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Christy Martin featured in Huntsville Times ENJOY! Magazine October 7, 2007
"Job Change Brings Smooth Sailing"
by Mary Anne Zollar Swanstrom
photos by Ellen Hudson
Yacht broker Christy Martin is enthusiastic about her love for the Tennessee River. What's she doing about it?
Christy Martin left ad sales to run their yacht business.
Yacht broker Christy Martin's got muddy water in her veins. Her grandmother was a cook on a river towboat. She loves any water, salty or fresh, but the greeny-brown Tennessee River is her first love.
And it's bursting out of her so, she can't help but share it. Christy hosted a Cruise for the Cure last summer to promote boating safety and raise money for breast cancer research. Through her Web site, lifeonthewater.com, and a just-launched quarterly magazine, she and other writers share observations about the water community. Christy might be the unofficial ambassador of the Tennessee River, but she's also a savvy businesswoman, trolling dry land for buyers of the really big boats, 25 feet or more in length. But not for reasons you might think.
"Freedom," Christy said. Just two years ago, she was working long hours in media advertising sales for local TV and radio.
"It's not an industry for married people with children," said Christy, who is mother to Cole, 11, and Jake, 9, and wife to Capt. Billy Martin, owner of YachtSouth.
The solution for them was obvious: Billy, one of 319 certified professional yacht brokers in the entire world, was transporting a lot of boats and couldn't devote enough time to sales. Christy was in sales and wanted to devote more time to her family. So the two took the plunge into business together.
"I know his strengths, and he knows my strengths, and we just let each other do what we do best," Christy said.
The Martins spend a lot of time on boats, including most weekends and vacations. The boys enjoy the boating life, but still have football and Boy Scouts. The family makes it work.
"Being on a boat makes you talk to each other, makes you spend time together," Christy said. "And our children see us working together."
The switch has been great in other ways for Christy, too. She's lost 48 pounds and gets more exercise showing off posh watercraft to potential customers.
"It beats sitting in an office behind a desk all day," she said. "And if I don't like my neighbors, I can crank up and leave."
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I've seen firsthand how a boat can bring families together. My best memories growing up were on a boat ... and our boys are just plain happier on the water. That's why we started YachtSouth.
For me, the past 23 years have been in marketing and advertising. We put that experience to work for our clients in connecting buyers and sellers.
We're in the adoption business ... finding the right home for the boat is my goal.
This year, we started publishing LIFE ON THE WATER Magazine and website at www.lifeonthewater.org. We believe adding water to your life will make you better...whether it's a boat, a waterfront home, or just a picnic on the riverfront.
There's just something about the water...
I really look forward to meeting you!
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YachtSouth, Cruise with us at www.yachtsouth.com
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Capt. Billy Martin, CPYB, Larry Long, Dennis Holliman & Christy Martin P.O. Box 12171 Huntsville, AL 35815, USA |
Toll-free 877-274-0767 Tel (256) 882-1972 Fax (256) 882-7809 Email Us Billy 256-426-6529, Larry 256-509-8682, Dennis 256-431-5228, Christy 256-656-2200 |
