ORANGE BEACH — Emerald Coast Marine, based in Niceville, Florida, with a second location at The Wharf in Orange Beach, was one of six marine industry organizations recently recognized by the Sea Tow Foundation for its boating safety campaigns and initiatives in 2021.

The dealership won the “National Boating Industry Safety Award” for the “Retailer with One to Three Locations” category, presented at the Marine Retailers Association of America’s national conference in Austin, Texas.

The Emerald Coast Maine Group score the highest overall points in the competition, said Gail R. Kulp, executive director for Sea Tow Foundation.

“Emerald Coast Marine created an integrated campaign including an extensive social media initiative featuring a mix of online boating education resources, along with a new series of boating safety videos produced internally that show it is possible to accomplish a lot with limited resources,” Kulp said.

In addition, Kulp said, the dealership underwrites the cost and promotes in-person boating safety classes in partnership with the USCG Auxiliary, along with promoting boating safety in its monthly newsletter. They also promoted National Boating Safety Week with a custom video featuring every member of the dealership team wearing life jackets.

“Our entire team is very honored to have received this distinguished award for our boating safety efforts,” said Emerald Coast Marine’s Shawn Talpey. “Our team has always placed a strong emphasis on boating safety and we invest in boater education to keep our boaters safe and confident while operating on the waterways.”

The dealership has ongoing boating safety programs slated for 2022 including seven months of seasonal boating safety training programs held in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; a dedicated on-site boating safety event including vessel checks with the auxiliary in March; ladies’ boating events/classes; plus a continued emphasis on boating safety via live seminars, social media and video messaging.

“Boating safety isn’t really something we do … it is part of our culture,” Talpey said. “We look for every opportunity to educate and promote boating safety through all of our customer and outreach initiatives.”

Emerald Coast Marine services the entire northwest Gulf Coast market and offers turnkey boating services. For more information, visit www.EmeraldCoastMarine.com.