sept-2017

212 213 OCEAN MARINE GROUP A BOATING INDUSTRY TOP 100 DEALER Ocean Group A t Ocean Marine Group, a local- ly-owned and operated boat dealership serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast region since 1997, total customer satisfaction is the main focus. And that philosophy is intentional. Owner, Keith King, started the business 20 years ago, because he was, himself, an unsatisfied customer when searching for his own boat. “I worked for a marine engineering firm, and I went on a mission to find the perfect boat for me and my wife.We dealt with a lot of yacht brokers, and had a very poor experi- ence,” he recounts. “We did find a boat, but I told my wife that if these guys can make a living doing business the way they do it, then I could make a fortune.” Although that fortune did not quite mate- rialize as anticipated, King did start his own yacht brokerage business, working after five and on weekends, while keeping his day job. “I did that for about two years, and when I was equaling my day job salary, I quit and went full-time as a yacht broker,” he contin- ues. “Within a year, I recognized the same need in the retail market. In September 1997, we opened the doors on our first facili- ty in Ocean Springs; built the second facility