Marine industry veteran Tim Gallagher, well known for having headed up sales for muscleboat builders MTI, Cigarette Racing and Deep Impact, will begin a new phase of his career when he officially starts work at the South Florida location of Performance Boat Center beginning Jan. 11.

Hollywood, FL-based Gallagher spent much of 2020 away from the boating business, working for Gino Gargiulo at his mobile fleet service Oil Can Man. “But the boat thing just wouldn’t let me go,” Gallagher chuckles. “The truth is that once the boats are in your blood, it’s in there for good.”

While on his “boat hiatus,” PBC co-owner Brett Manire gave Gallagher a call and asked if he was happy in his current job. “That obviously got my attention,” Gallagher says. “He and Mark Waddington have a lot going on here in Florida, and really want to build their brand here. They’ve got some new ideas that I plan to make a reality, and help continue to turn PBC into a force to be reckoned with down here. My goal is not just to build the brands we sell, but to build the Performance Boat Center brand itself.”

Gallagher tells Speedboat that teaming up with Performance Boat Center will allow him to offer more to his customers. “Everything that I’ve done in the past has been for a manufacturer,” he explains. “So if my customer wanted something other than what I had, that was the end of it. Now, because PBC offers multiple lines and has pre-owned boats—and I also happen to be a licensed Florida boat broker—I can help people with more than just a single brand.”

Although his title will be Florida sales manager, Gallagher’s role at the company will not be limited to sales. “A lot of what they need from me is helping them beef up the business, really get it moving up to speed and expand it. Mindi Doller will be focused exclusively on the sales end of it, where I’ll be handling the sales and business side of things.”

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