Acquisition Creates the Largest and Most-Integrated End-to-End Software Solution for Marine Businesses in the Industry.
Hobe Sound, Fla. – Oct. 9, 2013 – My-Villages, a leader in marine mobile technology, has acquired DockMaster, the top information management solution for marine retailers, marinas and service centers. The integration of DockMaster software and My-Villages’ consumer and professional application, called The Boat Village, will create the largest and most integrated software solution for marine businesses in the industry.
By combining the DockMaster and The Boat Village technology products, My-Villages will serve more than 600 marinas, dealers, boatyards and marine service centers in North America and the Caribbean, and facilitate the care of tens of thousands of vessels.
“Our goal has always been to improve how the marine industry connects, communicates and collaborates,” said Kevin Hutchinson, founder and CEO of My-Villages. “Bringing these technology products and teams together under one roof accelerates our ability to deliver on our vision of an integrated end-to-end service, similar to what is available in industries like banking, retail and healthcare.”
Cam Collins, president and CEO of Exuma Technologies, makers of DockMaster, will become president and chief operating officer at My-Villages, bringing two decades of sales, marketing and operational experience in the marine industry to the job.
“The combination of The Boat Village and DockMaster bridges the information and coordination gap between boaters and marine retailers and service centers,” Collins said. “The Boat Village puts information in the hands of boaters that wasn’t readily available before. This integration of these mobile and enterprise technologies will give marine businesses new ways to interact and engage with customers and allow boaters to access information about their boats that was only available in the past by requesting it by phone or in person.”
Jim Dragseth, the president of Whiticar Boat Works in Stuart, Fla., which uses both DockMaster and The Boat Village, was enthusiastic about the news. “This is like watching two great tools merge into one,” he said. “The integration of these two products will allow us to further streamline and simplify communication with our boat owners, coordinate service more efficiently and improve customer satisfaction.”
Marrying DockMaster’s suite of productivity products, which are already well integrated into the industry, with The Boat Village’s consumer-friendly mobile solutions will result in a next-generation technology solution for marine companies. This solution will drive operational efficiencies, increase consumer loyalty, vastly improve customer service and coordination, and allow them to better track business trends.
Beginning in 1983, Exuma’s DockMaster suite of software tools has helped marine companies of all sizes manage their business, improving productivity, financial controls and customer service. It is used by successful marine companies like SkipperBud’s, one of the nation’s largest boat dealerships and marine service companies, with 22 locations in eight states, and Saunders Yachtworks, a premier multi-location boatyard in the Gulf Coast and ABBRA’s Boatyard of the Year in 2009.
The Boat Village works on any computer, smartphone or tablet and allows boat owners and marine professionals to radically change how they interact. It provides boat owners and technicians an all-in-one platform to easily communicate, coordinate service and share information. Service requests can be documented and exchanged, including the use of photos and video. Maintenance reminders can be automated, and questions can be answered, all in one place. The boat’s equipment inventory, service history, manuals, usage trends, and other useful information are also readily available, giving technicians and owners a powerful communication tool. The Boat Village is in use by major firms like The Hinckley Co., Westerbeke, and more than a dozen other service yards up and down the East Coast.
“Today’s technologies focus on more than simply automating internal processes to improve operations,” said Hutchinson. “They extend beyond the internal walls of a company and allow consumers and businesses to engage each other and transact business 24/7, from anywhere and any device. We are thrilled to be bringing today’s technologies to the marine industry.”
To learn more about The Boat Village and DockMaster, visit www.myvillages.com.
