Biz Buzz: Chesapeake Business News

Intrinsic Yacht & Ship announces that yacht broker Blaine Champlin has joined its sales team. Blaine grew up in the marine industry spending summers in Ocean City, MD, as a mate when he was a teenager and eventually became a captain, which he has been now for over 25 years. He moved to Florida to be a full-time captain and through those experiences he created lasting relationships with clients. He moved into sales to help people find what they were after and provide his expert advice on what they need. Blaine says, “Building relationships with my clients is my favorite part of the job and finding them what they want is the ultimate goal.” Blaine has fished around the world, including three seasons in Venezuela, and is very knowledgeable about all brands of boats on the market. “Having Blaine join our team will allow Intrinsic to continue to grow along the East Coast. His knowledge and expertise are what makes him a good broker, but his personality and drive to give his clients the best experience is what makes him an excellent broker,” says Chris Ruggieri, owner of Intrinsic Yacht & Ship. Blaine will split his time working out of the Annapolis, MD, and Ocean City, MD, offices and is licensed in Florida. He can be reached at (561) 788-5259 (cell) or blaine@intrinsicyacht.com. Dockshare, a Maryland based start-up that connects boaters with private dock owners who want to rent their docks while safely earning extra income, announces the partnership with leading global digital trust platform, SUPERHOG, to give industry-leading protection to private dock owner members and boaters utilizing Dockshare services. Dockshare is the first boating industry organization to partner with SUPERHOG. “Dockshare is committed to ensuring our members are protected during bookings, so that’s why we’ve teamed up with SUPERHOG for our newly chosen trust and safety partner,” said Nate Young, cofounder of Dockshare. SUPERHOG enables hosts, operators, and guests to confidently transact in the short-term rentals space by using technology and data to create trust between strangers and de-risk their interactions. All approved bookings between members are automatically protected by the SUPERHOG Guarantee and a digital security deposit provided by SUPERHOG. Together, Dockshare and SUPERHOG can now provide trust and protection for private dock owners and boaters seeking a safe haven. This partnership will help to increase inclusivity in the short-term rental sector, give private dock owners and boaters the tools they need to verify bookings and minimize risk, and provide a seamless booking experience with full guest verification and embedded insurance. dockshare.app

Giving Back

Each year the staff of Haven Harbour gathers to serve its local community in an act of charitable giving. In December, over 40 employees took to the trails of Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge to assist NWR staff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel, and members of the Friends of Eastern Neck to undertake some much-needed maintenance and care of the public island located to the immediate south of Haven Harbour. The team at Haven Harbour helped clean up public walking trails on the roughly 2300acre migratory bird sanctuary by cutting back invading undergrowth, spreading gravel and rock, controlling grapevines, and picking up litter along Eastern Neck Island Road and around Bogles Wharf. “Perhaps no other recreational industry relies more on the environment than boating,” said managing director Charlie Petosa. “Volunteering and supporting places like Eastern Neck is not just a responsibility, but a privilege.” havenharbour.com Mark Fromert recently joined the Bay Bridge Marina team as the new dockmaster. He has more than 40 years of experience in the marina and boating field. As a Chesapeake Bay cruiser and restoration enthusiast, he’s restored and brought back to life over 20 boats from 18 to 38 feet. Mark brings three years of dockmaster experience from the St. Michaels Harbour Inn Marina and Spa where he made many friends and served marina clients from all over the Eastern seaboard. Mark and his wife Leslie live close by on Kent Island and have been married for 33 years. Together they have four children (all boys) who also live on Kent Island. Before becoming a professional dockmaster, Mark spent 35 years with IBM and Cisco in customer service, sales, and systems engineering. Please say hello to Mark when you see him on the docks. baybridgemarina.com

Sales and Marketing

Ocean Craft Marine, manufacturer of a line of purpose-built professional and recreational Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), announces it has tapped sales and marketing powerhouse Jo Stapleton as director of sales and marketing for the Americas region. Ocean Craft Marine CEO Roy Nouhra said, “We are thrilled that Jo has joined the Ocean Craft Marine family to take on the challenge of marketing the Ocean Craft Marine brand throughout North and South America as we continue our unprecedented growth in the U.S. Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat market. Jo’s passion for boats and boating in tandem with his successes in various sales and marketing capacities makes him uniquely qualified for this new role. We’re eager for him to put that passion to work for Ocean Craft Marine as we carve out market share in the Americas.” Stapleton will be tasked with establishing the Ocean Craft Marine brand in the U.S., building new dealer relationships, and growing its market share in both the professional and recreational segments. “I’m excited to be part of a team that offers a rich history of global boat building expertise, a dynamic design and production process, and a dedication to comprehensive customer support,” added Stapleton. oceancraftmarine.com