Meet the Staff: Q&A with Art Ruffalo
Author: Shellie Benson; Contributor: Art Ruffalo; Views: 1,164

Art Ruffalo

Licensed Regional Sales Executive

Territory: Lee and Collier counties

Resides: Cape Coral, Fla.

Years with POP Yachts: Two

Family: Married with two daughters and three grandchildren

Q. When did you first realize you loved boats?
When I was a kid my father had boats and I learned to just love boating. We would go out on Greenwood Lake in New York on my fathers 24-foot Penn Yan.

Q. What was the first boat you bought?
Just after I got married in 1965, I bought a 27-foot Penn Yan.

Q. Did I hear that it sank in the Raritan River?
Yes.

Q. What did you learn from that experience?
Use the channels!

Q. You said were retired before you started working for POP Yachts. What did you do before?
I was in the restaurant business - we had a sandwich shop. Then, I went to work for Lee County for 17 years. Then I retired...until I started working for POP Yachts.

Q. When did you come to Florida?
In the early 1970s. My youngest daughter was born here. We moved here so that when we retired, our kids would be here. They won't let us leave now.

Q. Is there a sale you're most proud of?
I sold a 1987 Sea Ray Cruisers 390, and it went to Mozambique, Africa. It took forever to get that deal together and it took forever for the man to get it, but he received it a few weeks ago.

Q. How is he enjoying it?
We still communicate. He's a great guy, and he's so tickled to death to get that boat.

Q. I bet it was a challenge to get it over there.
The costs were just staggering to have it shipped - the taxes, the regulations that they have in Mozambique to get the boat into there. He spent like three months to get them to allow it.

Q. How did you get involved with POP Yachts?
I had my boat for sale, and they contacted me, so I listed it and sold it through them. And in the process, I said, "Hey, do you have anybody here to show the boats?" And that's when I got hired.

Q. What kind of boat do you have now?
A small Bowrider. I'm teaching my grandsons how to boat and fish. They're 10 and 8. It's a nice learning boat for them.

Q. Whats your favorite boating spot?
Out in the Gulf.

Q. Anywhere in particular?
Nope. I don't have a destination. I like the journey.

Q. How is POP Yachts different from other brokerages?
The way everything is presented to the public is just fantastic. We get so many comments about how much people love the website. We get calls from people all around the world. My phone rings at 2 or 3 in the morning and it's a guy from Turkey. It's pretty neat.

Q. What do you like most about working for POP Yachts?
I love boats and I love talking to people. And it's fun - I meet so many nice people.