Propspeed® expands US sales team

New Staff Hired to Serve New York and New England and the West Coast

Auckland, New Zealand – Propspeed, leading innovator of underwater foul-release coatings, announced today that it has added two new regional sales staff to serve customers in the Mid-Atlantic and West Coast. Josh McGuire has taken on the role of New York and New England Regional Sales Manager, while Cole Barone has been hired to fill the West Coast Regional Sales Manager position.

McGuire grew up on Cape Cod spending every free moment of his summers on a boat and began captaining at an early age, before eventually becoming a manager for West Marine. He then quickly jumped from retail to the wholesale side of the industry as the territory manager for West Marine Megayacht Supply covering Florida to Maine as well as the Pacific Northwest. An active member of the US Superyacht Association, he leveraged his megayacht connections into a position as assistant manager of Falmouth Marine and Yachting Center, a full-service yard on Cape Cod. Most recently McGuire was the manager of Vineyard Haven Marina on Martha’s Vineyard where he transformed a sleepy little marina into one of the top megayacht marinas in the Northeast. An offshore tournament angler, McGuire participates in tournaments from New England to Key West.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the Propspeed team and look forward to helping grow the Northeast market,” said McGuire. “As I have previously managed a full-service marina, I have had a great deal of experience with applying Propspeed. That experience made me a true Propspeed believer, and nobody in our industry will debate how well the product works. I look forward to sharing this experience with our customers and creating a successful partnership.”

Barone developed a passion for the marine industry when he was a young child, competing at a national level in wakeboarding and waterskiing events. Having been raised on the water, he knew he wanted a career that would add value to likeminded marine enthusiasts.

Barone has held several positions in the industry, starting when he was a 14-year-old pro shop specialist for a boat dealership. Later he learned the tools of the trade and took notes from some great mentors in the industry that led him to become a top sales rep for both Nautique and Mastercraft boats. Ever since, he has been dedicated to the marine industry and has had an ongoing passion for boats and meeting the great people who own them.

“I believe that we at Propspeed are providing answers and solutions to many different obstacles boaters face,” said Barone. “The Propspeed team’s values and dedication to top-notch customer service fall right in line with what it takes to be successful, and I am thrilled to be a part of it. I am extremely excited and proud to provide the best service possible as the new West Coast Regional Sales Manager for Propspeed.”

“We’re very pleased to add Josh and Cole to our sales team,” said Chris Myers, Vice President of Sales, Americas, Propspeed. “The marine industry is a unique niche, and their on-the-water experience will give them an edge when servicing existing customers and developing new ones. We are confident that they will be fantastic fits to our culture and will be beneficial in driving the Propspeed brand in these vital markets.”

Propspeed products include Propspeed for running gear and any underwater metals, FoulfreeTM for transducers and LightspeedTM for underwater lighting. The latest addition to the product line is StripspeedTM, a solvent-based paint stripper for underwater metals.

For more information on Propspeed or its premium coatings, please visit www.propspeed.com.

About Propspeed
Propspeed develops high-performance products that make marine craft more efficient and economical to run and maintain, with an eye toward doing the least harm to humans and the marine environment. Propspeed manufactures and distributes Propspeed, recognized globally as the leading product for preventing marine growth on underwater metals. Biofouling – the accumulation of marine life on ships’ hulls – increases drag and costs the global shipping industry an estimated $7.5 billion a year in wasted fuel. Based in New Zealand, where sailing excellence is culturally ingrained, Propspeed has become a worldwide phenomenon throughout the marine industry.