Sail & Ski Center, with its popular Lake Travis location, has been recognition as the No. 1 ranked dealer in North America for 2009 by Boating Industry magazine.

The Sail & Ski Center earned the top spot on the annual list not only for its sales volume, but also for overall business operations and the delivery of superior customer service. Of specific notice were the dealer’s exclusive owner’s club, innovative customer events and educational seminars, and its yacht club on Lake Travis.

The Sail & Ski Center was the only Austin-based dealer ranked in the top 20 and one of only six Texas dealers to make the list. The dealer earned the No. 4 spot in the 2008 Boating Industry rankings, and has earned a position in the top-12 in each of the past five years. The rankings were determined by an elite group of the marine industry’s leading suppliers, brought together by Boating Industry to review the more than 3,000 nominations from across the U.S. and rank them on select criteria.

“While most industry awards are given to those dealers that sell the most boats, our Top 100 program is much more qualitatively focused,” said Matt Gruhn, Editor-in-Chief of Boating Industry, “thereby leveling the playing field for all dealers and directing consumers to those dealers that can best deliver on the dream that boat ownership promises.”
This recent recognition by Boating Industry is only the most recent achievement earned by the Sail & Ski Center. In 2007, Sea Ray ranked the dealer No. 1 nationally in the areas of sales and customer service, marking the first time a multi-location dealer had earned this accolade and the first time a dealer had won top honors in both categories. The Sail & Ski Center earned a spot in Mercury Marine’s prestigious President’s Club as an elite national dealer in 2007, and also earned the manufacturer’s Service Customer Satisfaction Award that same year.
“It is an honor and privilege to be named as the top marine dealer in the nation by Boating Industry,” said Rod Malone, President of the Sail & Ski Center. “We have worked hard to become the standard of excellence in boat dealers in Austin, Lakeway and San Antonio, and we look forward to continuing to fulfill the dream of boat ownership for families in Central Texas and across the state for many years to come.”
With the economy beginning to show signs of recovery, the top 100 dealers ranked by Boating Industry are off in sales an average of just 11 percent. Collectively, they employ nearly 4,247 people, operate 269 retail locations across North America and generate more than $1.4 billion in annual sales.
With more square miles of inland water than any other state, Texas currently ranks sixth in the U.S. for the most registered boats. As of September 2008, there were 594,698 registered boat owners in Texas, ranking behind only California, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
About Sail & Ski Center
The Sail & Ski Center, founded in 1969 and headquartered in Austin, operates three locations and a marina, as well as a mobile service depot and storage location, in the Austin, Lakeway and San Antonio markets.
The dealer has earned a reputation for delivering the absolute best boat ownership experience from initial purchase through the lifetime of the boat. The Sail & Ski Center features the largest inventory of new boats and personal watercraft, as well as an excellent selection of used boats. It also houses an unmatched parts and service department, offering routine maintenance to major repairs by its factory-trained technicians. In addition to boat sales, the Sail & Ski Center provides the area’s best water sports and snow sports inventory, with top quality gear, clothing and accessories for the lake or mountain.
For more information, visit www.sailandski.com.