David Leone (right) founded the company in
1993 following a stint in the Coast Guard. From
top left are Technicians Chris Stevens, Paul
Berube and Gene Cioffi and Office Manager
Trina Friedman.
Voyager Maritime
Alliance Group
Fort Lauderdale, FL
V
oyager Maritime Alliance Group
(VMAG) is a marine electronics,
navigation, communications
and entertainment equipment
dealership in Fort Lauderdale,
FL.
The company provides a
comprehensive package from
design concept through engineering, installation, commissioning and customer training. Its specialty is full bridge and
entertainment integration. Their market lies in
commercial and government sales and service
to the US Coast Guard and the US Navy Ready
Reserve fleet, as well as the megayacht industry and some new yacht construction outside
the US. The local market offers repair and refit
work in the recreational sector, mainly on
powerboats.
Profile 1
VMAG is also a manufacturer’s representative for Radio Zeeland DMP, a company in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which specializes in
vessel monitoring and control systems.
In late February, VMAG was completing a
move into a new and much larger facility
located on Marina Mile in Fort Lauderdale, just
a mile away from its present location. VMAG is
owned and operated by David Leone, who
started the dealership in its current location in
1993 after retiring as an engineer in the US
Coast Guard. The company grew very rapidly
thanks to a ready and immediate customer
base and soon had a staff of 18. VMAG currently employs 14, including a service and general manager, a scheduler and project coordinator, technical and administrative staff, and a
former military officer who joined the company as a dedicated government sales agent.
Leone is committed to a high level of training,
and his technical staff offers a pool of expertise
that includes MEI, CMET, GMDSS, FCC with
Radar Endorsement, as well as all manufacturers’ training certifications.
Leone’s “biggest driving force” is customer
service and customer satisfaction. He believes
that “no matter how small the boat or how
large the ship,” being there for the customer is
the most important component of the service
he sells. “We need the customer,” says Leone,
and the company makes every effort to make
an installation, repair or refit a positive experience that will keep the customer coming
back—and keep the customer invested in
enjoying his boat. Technical support is available 24 hours a day and Leone’s customers are
welcome to have his home telephone number.
Leone’s employees honor the same principle.
The result is a satisfied and loyal customer base
that includes “about a dozen” original customers from the company’s earliest days in
business.
Leone faced the recent economic challenge
head-on by choosing to “prepare for it instead
of getting caught up in it.” The company continued to move forward, expanding its market
to include more government work to compensate for the decline in new boat sales, and compromising only by taking on slightly less select
work that, during more stable times, might
have been turned away. The choice supported
the sustained employment of the staff, keeping
the technicians occupied and onboard. Leone
says that his staff responded positively by
“going the extra mile” for the company. VMAG
currently has 18 projects on its roster and the
staff continues to go the extra mile to perform
quality installation and service work, regularly
traveling as far afield as Taiwan, South Africa,
Turkey, Brazil—“wherever the customer wants
us,” says Leone.
