Kevin Merrigan

My Present 
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kevin Merrigan, Chairman of Northrop & Johnson.

My Past
A native of San Diego, California, I have sailed since childhood. After graduating from the University of Colorado in Boulder, I entered the working world as a petroleum landman based in Denver, CO. With an itch to get back on the water and a plan to buy a boat, I made a return trip to the west coast that didn’t quite go as expected.

In the late 1980’s I was an impetuous kid in my late twenties, and I’d made a little money. I’d gone back to California to buy an Irwin-52, but when I met a fantastic yacht broker. It occurred to me that his job was much cooler than mine. Long story short, I furled the plan to buy the Irwin and instead researched all the yacht brokerages along the eastern seaboard. At the time, Northrop & Johnson was the only brokerage in the US with an international presence, so I decided it was the right place to be. Given my incredibly limited experience, the only N&J office that would hire me was in Newport, RI. I bought a Whitby 24 in Fort Lauderdale and sailed up to Newport to begin my career as a yacht broker.

During my tenure, I have negotiated purchase and sale agreements on over 300 yachts, have contracted ten new construction projects and have closed deals in 15 countries. I was also a founder of the International Yacht Council and served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Yacht Brokers Association (FYBA) from 1994-2005. I have served as Treasurer for both the Florida Yacht Brokers Association and the International Yacht Council. I am a member of FYBA, MYBA, YBAA, CYBA and LYBA.

My Future
In 2020, I embraced an opportunity to merge Northrop & Johnson with the resources, stability, and influence of the Marine Max brand. Following the merger, I remain committed and engaged as Northrop & Johnson's Chairman.

My Motto
Carpe Diem!
 
My Outside-office Life
I’m married to my college sweetheart, Mariette, who was the Vice President and CFO of Northrop & Johnson for 26 years. We have a son, Matthew, who recently graduated from Princeton and has journeyed west to attend grad school at Stanford. We divide our year between residences in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Jamestown, RI. Mariette and I are proud to support charity organizations such as Kids-In-Distress, raising over $1M for the organization.

Fast Facts 

• I have flown balloons all over the world. I’m one of the first Americans to have flown in Russia and jumped out of a balloon
• I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Fuji thanks to my son