the new marketing relationship that mixes management
strengths. One that offers a range of boats from entry level to
megayachts, with diversity that allows owners to trade up without
leaving the ARB family. "But maybe even more important than our
one-stop-shop inventory is the reputation for service," said Losada.
"Allied and Richard Bertram both have been so strong in South Florida
for so long. We have a lot to offer, and it's not just the boats."
Rich Babl can be contacted at RBabl@aol.com