The American Boat & Yacht Council marked its 70th anniversary, named new board members and honored award recipients at its annual meeting Jan. 8 in Annapolis, Md.
Board chair Jeff Wasil and president John Adey briefed attendees on the organization’s initiatives, and Capt. Amy Beach, director inspections and compliance for the Coast Guard, addressed the gathering.
“A recent study found NMMA-certified boats using ABYC standards are much less likely to be involved in accidents involving serious injury or fatality than non-certified boats,” Beach told the meeting. “The USCG cannot accomplish its safety mission alone, and we’re thankful to have such longstanding partnerships as ABYC.”
In a statement, ABYC stated that newly elected members of its board of directors include Scott Croft of BoatUS, Sean Hatherly of Navico Group and Randall Lyons from the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association.
The meeting concluded with ABYC’s annual awards ceremony, where the following people were recognized:
• Lisa Esposito, IYRS School of Technology and Trades, Bolling Fortson Douglas Memorial Award
• Jason Stimmel, Suzuki, ABYC Service Award
• Mike Jendrossek, retired Coast Guardsman, Horizon Award
• Craig Scholten, ABYC, Skip Moyer Award
Tom Marhevko from the NMMA was acknowledged for his contributions to the ABYC technical board, and Augusto “Kiko” Villalon received an Industry Icon Award and an Honorary Past Chairperson Award.
