Since taking the leap into the marine retail business in 2001, South Florida Marine owner Jana Wood and her team foster an engaging and rewarding company culture as the dealership continues to grow and expand.
Q: You and your husband started South Florida Marine in 2001, what made you decided to enter the boating business?
Wood: Mike owned a Ski Boat and had a close relationship with the local inboard service center. There was an opportunity for Mike and I to purchase the business to sell and service inboard boats. We decided to take a leap and buy in.
Q: What do you think was one of the biggest lessons you have learned since starting your business?
Wood: The biggest lesson learned is to keep our staff engaged in creating a bigger and better dealership each and every year. Though good times and bad we keep moving forward even when tough times arise. We learned to have fun and keep a sense of humor.
Q: You participated in last month’s Dealer-to-Dealer question. It is obvious that South Florida Marine values your employees. Explain how you maintain a positive dealership culture.
Wood: At our biweekly staff meeting, we encourage our staff to pick an employee of the month. We work together as a team through problems in whichever department it may be. We keep a family atmosphere and treat all our employees like family.
Q: What are you doing differently today versus this time last year that has helped you stay competitive?
Wood: We try to be present in the community as much as possible, even in areas you don’t normally see boats displayed such as car and air shows. We have extended our hours and ask our staff to rotate so that we can stay more accessible for boat drop off and pick up.
Q: What are 5 things that people may not know about you?
Wood:
- We are the oldest Mastercraft dealership in Florida.
- We specialize in salt water series inboard service.
- We have two sons who plan to take over as owners and operators of South Florida Marine.
- We have been a Top 100 Dealer for the past six years and are a 5 Star Certified Dealership
- South Florida Marine is planning on expanding with a “ship to shore store” and doubling our property for our boat display in 2019.