Lou and Sherri Cecchini started Off Shore Marine in 1986 in Branchville, N.J. The couple operated from a highway location and rented 900 square feet for their shop, showroom and office. At the time, Lou Cecchini also worked as a auto mechanic, but he had long-term plans for the dealership from the start.
Today, the dealership employs 24 people full and part time, including their sons Louie and Kevin. The dealership provides sales, service and storage for new and used boats, and has a ship’s store and pro shop. It represents Mercury and MerCruiser, and has carried PCM Engines for 40 years, Nautique for 30 years and Barletta for five years.
Cecchini says that with 63% of all second-generation businesses failing, and with 90% of all third-generation businesses failing, he wanted to do better. “I read, went to seminars, listened to guest speakers, worked on a succession plan, talked to other family-business owners who were having problems and more,” he says. “I learned a lot, but the single most important thing was about the importance of good communication.”
In 2023, Cecchini and his team opened a new facility, designed from the ground up to improve efficiency. “We are paying for this entire facility with money we are saving from the inefficiencies we had,” Cecchini says.
The test pond is by far the biggest monetary generator. “Being a blacktop dealer and having to trailer boats to the water for testing,” he says, “we were at a big disadvantage to those dealers on the water. We are now able to diagnose faster and confirm our repairs in a fraction of the time.”
The pond is 300 feet long and 13 feet deep, with a 65-foot, two-boat-wide ramp that allows technicians to test and confirm repairs. Also in the works at the dealership is another building that initially will be used for boat storage, but also is designed for future service expansion.
Marketing and Results
At the beginning of last year, Off Shore Marine started an in-house marketing department. The year began slowly, Cecchini says, but improved each month. “Mainly due to our marketing efforts, we ended up having the best year we have ever had,” he says. “Just about everything we do is video. We are constantly posting upcoming events, outreach efforts and special sales on social media outlets.”
The dealership produces videos about new and used boats, and creates custom videos for customers. Boats are also placed in the test pond for filming so customers can see them underway.
Core Values
Cecchini says culture is the most important part of the business. “I have let really good-producing people go because they just did not fit,” he says. “I spend a lot of time making sure that the personality fits as much as the talents that they may possess. The most important thing in our business is not the customer. It’s the employee, and they all know it.”
The dealership has a staff meeting every morning in the break room to bring the team together to start the day. Two programs, Catch of the Month and Rock Star, reward employees. The former recognizes teamwork or ideas, while the latter is customer-generated for turning out good work, with a monthly drawing from customer comments and a prize wheel for the winning employee.
This year, Off Shore Marine celebrated its 40th anniversary. Cecchini says the dealership expected 100 attendees at a party, but about 250 people showed up. The business also received a citation from state legislators and produced a documentary about the milestone for its website.
Managing Growth
Cecchini follows a 7-to-1 rule when it comes to customer satisfaction: “Make seven people happy, and you get one referral. Upset one person, and they tell seven people.”
He says the business is always planning for growth while being as conservative as possible. “We just had the best first quarter we have ever had, so we are going to keep riding that wave, but watch for if and when it might crash,” he says. He also cites advice from his peer-collaboration 20 Group facilitator, David Parker: “The only mode of business that is sustainable is the growth mode.”
Cecchini says that even as the team was designing the new facility, plans were in the works for future expansions. “The boys, Sherri and I, at our yearly family meeting, are always asking the question, ‘What’s next?’ ” he says. “We are always planning.”
Overall, Cecchini says, the biggest impact on his thinking came from Thomas William Deans and his book Every Family’s Business. “It’s about the importance of communication. Discuss everything. Family health, family wealth. Be transparent. The book has 12 questions that all family members answer annually at the family meeting.
“I believe so much in what he has to say that I buy this book by the dozen,” he says, “and every time I get into a conversation with another family-business owner, I hand or send them a copy.”
If you would like to see your dealership profiled, email david.conway@firecrown.com.
This story originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of Soundings Trade Only.
