Sealegs appoints USA based Vice President
28 September 2009
Sealegs Corporation (NZX:SLG) today announced it has appointed Tony Kidd as the Vice President of Sealegs USA Corporation to lead the sales expansion into North America. Mr Kidd will initially focus on the selection and appointment of a quality dealer channel in the USA to sell and service Sealegs amphibious boats.
Mr Kidd was previously a founding member of a New York based technology company with clients including United Nations, Microsoft, Lehman Brothers and UBS.
Born and raised in New Zealand, Mr Kidd has lived and worked in the United States for the last 17 years and is based in New York City.
Sealegs Corporation CEO David McKee Wright said, "this appointment marks the rollout of a key strategy for Sealegs. North America represents one of the largest and most lucrative markets for our products.” He went on to say “we’ve spent the last nine months researching the US and potential market entry strategies. The conclusions made from this research were to focus on geographic territories that best suited amphibious boating and to establish a sales and support network before commencing marketing to end users.
Mr McKee Wright said “Sealegs customers are predominantly high net wealth individuals with direct access to water ways, so an initial focus area will be north of New York, in particular the Hamptons, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and coastal areas around Boston. Establishing a sales and support network prior to end user marketing will give potential customers the confidence to buy a new innovation knowing they will be well supported.”
In regards to commercial and government sales in the US Mr McKee Wright said “Sealegs is currently working through the process of being listed on the US government supply agreement. Once Sealegs is on this list its products will be certified for purchase by government departments and be eligible for budget allocation.” He said “the sales cycles for these government opportunities are very long but potentially represent significant future value. Sealegs will focus on the recreational market for immediate sales to contribute US based cash flow whilst also working on the longer term government sector.”
“I am delighted to have attracted someone with Tony’s skill set to Sealegs. Tony’s experience across a variety of business facets and his intimate knowledge of the US market makes him a most suitable candidate for the role."
Mr Kidd said "I am very excited by the prospect of introducing Sealegs and the concept of amphibious boating to North America. The product is simply amazing and introducing it to the marine dealer market as a business opportunity is highly motivating. With Sealegs having already sold 400 boats in 22 countries it makes the innovative idea very credible and I’m confident I’ll be successful appointing quality dealers”
Earlier this month Sealegs announced that global sales activity has rebounded from recessionary levels, and that the company has an order book of more than 40 boats worth approximately $5 million in future revenue.
