Victory Marine Holdings Corp. (VMHG)
Victory Marine Holdings Corp. (VMHG) is a world-class yacht sales, brokerage and consulting firm with a sprawling inventory of new and used boats, financing, insurance, documentation and recreational marine accessories. Located in Miami, Florida – the "yacht capital of the world" – Victory Marine has over 20 years of experience in an industry hailed as "an American pastime and economic engine" by the National Marine Manufacturers Association ("NMMA").
According to the NMMA, marine sales reached $39 billion in 2017. To capture its share of this market, Victory Marine has established partnerships with several selective manufacturers and is pursuing opportunities for vertical growth. While the company's near-term focus is on expansion of its inventory and sales team, its longer-term plans reflect the current state of the broader yacht industry.
Marine sales are at a 10-year high, and though yacht manufacturers are operating at full capacity, delivery of some products can take longer than 18 months. As a result, Victory Marine is taking steps to establish its own pipeline. Management is currently in negotiations with several yacht manufacturers to build the company its own unique, private-label design, which would enable Victory Marine to quickly deliver a superior product to its clients.
Demand for recreational boat trailers is also on the rise, with growth reported for nearly all powerboat segments. Florida continues to ride the top of that crest with sales of powerboats, trailers, and accessories up 10 percent in 2017 to $2.9 billion, followed by Texas ($1.7 billion) and Michigan ($982 million).
Victory Marine's wholly owned Excalibur Trailers USA subsidiary is set to take advantage of this market, and is approved by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) to build custom marine aluminum trailers for recreational boats, as well as for commercial boat transport. Excalibur Trailers USA has filed the necessary paperwork to trademark its brand name and logo and is seeking a suitable manufacturing facility in South Florida for production of powerboat, sailboat, catamaran, powerboat and Jet Ski trailers.
Leading Victory Marine to capture its share of the market is company CEO Orlando Hernandez, whose experience in the marine industry includes negotiation, business planning, investor relations, operations management and sales. He is joined by veteran yacht broker Gary Beaver, who has more than 20 years of successful yacht sales and industry experience. Beaver brings to Victory Marine his portfolio of approximately 25 vessel listings, valued in excess of $10 million.