Meet the Staff: Q&A: Bernie Peacock

Bernie Peacock

Licensed Regional Sales Executive

Territory: Central Department

Resides: Sarasota, Fla.

Years with POP Yachts: 1-plus

Family: An adult son and a daughter in high school

Q. When did you first get into boating?
I'm from Maryland originally, so I grew up around boats. I've always lived near the water.

Q. Have you owned boats?
I've owned a couple of boats, but I wasn't really a "boat person" when I came to POP Yachts. If I went to the marina and got in my boat and it turned on and it ran, I was happy.

Q. What's your professional background?
My background is as an account executive in the IT world for 27 years. I sold networking equipment to the federal government.

Q. You work in the Central Department now and have clients all over the country. What's the trick to making that successful?
Being able to communicate with the seller and get them to trust that you're going to do as good of a job as you can. For me, it's been learning how to figure out who a good seller is over the phone. You get to feel out if an owner has been a good steward of their vessel, and you can tell the others who are not so much. You learn how to read between the lines.

Q. Why is that so important?
I want to make sure if I have someone who's going hop in a car or get on an airplane to go look at a boat that I've never seen, I have to be able to convince them that I believe it's worth the trip.

Q. What do you do with your free time?
If I had more free time, I'd be working in the garden. And I like going to the beach.

Q. What's one of your guilty pleasures?
Stella Artois, which I save for special occasions.

Q. What gives POP Yachts its competitive advantage?
Our marketing and our ability to get listings and get those boats into the system and provide leads for the guys and gals working in the trenches.

Q. What do you see for the future of POP Yachts?
Well, I've watched the company change dramatically. And it's the potential of the thing that keeps me going. It will survive and it will do very well. I'm very optimistic about the future of the company. There's never a dull moment and if you're willing to wear many hats and jump in and take care of things, it will work out for you.