Bill Yeargin Wins Marine Industry Leadership Award

The Foundation for Recreational Boating Safety, Education and Environmental Awareness announced that Bill Yeargin, president and CEO of Correct Craft, is the recipient of the 2019 Hammond Marine Industry Leadership Award. Yeargin will be honored at the American Boating Congress (ABC) in Washington, D.C., during the conference’s Farewell Lunch and Awards Ceremony on May 15.

“I am honored and humbled by the Foundation for Recreational Boating Safety, Education and Environmental Awareness’s decision to present me with the 2019 Hammond Marine Industry Leadership Award,” said President and CEO of Correct Craft Bill Yeargin. “Advocacy plays a pivotal role in creating a business environment that allows marine manufacturing companies and workers – including Correct Craft’s team of more than 1,600 people – to produce top quality products for our customers, and I am eager to continue engaging with industry stakeholders on these efforts.”

Yeargin joined Correct Craft in 2006 as its president and CEO. In addition to running Correct Craft – a 94-year-old marine industry manufacturer with global operations and subsidiaries that include several boat companies, Aktion Parks and Pleasurecraft Engine Group – he sits on several marine industry boards and committees, including the board of directors of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and NMMA’s Boat Manufacturers Division Board.

Yeargin has also served both the Obama and Trump administrations on cabinet-level advisory councils. He has been invited to the White House six times to discuss critical issues, testified before the International Trade Commission, and has met with former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Vice President Mike Pence. Yeargin is a key industry spokesperson for trade, beltway, local and national media on top issues, with over a dozen articles, interviews and letters-to-the-editors in the past year.

In 1997, Mr. Robert (Bob) Hammond, founder of Glastron Boats and a renowned industry pioneer, made a donation to the NMMA Foundation to establish an annual award recognizing individuals who have helped grow and protect the industry through advocacy – stopping unwanted government regulations or seeking needed government regulation – and who have demonstrated dedication to the long-term health of the entire marine industry. The Hammond Marine Industry Leadership Award is presented annually during the American Boating Congress.

The Foundation for Recreational Boating Safety, Education and Environmental Awareness is dedicated to educating the public about important issues impacting the recreational boating industry.