Great Lakes broker and marina operator expands US coverage with Florida-based acquisition

Detroit-headquartered KAM Yacht Sales has significantly expanded its US activities with the acquisition of Luke Brown Yachts in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Kam Yacht Sales is part of KAM Marine Ventures LLC, which is a division of Lormax Stern, a real estate, investment and management group.

The acquisition, completed earlier this month, means that through the purchase of Luke Brown Yachts, KAM Yachts Sales has added 11 new offices with 25 active sales brokers. These are sited in Florida, including Miami, Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale; Newport in Rhode Island; Cleveland, Ohio; and three sites in Missouri. The company also has an office in Nassau in the Bahamas and a European representative based in the UK.

Luke Brown Yachts provides a full range of brokerage services with new-build projects, pre-owned sales and purchases, and charter. Since its formation in 1992, it has had a number of different owners.

KAM Marine Ventures LLC dates from 2006 and has two subsidiaries – KAM Yacht Sales and KAM Marine. The former operates through three offices in Missouri and markets a number of boat brands including Offshore Yachts, Nordic Tugs leisure craft and Outback Yachts.

It has also recently formed a joint venture with San Juan Yachts and developed the San Juan 32 Center Console, SJ32. This fully customisable 32ft centre console prototype is finished and the boats are officially ready for order. The boat is built using suppliers and materials that allow consumers to completely customise the colours and interiors, tailoring it to their specific needs.

Through KAM Marine, two marinas are operated in Detroit and a boat yard at Northport In Michigan.

Heading up the new management team at Luke Brown Yachts will be Daniel Stern as president, Nichole Sleiman as vice president of business operations, and Max Brochert as vice president and sales manager, along with Andrew Cilla and Jason Dunbar, who successfully ran the company for decades.

“We are thrilled for this new chapter at Luke Brown Yachts,” says Cillia. “We will be able to expand what we offer our clients while continuing to offer all of our current services and uphold our high customer service standards.”