Marquis Yachts promoted Matthew VanGrunsven to vice president of global sales at the company, the builder of Carver and Marquis yachts.
Irwin Jacobs, owner/partner of Marquis Yachts LLC, made the announcement last week, saying VanGrunsven, formerly the company’s sales director, was a natural choice for the role because of his experience with the Carver and Marquis lines and his successful track record with the company.
VanGrunsven will be responsible for developing the company’s global sales strategy and managing ongoing sales activities. More than 60 percent of the company’s yachts are sold outside the United States and Canada. VanGrunsven has been with the company for 10 years and has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from Marquette University.
“We are in good hands to have Matt heading our sales division,” Jacobs said in a statement. “His experience and passion for representing the Marquis and Carver brands make him an excellent choice to lead the company into the future.”
VanGrunsven assumes the new role at a time when the company, especially the Carver division, is in the middle of an aggressive period of new product development, unveiling three new yachts in 2013 alone. So far this year Carver has unveiled the C34 and the C40 and has announced the Carver 37-foot Coupé, which will be launched later this year.
VanGrunsven replaces Erik Nelson, who left the company recently to assume a similar role at a recreational equipment manufacturer in Minnesota. VanGrunsven lives in Green Bay and will be based at Marquis’ shipyard and corporate headquarters in Wisconsin.
