Sea Tow Services International, Inc. presented awards to Sea Tow® franchise owners and their team members for their outstanding service, sales and marketing achievements, community support and more at the company’s 2024 annual meeting held Nov. 19 through 21 in Orlando, Florida.
Highlights of the 2024 Awards Include:
- Seven Efforts Above and Beyond Awards were presented to captains for their outstanding performance of duty and going above and beyond to assist boaters in need. These included Sea Tow Shinnecock/Moriches Captain Chris Rubino; Sea Tow Wrightsville Beach Captain Norm Bowen; Sea Tow Tampa Bay Captain Blake Milner; Sea Tow Central New Jersey Captains Walt Bohn and Joseph Gallinoto; Sea Tow Northern New Jersey Captain Jason Jablonski; and Sea Tow Smith Mountain LakeCaptain Brian Sportelli.
- Sea Tow Central Connecticut’s Captain Tom Heinssen was presented the Life Saving Award for rescuing six people from the Connecticut River after a boating accident.
- The Public Relations Champion Award, an award recognizing the franchise that best utilized public relations practices to promote the Sea Tow brand, was presented to the owner of Sea Tow Savannah/St. Catherines, Captain Jim Givens.
- The Marketing Excellence Award, presented to the franchise that exemplifies the use of marketing best practices to create brand awareness and generate business, was awarded to Captain Kerry Kline, owner of Sea Tow Central Florida Lakes.
- The Brand Champion Award, a new award for 2024, was presented to Michele Kerrigan of Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale, who embodies the spirit and values of the Sea Tow brand through consistent dedication and passion.
- The Tech Champion Award, new in 2024, was awarded to Captain Patrick Lamb, owner of Sea Tow Clearwater / Port Richey, for his team’s technology-forward approach to business and daily operations, and valuable feedback and engagement with the IT team to help improve Sea Tow systems.
- The Sea Tow Foundation Hero Award, presented to the franchisee that most exemplifies the Sea Tow Foundation’s mission to promote boating safety, was awarded to the owner of Sea Tow Eastern Long Island, Captain Brian Becker.
- The Georgia Frohnhoefer Award, named after Sea Tow’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Georgia Frohnhoefer, to honor an outstanding woman in the Sea Tow network each year, was presented to Tracie Singletary of Sea Tow Big Bend.
- Sea Tow Rookie of the Year, which recognizes the top-performing new Sea Tow franchise owners, went to Tom, Nathalie, Nic and Nate Fabbricatore of Sea Tow Lake Norman/Lake Wylie and Sea Tow Kerr Lake/Lake Gaston.
- Sea Tow Franchise of the Year, awarded to the franchise that most exemplifies Sea Tow’s highstandards of service and operation, was presented to Sea Tow Big Bend.
“All Sea Tow franchisees and their teams are committed to providing exemplary service to Sea Tow members, and the boating industry as a whole,” said Sea Tow President Kristen Frohnhoefer. “Congratulations to this year’s award winners for their achievements!”
With a Sea Tow membership, boaters pay one annual rate of $249/year for Gold Card membership and $169/year for Lake Card membership and receive the most comprehensive on-water assistance services available. Sea Tow offers members free boat towing in their home area, tow coverage to repair facilities on all covered vessels, alternatives to towing such as battery jumps, fuel delivery, covered ungroundings, disentanglements and more.
For more information about Sea Tow, please visit https://seatow.com/.
About Sea Tow Services International, Inc.
Sea Tow Services International Inc. is the administrator of the worldwide Sea Tow membership program and network of Sea Tow franchisees who provide assistance to members. Sea Tow has been the premier leader of on-water assistance for 40+ years. The pioneering concept, founded by Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer, was established in Southold, NY when the United States Coast Guard ceased response to non-emergency assistance calls. Sea Tow members are provided with a 24/7 connection to Coast Guard-Licensed Captains to assist with their on-water needs. In addition, the franchise network handles salvage and recovery operations, and responds to natural disasters, environmental hazards and oil spill cleanups. Visit seatow.com to learn more or follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
