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MarineMax announced its largest acquisition to date with the purchase of SkipperBud’s, a sales, brokerage, service, marina and storage group with 20 locations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, California, Washington and Florida.
SkipperBud’s was founded more than 60 years ago and has seen significant growth, with the expansion of locations and brands. It has been led for the past 14 years by Michael Pretasky Jr., who will continue to operate the company with other shareholders.
“We are very excited to expand with such a great organization as SkipperBud’s, who we have known for many years and who share our values and culture,” MarineMax CEO Brett McGill said in a statement. “The acquisition adds greatly to our geographic reach in the Great Lakes and the West Coast.”
The acquisition aligns with MarineMax’s long-term strategy to grow its cycle-resilient, higher-margin businesses, especially marina and storage income, by nearly doubling its marina operations, McGill said.
“We are excited to have Mike Pretasky Jr. join our management team and continue to lead the operations,” he said. “Mike has a proven track record in the marine industry and will help lead the company to further growth.”
“We are excited about joining the MarineMax team,” Pretatsky said. “Gaining access to their exclusive brands will further drive our growth, especially in larger yachts. The combination of both organizations enables SkipperBud’s to take advantage of multiple growth opportunities in the future.”
