Jim Meere was given the National Marine Lenders Association’s service award during its recent 36th annual conference in Naples, Fla.
A marine retailer turned financial service company manager, Meere was given the Bill Otto Marine Lending Industry Service Award for sharing his knowledge of the boat-selling and service side of the boating industry with colleagues on the loan side.
He also was given the award for his expanded participation in NMLA activities and membership by welcoming non-lenders.
The Otto Award was created to recognize people in the marine industry who have given their time and energy to benefit organizations and help colleagues achieve success in their work or business. The award is named for Bill Otto, a founding member of the association, and presented by Global Marine Insurance.
The award calls for an individual with a credo for choosing the ethical route and challenging those who might consider a different path.
Meere was described as possessing a perpetual can-do attitude, a penchant for volunteering for mundane jobs in running a group and handling them with high attention to detail and having a flair for injecting fun along the way. He also was described as a gracious host, tour guide and goodwill ambassador who makes members and others feel welcome at NMLA events.
Starting in boat retailing and then moving to jobs at several major marine lenders, Meere served as an association director for more than 18 years, including in officer positions and as an annual workshop Instructor.
He led the association into the traveling annual convention routine, orchestrated the exhibit efforts and invited non-lenders to be a part of the conferences as sponsors.
