Craig Barrie, who has worked in the high-performance industry for nearly 30 years, was hired by Donzi Marine as the company’s vice president of sales, the company announced.
Barrie, 59, founded Dragon Powerboats in 2003 and had been involved in retail sales at FastBoats.com for the past four years. Previously, Barrie started in 1984 as vice president of sales and marketing for Cigarette Racing. He then served as Cigarette’s CEO and president until 1999.
“Craig’s long-time relationship with Cigarette and his work at Dragon are invaluable in the premium high-performance boat field,” said Lee Kimmell, CEO of Donzi’s parent company, American Marine Holdings in a statement. “As importantly, Craig has his finger on the pulse of the retail market today, particularly as it applies to the Donzi buyer. His encyclopedic knowledge of the marketplace, specifically as it relates to our brand and positioning, is of paramount importance to us.”
The boatbuilder is looking to Barrie to increase the company’s market share.
“This is far more than an executive changing brands,” said Josh Stickles, Donzi’s vice president of marketing in a press release. “Craig has an across-the-board wealth of experience in sales on both the manufacturer and retail level, he’s been a custom builder, he has acquired and set up dealers and he is a born boat salesman.”
Donzi Marine is based in Sarasota, Fla., was founded in 1964 and builds more than 25 models from 16 to 43 feet. The company’s lineup includes the ZR line of high-performance boats, ZF series of fishing boats and the innovative ZFX line of performance center-consoles.
Donzi is a division of American Marine Holdings, which also operates Pro Line Boats.
Barrie, 59, founded Dragon Powerboats in 2003 and had been involved in retail sales at FastBoats.com for the past four years. Previously, Barrie started in 1984 as vice president of sales and marketing for Cigarette Racing. He then served as Cigarette’s CEO and president until 1999.