West Marine announced the appointment of Paulee Day as chief executive officer, succeeding Chuck Rubin, who retired in May.
Day, West Marine’s COO and corporate secretary since February, is the first woman to serve as CEO since the company was founded in 1968.
“I have greatly enjoyed my time at West Marine and am delighted the board of directors has selected me to be the CEO,” Day said in a statement. “Over the past few years, West Marine has significantly transformed its retail and online operations through a heightened focus on core boating, strong vendor relationships and streamlined operations.”
Day joined West Marine in 2022 as chief legal and human resources officer and was promoted to chief administrative officer in January 2024 and COO earlier this year. As COO, she has served on the executive leadership team and oversaw the company’s 200-plus retail stores, West Marine Pro and key functional areas, including operations, merchandise operations, marketing, supply chain/transportation, business development, legal, human resources, real estate, risk management and procurement.
Day previously was executive vice president, chief legal officer and assistant secretary of MarineMax for 15 years. She serves on the American Boat & Yacht Council board of directors and is a member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce board.
