You don't have to start in the Boating Industry to rise to the very top of it!

In fact you can study and start your career in Theatre Production Management..and jazz bars.

In this interview I chat with Frank Hugelmeyer – President and CEO at National Marine Manufacturers Association about his career and his love of boating.

Frankie as I rather cheekily call him, is a dear friend that I have come to know through ICOMIA. As the new President of ICOMIA (The International Council of Marine Industry Associations) he leads the world in recreational boating bringing the MIA’s and BIA’s and as many boating associations of the world as possible together to discuss and hopefully solve the barriers, the struggles, the limitations, the new regulations and the successes they are all affected by – it’s amazing how many of them are the same the world over.

Given he’s been doing that for the NMMA for the last 6 years I would suggest he’s the perfect candidate for the task.

Frank is a man that loves to rise to a challenge.

Check out how he introduces himself on his Linked In below:

“Here’s something very important to know about me: I love to inspire teams to do extraordinary things, especially when the outcome or idea has never been done before.



Climb a mountain? Check.

Build a better sandbox? Let’s do it.

Grow an entire industry? I'm all in.



Striving to accomplish what seems hard and sometimes impossible is why I bring a pioneering spirit to every encounter, challenge conventional thinking and discover new ways to learn and grow.”

Our chat covers where his love of boating began, his passion for this industry and what he sees for the future of it.  



You see, he finishes his Linked In with:

There is one more thing that I am very passionate about…living a life-well-lived and encouraging others to do the same. So go fly fish Alaska's Kongakut, paddle Costa Rica’s Pacuare River, climb Italy’s Dolomites or dive Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

You’ll note 3 of those activities involves boating. That’s because Frank doesn’t just work in the boating industry, he truly believes in how much it enriches peoples lives and what a disappointment life would be without it - and that’s why he diplomatically fights for it every day.

You can follow Frank here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankhugelmeyer/

And connect with his amazing team at the NMMA here: https://www.nmma.org/