Freedom Boat Club president and CEO John Giglio has promoted Barry Slade from vice president of business development to chief operating officer of the corporation and the newly launched division of Freedom Marine Sales.

“Barry’s years of marine-industry experience and his hands-on working knowledge of Freedom Boat Club will be leveraged to great advantage as he focuses on our corporate footprint for continued development and growth,” said Giglio in a statement. “With Barry leading the corporate clubs and the recent appointment of Louis Chemi to champion domestic and international franchise initiatives along with expansion to new recreational industries, I’m confident that Freedom Boat Club is very well positioned for continued success.

As part of Giglio’s organizational restructuring plan that will let him focus on longer-term strategic initiatives, Slade has been appointed to assume daily management responsibilities for the 17 southwest Florida corporate-owned clubs. Additionally, Slade will oversee corporate club expansion, real estate/marina acquisition, charter/sales initiatives plus spearhead new member programs.