Parks Marina, Inc. of Okoboji, Iowa and Sioux Falls, South Dakota was recently designated by Boating Industry magazine as the #6 ranked dealership in its annual listing of Top 100 Dealers in all of North America. This is the highest placement Parks Marina has received on this elite list of boat dealers, and also makes the dealership #1 in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
In its seventh year, the Top 100 list is determined out of 4,000 marine dealers in North America. This year’s dealers were awarded for their ability to thrive despite the continuing economic decline. The Top 100 Dealers’ ability to see growth opportunities, to create a stable foundation from which to operate, and their ability to outperform the boating market during one of its most challenging years, set them apart from all the rest in the industry. This year’s list is comprised of dealers who adopted strategies to take their businesses to higher levels of performance, customer service, marketing, and professionalism.
Parks Marina, in particular, set itself apart by demonstrating its capacity for innovation and by choosing not to sit back and rest on current successes. “Parks long ago proved it is an innovator in the marine industry, and we can’t wait to see what that will produce next,” Boating Industry writes of Parks Marina’s forward thinking approach.
Boating Industry magazine focused on Parks Marina’s choice to expand operations and property, even when many others were pulling back. Parks Marina tripled the size of its properties, adding more than 11 acres and 345 feet of lakeshore to the marina’s Okoboji location. New buildings were also added, including a new 50,000-square foot, four-level storage building and a 15,000-square foot space specifically dedicated to boat-building and restoration. Offerings were expanded at Okoboji Boat Works marina with the goal to create a “home base” for vacationing tourists. A new 58-foot yacht and a new 45-foot “BIGfoot Barge” were also added to the current fleet of excursion boats, along with a game room, new slips for 45-foot-plus boats, and new floating raft for the beach area.
“By continuing to expand our offerings, we may actually be starting to attract more people to the area, much like the Barefoot Bar has done,” says Butch Parks, owner. “And by getting people on the water, we start them thinking about boating, and why not buy a boat from Parks Marina? We’ll make them all boaters eventually!”
Parks Marina was recognized earlier this fall as the #1 Crownline dealer for market share and the #4 Cobalt dealer in the world. Parks Marina continues to not only be dedicated to the service and satisfaction of its customers, but also to the Iowa Great Lakes Region and its surrounding communities.
