The National Marine Manufacturers Association said today that it will honor Dometic Americas president Frank Marciano with the 2017 Alan J. Freedman Memorial Leadership Award.
The award will be presented during the Miami International Boat Show’s Innovation Breakfast on Feb. 17.
“NMMA congratulates Frank Marciano on his exemplary work in the recreational boating industry and is proud to bestow upon him the Alan J. Freedman Award,” NMMA president Thom Dammrich said in a statement. “Frank’s attention to detail and commitment to marine product excellence and customer service have helped paved the way for marine manufacturing’s growth and innovation.”
Marciano started with Marine Air Systems in 1991 as the production manager. Under his leadership the factory was divided into eight self-directed teams, which in turn worked directly with the sales team to satisfy customers.
Marciano developed the “virtual product” concept so the organization could respond to unique customer requests, which remains a hallmark of Dometic.
The NMMA said Dometic has received a large number of industry innovation awards — a 2007 IBEX Innovation Award for Vector Turbo; a 2009 DAME Special Mention for the Portable Breath Easy Air Purifier; a 2010 IBEX Innovation Award for the In-Duct Breathe Easy Air Purifier; a 2010 DAME Nomination for the Bypassable Variable Frequency Drive; a 2011 Pittman Innovation Award for the Sail-Vac Toilet System; a 2012 IBEX Innovation Award Honorable Mention for the Gold Series Air Handler; a 2013 IBEX Innovation Award, Pittman Innovation Award and DAME Nomination for the MasterFlush ORBIT Toilet; a 2014 IBEX Innovation Award for the Variable Capacity Chiller (VARC); and a 2016 Boating Industry Top Products award for the new CRX refrigerator.
In addition to the awards, in 2015-2016 the company developed a patent-pending titanium coil for use in its new Titan Chillers, which make the heat exchangers virtually impervious to harsh sea-water conditions.
In Marciano’s early years he participated with the American Boat and Yacht Council standards committee for marine air conditioning, assisted in teaching classes and, along with several industry partners, created the ABYC Marine Certified AC Technician program.
During his tenure he served on the NMMA Accessory Board from 2011-2014 and NMMA’s main board from 2012-2014. He has supported the MIASF, ABYC and the MLA.
