Liam Clark takes on more technical sales

Lusty & Blundell Ltd, New Zealand’s leading distributor of top-quality marine products and systems, has expanded showroom manager Liam Clark’s role into the crucial area of technical sales.

Based at L&B’s head office in Albany, on Auckland’s North Shore, Liam’s key area of focus will be Raymarine’s market-leading marine electronics. This will include working with key customers to understand what they are trying to achieve and then suggesting the best possible packages to meet their needs.

Having joined L&B in 2018 in a 19-year-old junior sales support role, Liam’s ability to quickly absorb new information, along with his hands-on experience and fast-growing practical knowledge, saw him become an integral member of Lusty & Blundell’s internal sales team before being promoted to showroom manager in 2022.

“Liam’s on-water experience and the additional knowledge he has gained since joining L&B has given him an extremely sound understanding of our broad range of products,” says L&B sales director Cameron Maher. “Liam’s enthusiasm to service our clients and run his team is an inspiration to all of us.”

Liam grew up around the ocean and boats and is an avid boatie, spearfisher and multiple boat owner.

“I love spending lots of time on the water and getting to use as many products in the L&B range as possible,” he says. “That practical experience then allows me to recommend the best possible solutions for our clients: products and systems that are not only reliable and high-performing but also perfectly suited to their needs.”

Liam says he takes pride in the strong relationships he has fostered with key L&B clients and enjoys working with and pushing his team of three showroom sales representatives to achieve ever-higher levels of customer service and expertise.

Liam says he is very excited about his latest role and how dynamic it is.

“This new position will allow me to use the skills and experience I already have to gain an even deeper understanding of our huge range of great products. It will also let me quickly grasp the technical details and therefore the potential of the latest releases as they come to market.”

Thanks to Chris Glew who sent through this article. Chris' Grandfather was the engineer on board.

Thought it might be of interest to those who've just visited Minerva Reef :)

A new web-based app called the Marine Vessel Portal (MVP) has been developed to help New Zealand boat owners, marinas and councils reduce the risk of marine pest incursions. The MVP is already a key tool in marine biosecurity management, recording surveillance activity, findings and the presence of marine pests in bays and harbours from Northland to Bay of Plenty. It also records information about the regional hull surveillance programmes, including biofouling levels and pest species found on boats during routine inspections. By signing up to the MVP boat owners and marina operators can be empowered to better manage their biofouling risk.

The Portal will include:

Information about a boat’s recent hull maintenance or cleaning can be entered into the MVP by boat owners, maintenance contractors, haul outs and dive companies. The MVP also contains results from hull surveys undertaken by council marine biosecurity teams in Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

When a vessel arrives in a new location marina staff will be able to see when a boat was cleaned, its antifoul coatings, and details of recent inspections. This, along with talking with the boat owner about where a vessel has traveled, will help them decide if a boat presents a marine biosecurity risk or not.

How to get started

Boat owners can claim their boat in the system by entering some basic information about their vessel, including its name, description, usual location and their contact details. Uploading a photo is also helpful.

Once submitted, our team will work to match it up with a boat already in the system and ask the boat owner to confirm the match - or they will set up a new entry if needed.

With access to the MVP, owners can see details of past dive inspections of their vessel including any the level of fouling and marine pest species found. They can also add their own information about their vessel’s antifouling maintenance

Participating marina operators can view this information, negating the need for vessel owners to carry/email documents before arriving at a marina or in some cases, between regions.

The Marine Vessel Portal is an app developed and shared by Northland Regional Council, Auckland Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Waikato Regional Council. These councils are empowered to collect information about vessels by the Biosecurity Act, but participation by boat owners is optional.

When a boat owner claims their boat they will need to provide permission for the identity of their vessel to be confirmed with their marina operator (if applicable) and will have an opportunity to review and accept a Privacy Agreement. A two-step authentication process will protect the integrity of vessel data.