MIAMI—On Friday morning at the annual Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show’s Innovation Breakfast, National Marine Manufacturers Association Thom Dammrich presented the 2018 Charles Chapman Award to Tom Marhevko of NMMA and to Phil Cappel of the United States Coast Guard.

“Phil and Tom have devoted their entire careers to bettering the boating industry and community, and we are proud to honor them with the Charles Chapman Award,” said Dammrich. “Phil spent his entire career in service to the United States Coast Guard and has helped marine manufacturers understand and comply with regulations, establish standards for the marine industry and ensure the quality and safety of recreational boats for the public.”

The Chapman Award recognizes individuals or groups within the marine industry who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of boating for the benefit of the recreational boating industry and boating public.

Cappel is a 1971 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. As a member of the USCG, he served afloat on the cutters Boutwell and Mendota and ashore as an instructor at the Officer Candidate School at Training Center Yorktown. After earning an MBA at the College of William and Mary in 1978, he served in a number of positions for the Coast Guard. He resigned in 1991 and the following year was a civilian employee at Coast Guard headquarters as Chief of the R&D Planning Branch. In 1996, he was reassigned as the Recreational Boating Product Assurance Branch Chief for the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety.

Marhevko served on the American Boat & Yacht Council Technical Board and the Society of Automotive Engineers Marine Technical Steering Committee for 21 years. He has worked with the NMMA on EPA requirements for catalytic converters, reduction of vapor emissions from fuel vent systems and the use of ethanol in marine fuel. He established agreements that led to studies on CO hazards on boats and presented technical seminars at IBEX and other shows. Marhevko also launched a recreational boat manufacturer factory inspection program to assists builders in complying with federal safety regulations.