Navigating the Waves of Change: Kitty McGowan on Collaboration and Innovation in the Marine Industry

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kristina Hebert (00:08):
Welcome to the Wardsway Podcast.
We're here at the FortLauderdale International Boat

(00:35):
Show, and I'm here with my goodfriend Kitty McGowan, who's
president and owner of NauticomSolutions Communications.
Sorry for the edit, we're notgoing to do it.
But you know what I always saysolutions because you are a
solution yes Provider for somany different events, so it's
okay that I say solutions.
And you're also the presidentof the US Superyacht Association

(00:56):
and you have been for 16 years,correct, welcome.
Thank you for I finally got herit.
You for I finally got her.
It's Saturday.
I've been bugging you for daysand I finally got you, so I
tracked you down.
You've had nothing but a ton ofevents, so I'm happy that you
made the time.
So thank you for being here.
Thank you for having me, andwe've known each other since we
were nine um, because you know,that's how old we were when we

(01:20):
met each other but you know, I'mnot I'm.

Kitty McGowan (01:22):
I'm actually proud absolutely how long we've
we've known each other andthrough so many parts of our
lives together.
Yes, when I was working atMarine Industries Association
back in the 90s, yes, and it wasa whole different world then.
It really was, I agree with you.
And you were on the board and Ihad just gotten off of yachts
and I was working in theassociation world.

(01:44):
And here comes this young girlon the board and I'm like no,
she's younger than.

I am yeah what's with her.

I was like, oh gosh, now we have this new board
member I know, and then she andthe other ones are having
babies and now I'm babysittingand doing all this.
But it was awesome, and so I'mso proud of the fact that we've
been able to be great colleaguesand good friends for so many
years.
Yes, through so many iterationsand changes of the industry and

(02:11):
our roles and what we do.

And I feel like we're at a moment in time now,
so we're just going to kick thisoff.
Is it Trump or Kamala?

Tell me From a personal standpoint yeah,
whatever.
Because in my role as thepresident of association and and
as always been in theassociation world for so many
years, you know we work verymuch with both sides of the
house, and it you know, becauseif you don't work with both
sides, you know you have tocreate consensus.

(02:40):
And I don't mind listening toboth sides, I have my own
personal opinions of things andit makes it, you know, the hard
part.
Since the nineties, when wefirst got together, until now
it's become so very polarizing.
I agree that it's if you sayone thing, then you have people
that just want to shoot you onthe other side and vice versa.

(03:02):
So it makes it very complicatedand every anybody who knows me
at all understand my positionand how I feel about things.
And, um, yeah, I, it's.
Uh, if you're really going totry and put me on the spot.

I'm just messing with you.
No, no, no, no, no, I'm justmessing with you.
But I will say like I Iinterviewed Duncan Smith.
No, no, no, no, I'm justmessing.
Be successful.
But.
I will say that sometimes it'sa little bit more challenging

(03:50):
with certain offices than other,but every legislator we've ever
met with that gives us time toeducate them on our industry,
doesn't matter Democrat orRepublican.
They support us and I 100%agree with that.

That when they understand, because when I made
the transition from um the yachtthe marine industries
association, as an employee andat a and most of that focus was
local and then moved to the ussuper yacht association, you and
I spent a lot of time inwashington um, because the ussa
hasn't been around that manyyears and we would walk into

(04:26):
offices in Washington DC and itwould be like Supriya, they go,
ooh.

I know it was like we were this plague, like,
oh, hide your face, we're notmeeting with those big boat
people.

We can't talk to them.
But also, if you look over thelast, this is where it's the
part of being senior in anindustry that you have the
ability to look back and see howboth sides have changed and how
things have changed.
I mean, to be honest, JFK wouldbe a Republican today, A

(04:57):
hundred percent.
I mean, don't ask what yourcountry can do for you, but what
you can do for your country.
And over the past 30 yearswe've seen that in Washington
and we've seen that in local andstate and other areas.
But it's when you are able tobreak through that barrier that
it's not just about the twopercenters, it's about the jobs,
it's about the economic impact,and you have been such I mean

(05:21):
it's like I get goosebumps.
Is that?
It's that this little girl thatI used to babysit her kid for?
Has had this been thisfirestorm on certain issues that
affect so much of our industry.

I think we're a collective fire, carl.
Oh, I know we're a collectivefire.

They see us coming and they're like oh,
whatever you guys need, we gotthe Kitty and Christy show
coming.

We got the Kitty and Christy show coming.

But in that same time, what I'm so proud of is
that we have made a difference.
Yes, I agree as industries, asindustry leaders, in changing
perceptions and growing the factthat it is about the jobs
Agreed, it's about the economicimpact.

It's about the effect of families and an effect
of just everyday life, and itwas you that coined the.
Big boats equals big jobs.
Correct For the USSA's.

you know marketing, slash you know, when
I first started, everyone wasall let's put the big white,
shiny boats on.
And then you start to see, ohwow, that's a big turnoff
because then it's beingperceived.
And again I tie in the sadnessof the media's impact on how it
changes perceptions versusreality.

(06:29):
And in DC, perceptions arereality, that's it, that's
everything.
And so we changed our not thatwe changed our messaging, as
much as that.
We changed our approach to beable to open people's ears and
give them some breathing room tosay okay, I'm not going to ruin
with my constituents, I'm goingto support jobs and not

(06:53):
necessarily the 2%.
And small businesses and smallbusinesses Correct and and and,
and it wasn't that we changedanything we were doing.
It's just changing how wepresented the message of how
important this industry is andwhile it's not necessarily the
hundreds of millions ofregistered small boats but the
wide shadow as an industry thatwe cast and the impact, it's

(07:16):
like pixie dust.

You know we get those boats that'll travel
anywhere and they're justspreading, you know, love with
money and economic impact,absolutely anywhere they go well
, talk to me about, on goodsegue, refit america, which has
been a really big, passionate umproject for you with the us
super yacht, and you've beenpromoting it all over the world.
Yes, whether it be coming up inamsterdam, I know about

(07:40):
australia, um, all over, tell meabout that Well.

It's so interesting because I started in
this industry in the 80s as ayacht chef and back then in the
80s you know Broward Marine theUS was a huge builder Right.
You're right All over, and wewere.
You know, Broward Marine wasthe number one major builder of
major boats all over the world.

(08:04):
And then you start to see, andthat was my first boat that I
worked on was a Broward, and,you know, over the years you
started to see how the boatingindustry, the construction side
here in the US started todwindle and, you know, go away.
And then I would start to hearin Europe, well, all you
Americans, all you do is repairboats and we build over there.

(08:26):
And I went, well, geez, I guesswe're not so stupid in the US.
Is that?
The margin on a refit is this?
The margin on a new build isthis Also the turnaround time.
You can do a refit, I canshorten my my turn time on my
yard and my facilities.
And so now it's so funny to seehow refit has now become such a

(08:50):
huge part in Europe and aroundthe world that when we first
went to Amsterdam for Mets tradewith the Refit America message,
they were like you know, well,you can't haul those boats.
Well, heck, yeah, we can.
Yes, we can.
We can take boats of any size,any length, anywhere in the
country and so now everywhere inEurope.

(09:11):
Now I'm so excited that nowMetz Trade has finally caught on
to where us silly Americanswere so focused on refit, that
now next year and I'm veryexcited I love working with the
Metz trade people that they'recreating an entire area of the
show focused on on refit.

And that's going to be in 2025?
In 2025.
Excellent, wow.
You should be really proud ofthat.

I'm very excited about that.

Well, as a USSA member, I will be participating
in that and former board memberyou know I will be
participating in that.

Excellent, and we're creating hubs from around
our country because you know Iwill be participating in that
Excellent, and we're creatinghubs from around the around our
country.
Because you know I mean youwatch how.
Well, your membership has hasyou know, we have members all
over.
We have them in 26 states andactually 37 countries, wow.

That's a great statistic.

I didn't know that Because, when you look at,
the number one consumer of superyachts are Americans.
Now, while we don't necessarilybuild them, we aren't
necessarily the ultimatecruising place or destination,
but the people that are buyingboats are Americans.
And if it hadn't been forAmericans, after the whole crash

(10:21):
of the Russian buyers, then thewhole industry would have
pretty much imploded.
Okay, so yeah, I'm very proudof what not.
I mean, it's not just me orit's not just you know you, it
is a collective and it's acollaboration and what we do is,
you know, we partner.
I mean we have members inregional areas and stuff,

(10:41):
because it's like there's no wayany one person or any one
organization could know what'sgoing on.
Or any one geographical location, because they're all so
different but have similaraspects.
So, yeah, I'm very excited andinterested, but I do have to say
, as a lot of my folks in ourpavilion here because we have a

(11:02):
pavilion down in the show as theUS Super Young Association that
does have a very focuseddestinations perspective,
because we are a global industryand boats it's a choose
industry, it's not a needindustry.

Absolutely.

So it's that we're providing those
relationships, thosecollaborations, so that we can
make it easier?
Sure, because if an ownerdecides it's too complicated or
it's too much, or it's just toomuch, then they're out.
They can do something else.
They don't need it, they reallydon't.
You're right so it's buildingthose global relationships is
what's very important to me andhas been, and I learned a lot of

(11:41):
that from you.
Aw, thank, has been and Ilearned a lot of that from you.
No, I'm serious is that youknow, I was always much more, as
I think, as a redhead, as beingvery staunch in my beliefs and
not ever wanting to use my twoears and listen, and I learned a
lot and that's where, to me, inour industry, is having people,
strong people that you can,that you can have those

(12:02):
conversations with and learnfrom and be a genuine colleague
and agree to disagree on certainthings Absolutely, but also
then say you know what?
That's a really good idea.
I can take that.

But I find that , and I think you would agree,
that more times than not, we asan industry even if it's
somebody that maybe we're notall best friends with or we
don't always all see eye to eyebut I have sat at tables with
people that I have seen notnecessarily get along, but when
it comes to that issue or thatlegislative initiative or

(12:37):
whatever it is, just cometogether and rock it, and our
industry does that time and timeand time again.
It's passion.

It is, you're right.
My biggest fear that I feelthat's facing our industry right
now is that our industry wasalways mom and pop driven and
mom and pop businesses, likeyour family, they were fueled by
passion.
It was something they feltstrongly about, it was something
that was important to them and,as you see, and now, but we're

(13:07):
becoming a dying breed,absolutely.
I mean because all of us aregetting older and you know, as
the world changes and it'sbecoming so much more corporate,
and corporate doesn'tnecessarily understand that
passion, whereas, like yourfamily and families, like you
know rossioli and you know rpmdiesel and and a lot of the

(13:32):
marinas and things that, andthen the repair facilities, like
you know newport shipyard, youknow that that whole family that
was generational, they pulledone of my boats when I was
working on a boat in the 80s.
But you start to lose thatbecause a lot of times they were

(13:53):
committed to the industry,because it meant something to
them, even through the downturns.
And now it's so corporate.
It's not about what you can dofor me in the long term, it's
the short term and it's not tosay anything bad about any of
those corporate organizations,it's just it's the short term.
And it's not to say anythingbad about any of those corporate
organizations, it's just, it'sa change and it does kind of
make you kind of go.
Oh, if it stops losing money ona short term, they have people

(14:16):
to account to Well, I agree, andI think operationally is where
it's a challenge.

Even people in some of the corporate spaces
I've met with, I've worked withand they have a lot of passion.
It's just hard to get throughthe matrix Right.
They can't be as reactionaryBecause they have a whole.

It's not an owner with a decision.

There's a process and a board yes, and
stakeholders.

And stakeholders.
We all know boarders, you knowkind of like in not-for-profit
associations.

What you can think is a great idea and and I
can assure you in my time beingon boards, it's.
It's a very humbling experienceto try to sit at the end of the
table and then, when it's notin your own business, where you
can say hey, this is the way itis, I know it's a good decision,
I'm taking the financial risk,I'll do it, your employees go.
Oh, we may or may not agree,but you're the boss.
Here we go.

(15:05):
We really have to present ourcase and go through all that,
which is wonderful, but I thinkthe same exact thing happens and
it's a process and it takes somuch longer to be reactionary to
a position, but I do see a lotof them.

I mean we had a lot of heads of major companies
at our annual meeting yesterdaywith Marine Max and Suntex and
Safe Harbor etc.
And you know, I do believethere is genuine there are a lot
of passionate people in thoseorganizations, without a doubt.
So I mean that's where.
But again it's that it's theprocess.
But it is great to see over thepast five years where they're

(15:43):
starting to understand andthey're getting it and they're
contributing, and they're payingfor a table and they're wanting
to listen.
They want to listen and theywant to be a part of it and they
want to learn.
So you know, so that's likewhere sometimes is that you see
that that boat that's like in arough sea, that's going this way
and that way, but it's stillstaying upright, yeah, and you
know, we're still figuring itout and at the end, of the day,

(16:03):
I try to look at some of thesecorporate buyouts.

Part of the reason that we started the
Wordsway podcast because you andI were texting and you're like,
what in the hell?
You started a podcast, okay,like you didn't have something
else to do.
Nor do I have any experience,but what started a lot of it was
that in celebrating our 75years by the way, my first guest
, thank you was my own fatherthat I wanted to be able to talk

(16:29):
with him about what he'sexperienced over all the years,
but also a lot of businessleaders, and to tell the story
of our industry that is changing.
I have a lot of new employeesthat are young.
That's a challenge.
Actually, you know what I haveto say.
It's been amazing.
I have been very blessed andlucky that some of the I will
tell you, all my new employeeshave been just you know, what's

(16:53):
actually terrible is that yourealize, damn, they're fast, you
know they're quick andeverything.

Don't you learn a new language, Because how I
would speak with you is like Igo okay, I'm obviously speaking
Chinese.

Okay, let me rephrase that I have not had to
experience that, and maybe it'sbecause electric is kind of one
of those old school Veryspecific, it's very specific,
it's very black and white.
Mine isn't, mine is like you'redoing this, you're doing this,
your communications, and that Ican only imagine.
Yeah, I have to look at for whatsome of these text responses

(17:27):
are.
I'm like can't you just saythank you?
I know Like, does it have to beT-Y or T-T-Y?
I'm like you know what happenedto the word.
I know I actually got into adebate with somebody the other
day about do you need two spacesafter a period, and I'm like,
yes, I don't understand.
I mean grammar didn't change.

(17:51):
I mean have saved, instead ofviewing them as the enemy taking
over In some cases.
You know they've saved andpreserved some of these
businesses that I think wouldhave gone away.
Yes, they've kept a lot of thekey people.
Now, kind of the way they dobusiness has changed, and I know

(18:12):
that that's tough on some ofthe people in those places, but
all the expertise is still there, all the Marine knowledge is
still there, all of that.
So at least we get to keep it.
But I too, I'm third generationand I'd love to think that I'm
going to be here for our 100thanniversary.
I'll be 79.
I will be retired by then, butI still want to be there.

Yes, we have this on the record.
She will be retired.

Before I'm 79.
I will be.
Yes, I'm looking at the camera,but you know, I hope that my
succession plans pan out and Ihope that I am here for the
100th anniversary, but I knowthat I won't be.
No, but I mean I know, hearabout what's your place where

(18:54):
you got married.

Oh, the Downtowner.

Downtowner, I mean, I read that my heart sank
thinking of you.

Oh my gosh, I had every major milestone, and then
I saw your post about it.

So the Downtowner for those that don't
know is this icon restaurant,waterfront bar, just what you
thought of in the 80s and 70s,in the 90s, when I was working
at Marine Industries we wouldbring the industry together.
And it's not going out ofbusiness because of anything bad
or because they did something,it's just it was sold.

(19:26):
It was sold and it was time.
And no, it wasn't time it wassold.
But I feel, and it was time, no, it wasn't time it was sold,
but I feel like the ownershipdidn't they need to sell it.
No, okay, then why did they?

sell it.
No, I know that's a whole.
A whole different thing.
That's a whole different thingthat has nothing to do with, but
it was sold.

It was sold and then, but that's just time.

Anyway, that happens in too well, you know,
in our industry, and you justsee a business sell.
But you know you travel a lotas I do.
But it's to me is that when youwhat I grew up in the city I've
been in fort lauderdale since1967 and I mean I learned to
water ski where marina bay isnow I mean absolutely.
We used to stand on my dad'sshoulders and do the.
You know, the cypress gardenswave to the, the jungle queen,
and oh yeah, you know.

And when i-95 was expanded over the river and
Come on, kitty, we're at theFort Lauderdale International
Boat Show.
That used to be a red and whitestriped circus tent.
Yes, that had the bathing suitand it was in the port.
It was in the port in the early80s.
Moved back and then rememberthey used to have the swimsuit
runway.
And then remember they used tohave the swimsuit runway models
that would also hold fishingpoles.

(20:30):
Yeah, and you know now thatwould be deemed terrible, oh my
gosh, it would be time-changing,but it is.

I agree.
But watching Fort Lauderdalechange and adapt when you go to
other cities, you know likethere are still those iconic
places in, like Newport or inMaine or in Europe, that just
continue on.
They become part of aneighborhood, they become part
of a community, and that's wheremy only one sad thing about
Fort Lauderdale is that theleadership is trying to make it

(21:01):
splashy, splashy, splashy ormake it something else, and then
they're taking away all ofthose things that really made it
special, and that there's amillion places in the world that
have the flashy, flashy stuffand all this.
But now you ask anybody, youcan't drive around the city, you
can't get around the city, andso that's where you can say if

(21:23):
that's another political thing,don't get me started with an
election on Tuesday.
No, but it's true, the visionplan.

Or lack of a vision plan.
I was going to go there, but Ieven try to tell my own children
that the Fort Lauderdale I grewup in was not this.
No, it was a very small town.
Everybody knew each other.
Goodness, if you lived out west,heading to the airport, that
was like a very long track roads.
It was dirt roads and and theonly benefit was that if you

(21:52):
stuck with it and and made it tothe airport you could hit
carvel on the way back, the onethat's on 84 and I was like, oh
a treat.

And people are like, really, you know, fort
lauderdale was like I mean, wewere like a little hick down, we
it was it was, it was and youknow, and it was fun and it was
genuine, and you know, just tobecome something like everything
else is, I think, kind oflosing that place.

But we still I mean just in fact with this the
Bihamar location where we'resitting right now.

Well, all seven sites are under redevelopment,
correct, but keep going aboutthis one, no.
But I mean, is that you knowafter that where are you going
to go?
I mean, it's like again youstart looking at.
But then also, then I knowthere's a lot of conversations
about the future of both showsRight and the future of where
are they going and how are theygoing to develop.
And as times and trends andpeople change their attitudes,
and then ROI and the expense youput into bringing all of this

(22:52):
stuff together, it gets more andmore and more and more
expensive.
And then you kind of go boom,just like a lot of these
corporate companies that now ownstuff, you go.
Maybe I don't need to do such abig thing there but would you
do?

you think this?
So maybe I'm naive to thinkthis way, but do you think that
the if the industry really wantsa trade show, there'll be a
trade show?
I think it's the industry, notthe consumers, because the
consumers are going to show upto the show we provide.
But if the industry still wantsthe show, it's the industry,
not the guest tickets, that payfor this show.
Absolutely, the exhibitors arethe ones that say I'm the one

(23:27):
that wants to have it, I'm theone that thinks it's worthy, so
it's going to be the industry incontrol if we lose the show,
essentially, isn't that that theindustry is saying it's not
important to us?
No, you just made my point in adifferent way which is what we
usually do we're saying the samething, just in a different
direction but what I say is thatto industry, when it stops

(23:49):
becoming yeah, the ROI is notthere.

But what I say is that to industry, when it stops
becoming yeah, the ROI is notthere, and as the cost goes up
and up and up, and then myreturn starts going, going down,
and then it's like, well, I canstill go meet my consumers in
those locations, absolutely.
Then you kind of go hmm, I cansave that million dollars of an
investment between staffing etc,etc.
And again, I'm not doubting theimportance of a show.

But its relevance is key.
It's relevant and I'm going tobe meeting with Andrew Duhl and
I'm going to talk with him andsay the same thing how do trade
shows stay important?

Well then the question is is this a trade show
or is this a consumer showBecause I'm getting ready to go
to the Mets trade show?
Is this a consumer show becauseI'm getting ready to go to the
mets trade show?
I agree with you in november,where it is not about the end
consumer, it is truly a tradeit's truly a trade show and it
is about the trade building.
You know distribution networksand you know, you know

(24:45):
communicating without with eachother, bringing in the refit
side.
But now they're introducingsome of the consumer with the
connection with the global forumand bringing in captains, but
it's a very specified target,whereas here, like on a Saturday
, like today, it's not the sameconsumer as we saw on Wednesday
or yesterday or yesterday, right.

(25:05):
So that's, where is it?
Is it a trade show or is it aconsumer show?
And how?
How do the uniquecharacteristics of shows change
over time?
You saw that in Miami a fewyears ago when the brokerage
part of Miami then had to leaveKey Biscayne, I mean leave the
beach in Collins Avenue, collinsAvenue, and move to the you

(25:25):
know the down Harold PlazaExactly, and move around and
around and then you kind of goare we pushing this mud uphill?
And to try and create somethingfor everybody.

Do you think okay, with your expertise, what
do you think could save tradeshows If you were A trade or a
consumer show?

A trade, a trade show.
I think the trade shows aredoing well I think the consumer
shows are becoming morecomplicated.

Consumer shows would be Fort Lauderdale, palm
Beach, miami, correct, okay, howdo we save?

those.
Well, I think they've eachbecome their own identity they
have.
And so you know, you look atone and then I think then you
align your trade offerings tothat consumer, and so it doesn't
necessarily bigger, isn'tnecessarily better in my mind.
So then, if you can, then justnot have it so spread out, make

(26:21):
it more for your reallyexclusive clients at the very
high level.
Maybe you just make it justthat and that is not any place
else, right level, maybe youjust make it just that and that
is not anyplace else.
And then for your mid-boat,your family boat which, goodness
gracious, I mean a family boatwould have to be extremely well
off to get into this business atall anymore.
I mean, I grew up with boats.
I was fishing and boating withmy family since I was a child.

(26:46):
And how do we create thatopportunity?
And then Palm Beach originally,many years ago, was a sport
fish show, just a sport fishshow.
That was it.
It was just sport fish shows.

Center consoles were in the road and the sport
fish were in the water.
That's it.

And you watch how that show as the industry has
progressed.
I mean like I was working inFort.

Lauderdale Trade drove that, not consumers,
I agree Without a doubt.

So I mean Fort Lauderdale stole the yachting
industry from Miami fair andsquare.

Yeah.

Because the trade industry moved here to Fort
Lauderdale.
But now you see the pressuresbetween you know access,
waterway access, with the lackof infrastructure, with making
it more difficult for boats toaccess the shipyards and the
trade side, then they kind of go, huh, maybe we'll try.
Then they try up on beach orthey try for the fort pierce or

(27:37):
they go up to savannah and youknow that's all driven or even,
I mean even even.

I go to different shows.
I went to the um barcelona show.

I've gone to the genoa show, I've got you know we
all get really investing a lotof we go to to.

So so many of us get stuck on this.
We do Fort Lauderdale, we doMets, we, we, we do um.
Monaco we do Fort Lauderdale, wedo Mets, but then the problem
is our schedule is justimmediately stuck and then we
can't see some of those others.
So I know for me I've skippedsome of those shows to be able
to go see some of these smallershows, to see what are they
offering, what am I missing?

(28:12):
Maybe some of these huge showsthat we spend so much time are
taking over, but it's theseother shows that we could really
do to get some traction.

That's a really awesome point because I hadn't
gone to the Monaco show since2019.
Okay show since 2019.
Okay, and since then we've hadthe whole covid thing etc.
And watching how it had shiftedand the decisions as an, as a
boat show developer, theyactionable.
They made actionable decisionsto change the whole focus of

(28:44):
that show, which has thenbenefited more.
So the mets trade show yes, Iagree they.
They did that you're sayingwith the trade, pushing the
trade to a different direction,and it was a vastly different
show and so it was good.
I mean I didn't spend some timeat our US shows, but I mean it
is becoming.

(29:05):
It's a really exciting time tobe in the industry and watch and
be a part of how, watching, howdecisions are made and how
things are moving and how thingsare.
You know your normal milk run,your normal triangles.
It's different.
Oh, it's like what used to be.
You know, europe, caribbean,new England, or now it's.
You know, new England maybethere or maybe they're going now

(29:28):
south.
New England maybe there ormaybe they're going now south.
We had a destinations event forthe first time, in
collaboration with theInternational Yacht Brokers
Association in dealing with okayboats going through the Panama
Canal and going to the Pacificand doing the southwest and an
endless summer kind of mindsetwhere you could spend years in a
bunch of different, reallyamazing destinations and not

(29:49):
ever with good facilities forrepair and refit and good the
resources and the backup thatyou need to support them.
So it is kind of an excitingtime where it's like the
timelines have sped up so fast,unlike before where it would
take 10 years to make somethinghappen.

Now it's in three well, and I think that's
where technology and theinternet.
So I'm going to go back to apoint that we were talking about
on these shows evolving, it'sthe trade driving it and
hopefully, if we're driving it,it's because we want to bring
the right information toconsumers.
Correct, let's draw a sameparallel to associations Are the

(30:23):
board driving it or is themembership driving it?

Sometimes they're , that's a very interesting
question membership, driving itSometimes there I have been.

I have been on boards where it's you know the
board is um, obviously a boardis supposed to be representative
of the membership and work atthe pleasure of the membership.
But there's also a lot ofpeople don't understand that in
not-for-profits there's a lot oflaundry that has to happen in a
not-for-profit association andboards, that boards have to

(30:53):
spend a lot of time voting on,discussing budgets, all sorts of
things.
But sometimes you can tellassociations that are being
board-driven where you have aboard that is very focused but
also trying to get somethingdone.
And then you have it where youknow the board's kind of showing
up and and they're just thereto kind of fill it on their

(31:17):
resume and I feel like it doesthis.
Sometimes there's fair, and Iknow you with all your years of
experience in your business.
You run a lot of otherassociations other than the U S
super yacht association in thefishing industry.
I've been in the Billfishtournaments for years you ran.

There's a whole conversation right now about
bringing the Fort LauderdaleBillfish tournament back.

I support it.
I think that's a great idea.
It's been a void.
I'm sad that it went away, thatit's been gone.

Okay and you know it's like, but I met the young
girl yesterday from uh, from LosDuenos, she goes.
Do you remember me?

I said, well, no, you were like 12 and but
you're only 25 now, so you wereboth 12, I know.

I know, but it's uh.
I didn't babysit her children.

Yeah that's a dig that she did babysit Kyle.

Sorry, kyle, but yeah, I was kidding but it uh no
, but it's like you're watchinghow things change and evolve and
you know it is kind of cool tosee how.

But in terms of associations and who's driving
what, Because I feel like,aren't associations morphing too
, as the industry's kind ofmorphing?

your membership is different, it is about, I
think, a lot of the times nowthe membership is looking for
some direction and focus.
Okay Now.
But also I have.
I have some.
I have had some extraordinaryboards in my 20 some years of

(32:41):
running associations.
In some place I've had someextraordinary boards and I've
had some some, some that arereally wonderful people, but
it's just that they didn'tnecessarily know and I didn't
have enough time to help educatethem about how important that
role could be and they runbusinesses, they run business,
they're in businesses andsometimes you just don't have

(33:02):
the time.
No, exactly.
I had a conversation on my wayhere with one of our former
board members from Californiawho is brilliant and he was
always so involved and I said,chris, I need you back.
And and he's like I'm just, hewas kidding, I just we don't
have enough people, we don'thave that.
But I said every time I wouldtalk to him.

(33:23):
That's what to me as a as a youknow, as an administrator, or
as a president or executivedirector or whatever role they
have as the person driving thatassociation, that it's that
being able to have those expertsRight, having that.
No, you're right, I can call, Iget a question.

(33:44):
I mean, during COVID, it's allabout those relationships.
I need something.
I said I can call my boardmember from Seattle.

Yeah, how are they doing here?

What's happening there.
So it's you know, using thoseindustry experts.
But I think, to be to yourpoint, that you said it's time
it is, whereas before, 20 yearsago, when we were, you know, I
was running and I was, I wasassistant at Marine Industries
Association, we had time, wasn'tso fast then.
I mean things weren't moving,you know, so fast, and I mean

(34:18):
Jeepers.
When I was started in yachtingthere was no internet.
I had to beg the camera, I meanthe captain, to allow me, you
know, five minutes to call apurveyor in France because we
had a charter that wanted caviar.

Well, and also your board members weren't doing
this.
You know, on their no Sittingon the phone, no exactly.
And Zoom meetings.
You know, as soon as somebodyeither puts themselves on mute
or turns off their camera, youknow they have six to another
time, you know they're either onanother Zoom call, which I
unfortunately have done before,and then you forget where you
are.
And you don't, and again,you're not.

but but they still, when I the thing is and I
think that's where the role ofan administrative head has
become more valuable than everbefore that they become that, uh
, that cat herder, thatringleader that says, okay,
these are the things that youall are telling me, these are
the things that I'm hearing,because I talk to the members

(35:16):
all over the world and I say,okay, guys, these are the things
that you say, these are thethings that they say here's our
priorities, here's thepriorities for saying and then
you guys can vote on it.
So I'm seeing more of that,rather than one side driving
than the other.

That's good, though, then, because I believe
that that means that you have aunified voice if you're taking
the collective and making it apriority and facilitating the
progress forward.

That's exactly what the role of the association
is, but it's not one side oranother, which is good, and it's
like it's not one person'sagenda being driven over
something else.

Biggest challenge for USSA coming up.

Well, one, it's always financial.
I mean, we're Membership is up.
Membership is definitely up,good, but membership is becoming
, as we talked about earlier,about how, where there used to
be 10 companies that weremembers and supporting us in our
initiatives and our events, nowthere's three Okay, because of

(36:15):
the corporate buyouts and stuff.
So I mean, in terms of thosethings, is that, you know, how
are we evolving?
And I do see us evolving andmaking some significant changes
on our structural way, on how wefund, because we aren't funded
by a boat show.

I still think that your corporate members
should be encouraged to fund thelegislative initiatives for the
association.
Because I'm going to get on mysince it's my podcast, I get the
chance I get to say it, but Ifirmly believe that I that the
number one priority, I think is,should always be legislative,

(36:53):
which is also marketing.

Yes, I know.

Is is for um associations, and I know it's
always like that word andsomehow legislation turns into
politics, which turns into wedon't want to, but you and I.
I have sat with legislatorsthat would absolutely tell me.
They know my party affiliationand they think that I'm a card
carrying Republican or Democrat,and they have no idea.

No, that's like when I read for office.
Everyone's like they made anassumption and a decision based
on what they knew my partyaffiliation was.
Is that how I was gonna and andnavigate that?
And even you said that to me.
Is that kitty?
Why would you do that?

you have no filter and no I don't think I
said that what I I think I wassaying was like, because one of
the best things about you isthat you're fearless and that
you have a voice and you're notafraid to use it.
It's just that some politicianscan't always do that, no, and
so if you want to be asuccessful politician at time
and you see them they all get introuble.

(37:50):
The second they step in it.
And I just wanted to be the onethat said and I, you're likely
going to step in it.
And you were like you know what, I don't care.
And then I was like okay, allright, here we go, here we go,
and you know what.
You did a great job.
And in fact I'm going to giveyou a plug that the guy that
actually you got more votes thanI won't say who it was and you
spent millions of dollars.
You know the fact that he wentto you and said you should you

(38:14):
know, kind of little girl, whydon't you drop your campaign and
just join me and do yourself afavor?
And again, the same person thatmay not always have the best
political answer was kind oflike I'm good, no, thank you,
and I can handle it.
And you ended up getting morevotes than him.

So I'm proud of you for having that gumption and
the backbone to do that.
And I had people in theindustry at this show this year
saying why aren't you runningagain?
Why aren't you running?
And I said you know what Ilearned from that experience,
which was absolutely incredible?
And and I again, I haven't, wehaven't even had a chance,
because it's been a whirlwind, Iknow, and it's like that that.

(38:54):
That what you said to me thenis that most of the time, I am
going to say what I'm going tosay and I said look, I said I
had people vote for me justbecause I was genuine, and and
people that said they wouldn'tbecause that didn't say what
they wanted to hear, Correct.

And I knew that you would not do that, which is
I respect you for.

But but I had people come to me and say, why
aren't you running again?
Because the number one focus ofmy, of my campaign and my
interest was supporting ourindustry A hundred percent.
And then and then what Ilearned was, as a person on the
commission, you have one vote.
Yeah, you have one vote in avote of five.

(39:29):
So where I found, and I've nowsince been committed to and
still committed to, is creatingthose relationships and trying
to drive our industry asindividuals to push those votes,
because I can now representthousands of people, not just
one.
Sure, 100%.

So it goes into that legislative committee.
How do we get people to supportUSSA's legislative initiatives?
Or monetary?
Is there a way that people candonate more?
Is there a way people can givemore?

Not at this point , to be honest.
Okay, and so normally what Iwould, what I have been doing,
and you know, is that you know Iwork with my my uh, my city
mouse association, that and I'mthe country mouse association,
with my partners who have beenso amazing with us, with the
Marine Industries Association ofSouth Florida, that do have the

(40:24):
ability and the funding to beable to do those things.

So that's important, though, to partner
with local trade associations inall of the regions where USA is
.

Our areas of expertise and excellence,
because their focus is morelocal and where I do bring a
different global perspective andthings that are coming up.
And so for, at this point inour evolution of what we've been
around for 18 years, ourassociation US Superyacht has
been around for 18 years.

I remember when it started.

It was a group of 12.
Post Wilma yes, I do rememberthat and one of the original 12,
john Mann from Blue Water Booksand Charts, who was a board
member at M relationships withsolid organizations that do have
the means and ability, and thennow we're seeing people

(41:28):
understand the reality and theimportance of that.
So I see it as an evolutionwhere it's coming around.
But I also partner with theNMMA and the MRAA and the MOUSE
Association, because MickeyMouse and all of the Pacific
Northwest and all the MOUSEAssociation Right, because
Mickey Mouse and all of the andthe Pacific.

Northwest and all the four corners of the and
the Pacific Northwest and SuperYacht Northwest.
But that's what we have to do,but that's it.

And it's you know I'm so very excited.
And now bringing other thingsto light, we had a this week.
We filled with so manyeducational opportunities.
We did a whole flag state issuewith understanding what are the
different flags and what'scoming down the pipe.
What's new?

we did a brand new class society and I had
three guests at that, yes, andthey found it to be very helpful
, very informative again it'slike trying to herd all the cats
and where we've all beenworking in our own various silos
and things.

now we don't have that, that real ability to do
that.
We have to work together and weare kind of working towards
that.
So it's been, it's been themost amazing, fun career for me
and uh, you know now to be ableto kind of see what was old
again coming new again, like thebillfish tournaments and seeing

(42:40):
these young kids that I knewwhen they were like really
little now taking leadershiproles.
I agree it is nice to see, it'sreally incredible.
And then, but like, and samething with women.
Oh absolutely, and taking aleadership role.
I mean I remember when I firstgot hired at MYASF in 1992 and
Frank Verhold was excited justbecause I had boating industry

(43:03):
knowledge.
But I mean I would have peoplecome in and say, okay, let me
talk to the boss, and I'm likeno, no, no, no.
I would say Frank, don't youdare talk to him.

Well, I have a funny about Frank, and rest in
peace, frank.
And he ended up.
He was such a lovely, lovely,lovely mentor, man, person,
human, and played a veryimportant role in my life.
But I always say, inauspiciousbeginnings lead to great endings
.
And he wouldn't meet with mebecause I was, you know, 28

(43:34):
years old, a wards kid, and itwas kind of like it wasn't that
he ever like.
You know, I showed up at theoffice and you know, but it was
I was trying to talk with himabout the long shore at the time
that my dad had turned me on toand I ended up needing Scott
Miser, who also was such apioneer in our industry hey,
scott, if you're out there andyou watch this, good to see you.

(43:54):
And Scott was like, well, I'llget you in with Frank, come here
.
And like we drove down thestreet and he sat him down and
then fast forward over time.
When I eventually becamepresident of the association and
sat next to Frank on the plane,I was like, well, are you going
to take notes from me now?

You know like well, when I got on the board
after I had left and I said,well, now I guess I'm here
Exactly and, uh, frank alwayslaughed and he's like no, no.

I said it's fine, you know, I don't take it
bad, but I have to say for me I,um, I was blessed to have so
many people lead the way for me.
I always give Jennifer Say acredit for um, my best advice on
getting on the board.
She said the best advice yourfirst year, say nothing, just
listen.
Two years.
She said you know what?
You have so many amazing smartbusiness leaders in there.
If you just spend your firstyear listening, the second year

(44:45):
you'll know what to say.
And man, I tell her almostevery time I see her.
I give her credit for that.
She told me that at SeaWatch,at the board, you know how we
used to have the meetings, theoutgoing and the incoming.
And she told me that and Iremember at first going, wow,
that's kind of weird advice.
You know not to like study upon this or study up on that.
And boy, all these years laterI think that was kind of the

(45:07):
most brilliant advice she couldhave ever given me and I always
give her credit for that.

And it's so true with women in the industry.
It's like when I first went towork for MISF, their offices
were up at the commercialairport, okay, because they were
just coming out of bankruptcy,oh yeah.
And then we moved down to abuilding, was right around the
corner from my house, okay.
And back then, you know, youcouldn't portage your phone

(45:32):
numbers.
Oh God, no.
And so when I left my house, myapartment there, that number
became the number for MISF.
Oh really.
So we would always get callsand say, is kitty there?
And the fact that it happened,the 523-1004, oh my gosh, that
was mine.
Oh, that is so funny, and it'sit, it's like so funny, it did.

(45:53):
And but now, then you canportage phone numbers, but it
was, you know.
But the one thing about frankis that he always supported
women, always, and I alwaysfound women to be so challenging
with each other, which is why Icreated that Inspire initiative
, that I was so happy to haveyou sit on with us.

And so many wonderful, beautiful women and
women that I didn't even knowhad certain roles in the
industry that I've had anopportunity.
Because of that, it was awesomeTo just be in a little circle,
just to lift up and it's thatyou know.

It's that you know growing up and, like you
and like me, when I was starting, everybody was always
questioning.
You know, questioning, oh well,you're a woman or you're this
or that, but not necessarily.
But it was the time, it was agenerational thing, but then
also I then, as I started goingthrough, I found women not also
being helpful with each otherwhen they couldn't, and so I'm

(46:52):
happy to start to see some ofthose things evolving and
growing and being a part of kindof helping build that.
I mean, one of the coolestthings is I got an award from
Marine Industries Associationthat I created some 20 years ago
.

There you go, and that's full circle.
It's awesome there you go andthat's full circle.

It's awesome.
I love that.
It's awesome.
And then to be sitting herewith you today where I remember
before you would never take amicrophone I know I did not.

It's so funny.
It makes me so proud to haveknown you all these years.
Oh, thank you, and thank youfor being here.
Well, thank you for being heretoday that you've had going on,
and this will not be your onlypodcast.

Well, no, I've had my own podcast.

No, I mean, this will not be your only time
being a guest on my podcast.
Better than me.
Yeah, we got some other stuffto talk about.

We got lots to talk about.
There's so much going on.
Yes, and I thank you so muchfor giving me this opportunity
during the Fort LauderdaleInternational Boat Show, the
world's largest.
And now, with that new place,that new uh uh license plate,
yes, that we can get peopleinvolved.
We absolutely can Very cool and, uh, I wish you heard it here.
I did Well, I know I heard itbefore.

I know Well, but we said it here.

We said it here, all right.

And, uh, you do , Thank you.
Okay, all right, bye, cheers.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Dateline NBC