Capping off its 25th anniversary this year, Freedom Boat Club hosted its annual National Franchise Conference in early December.
Club owners gathered from across the country at the Florida Boca Raton Club and Resort, along with associates and key vendors, for the four-day conference and awards ceremony.
Winning the Franchise of the Year award was the Weir family of Lake Norman, North Carolina.
Freedom Boat Club president and CEO John Giglio said the award was given to Perry and Jeff Weir and their family for upholding the club’s high standards, coupled with continued membership growth and high customer satisfaction ratings.
A top franchise sales associate from Lake Norman, Susan Joosten, received the Century Club award for selling more than 100 club memberships in two seasons.
The Rookie of the Year award was presented to Bobby Parker for the Daytona Beach, Fla., franchise he launched this year.
The Highest Percentage of Revenue Increase award was won by Glenn Bergoffen, who owns the Tampa Bay franchise. It has club locations in Tampa Bay, Tarpon Springs, St. Petersburg, Tavares and Clearwater, Fla.
The Guardian of Reciprocity award was won by Chris and Lisa Kelly of Sebastian/Vero Beach, Fla. The Territory Expansion Award was presented to Matt Carrick and Matt O’Connor in the Boston/Cape Cod market for their acquisition and membership development success in their markets.
A new award category was introduced this year — the Freedom Boat Club Brand Champion, It was presented to a franchise owner who best represents the club’s brand.
The inaugural award was presented to Lisa “The Boatanista” Almeida, who co-owns the Jacksonville/St. Augustine club franchise. Almeida promoted the brand and is actively engaged in the marine industry through trade show participation and by serving on the Recreational Boating Leadership Council’s national Diversity Task Force.
“It’s been a great year for Freedom Boat Club, with many of our franchises enjoying their best year ever,” Giglio said in a statement. “We are so proud of the achievements of our entire franchise network and were very pleased to provide special recognition for those whose performances this year were especially outstanding. With the group [of] franchise owners now in place, 2015 is shaping up to be our best ever.”
