Brooks Marine Group

What Brooks Marine Group does

Brooks Marine Group (BMG) is a US-based management recruiting firm founded in 2002 by Neal Harrell and headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island, with additional offices in Charleston, South Carolina and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The firm specializes exclusively in placing middle-to-senior management talent into the recreational marine industry, serving boat builders and yacht builders, marinas and boatyards, boat dealerships, and tier-I marine suppliers. BMG fills roles across design and engineering, operations and production, purchasing, sales and marketing, and human resources. The firm operates a formalized 15-step search process anchored by 30-45 minute needs-analysis consultations and concludes with offer acceptance and follow-up. BMG is founder-owned and privately held with no external institutional investment.

BMG monetizes through retained and contingency executive search fees typical of the executive recruiting industry, with fee terms held under password-protected client agreement. The firm complements core search with a candidate-facing job board (CareerBoat.com), one-on-one career coaching (resume, LinkedIn, compensation planning), and consultive services covering workforce development, apprenticeships, training, succession planning. Customer acquisition is sales-led via direct enterprise engagement with boat builders, service yards, marinas, dealerships, and marine suppliers; supporting channels include LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, the CareerBoat.com board, and industry events where Neal Harrell presents on talent retention. BMG is differentiated by deep marine-industry expertise: every associate is a passionate boater, the firm holds board seats at ABBRA and the US Superyacht Association, serves on RIMTA's Workforce Committee, and maintains trusteeships and partnerships with IYRS, The Landing School, and Great Lakes Boat Building School.

The technology footprint is minimal: BMG is a professional services firm, not a software company, with no proprietary platform, no patents, no disclosed API, and no AI/ML capabilities. The CareerBoat.com job board is the principal technology asset and functions as a standard listings/intake channel. Notable contract wins include a March 2018 retention by NYYC American Magic to recruit and onboard over 100 boat designers, engineers, composite boatbuilders, shore crew, sailors, and operations staff for the 36th America's Cup campaign. The firm has been recognized with the RIMTA John H. Chafee Boater of the Year (2016) and the IYRS Wave Award (2025).

Name

Brooks Marine Group

Legal name

Brooks Marine Group

Website

https://brooksmarinegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brooks Marine Group is a US-based management recruiting firm founded in 2002 that exclusively serves the recreational marine industry, placing middle-to-senior talent at boat builders, marinas, dealerships, and tier-I marine suppliers across offices in Newport, Charleston, and Fort Lauderdale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Recruiting Services

NAICS

Boat Dealers (441222), Ship and Boat Building (3366), Ship and Boat Building (33661)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAJAGAO

Project Management & Owner’s Engineering / Technical Consultancy (Spec Writing, Bid Support, Site Support)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Ship Design, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Services

SECONDARYIMAJAGAN

Classification Society & Flag-State Liaison / Plan Approval Support

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Ship Design, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Services

SECONDARYTLAHAJAI

Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support)

Transportation & Logistics/Ports, Terminals & Maritime Services/Ship Agency, Husbandry & Port Call Services

SECONDARYCRAMAIAB

Marine Parts, Accessories & Maintenance Supplies Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Sporting Goods & Outdoor Retail/Water Sports & Marine Recreation Retail

Keywords

• Marine industry recruiting
• Executive search services
• Marine workforce placement
• Yacht management hiring
• Boat industry staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Management Recruiting Services: BMG provides executive search and management recruiting services for the recreational marine industry. The firm places candidates in middle to senior level positions across disciplines including design & engineering, operations & production, purchasing, sales & marketing, and human resources. They also offer consultive services including workforce development strategies, apprenticeships & internships, training & development, and succession planning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brooks Marine Group is a management recruiting firm that places middle to senior level talent at companies across the recreational marine industry, including boat builders, service and repair yards, marinas, boat dealerships, and tier I marine suppliers. Placements span design and engineering, operations and production, purchasing, sales and marketing, and human resources. The firm also delivers consultive workforce development services and operates the CareerBoat.com job board for marine industry candidates.

Product overview

Brooks Marine Group is a management recruiting firm serving the recreational marine industry, not a unified software platform. The core offering is management recruiting services (placing talent in design & engineering, operations, purchasing, sales & marketing, and HR). Supporting services include consultive offerings (workforce development, apprenticeships, training, succession planning), CareerBoat.com job board for candidate access, and career coaching sessions. These services operate as standalone offerings rather than a modular software architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Management Recruiting Services Executive search and management recruiting services placing middle to senior level talent at boat builders, service and repair yards, marinas, boat dealerships, and tier I marine suppliers across design and engineering, operations and production, purchasing, sales and marketing, and human resources.
• CareerBoat.com Online job board platform for marine industry career opportunities; candidates can view and apply for positions and submit confidential resumes automatically linked to BMG's open searches.
• Career Coaching One-on-one career coaching consultations providing road maps for career progression, including resume writing, LinkedIn visibility, employer targeting, compensation planning, and interviewing tips.
• Consultive Services Consultive services covering workforce development strategies, apprenticeships and internships, training and development, and succession planning for marine industry clients.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• New York Yacht Club (NYYC) American MagicmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018BMG was retained in March 2018 to manage human resources initiatives for NYYC American Magic's America's Cup campaign. Tasked to recruit, relocate, and onboard a team of over 100 boat designers and engineers, composite boatbuilders, shore crew, sailors and operations staff for the 36th America's Cup competition.
• IYRS School of Technology & TradescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMG relocated its headquarters to the IYRS School campus in 2010. Neal Harrell is a Trustee at IYRS. The firm has ongoing partnerships with IYRS to help students prepare for careers in the marine industry. IYRS is also a client category served by BMG recruiting.
• The Landing SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with The Landing School and other marine industry training institutions to help students best prepare for careers. The Landing School is also a client category served by BMG recruiting.
• Great Lakes Boat Building SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Great Lakes Boat Building School as part of industry training institution relationships. Serves as client category for BMG recruiting services.
• CareerBoat.comcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary job board partner where candidates can view and apply for career opportunities. Candidates can email confidential resumes automatically linked to open searches. CareerBoat.com offers career tools including interviewing tips, relocation assistance, resume help, and salary advice.
• Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMG serves on RIMTA's Workforce Committee. Neal Harrell was awarded RIMTA's John H. Chafee Boater of the Year in 2016. RIMTA is also a client partner served by BMG recruiting.
• American Boatbuilders & Repairers Association (ABBRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeal Harrell serves on the Board of ABBRA. The association is also a client partner served by BMG recruiting for boat manufacturers and repairers.
• US Superyacht AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeal Harrell serves on the Board of the US Superyacht Association, contributing to industry workforce development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• LinkedIn (Talent Solutions): LinkedIn's Talent Solutions suite - including Recruiter, job slots, and InMail - enables in-house recruiting teams and generalist agencies to source marine talent directly. Increasingly substitutes for traditional search firms on non-executive placements.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm (NYSE: KFY). Competes with BMG for senior marine and industrial placements as part of its broader industry-vertical practice, but does not specialize in recreational marine.
• Robert Half: Public staffing and recruiting firm (NYSE: RHI) operating across finance, technology, legal, and administrative roles. MarineMax and similar customers occasionally use Robert Half for non-executive placements, making it partial competition for BMG's mid-level recruiting work.
• Randstad: Global staffing and HR services firm (NYSE: RAND.AS). Operates broad recruiting practices that occasionally service manufacturing and industrial clients parallel to BMG's marine manufacturing segment.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm focused on CEO, board, and senior-leader placements. Engages on marine and industrial CEO searches at the high end of BMG's addressable market, offering direct competition for senior retained assignments.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm (NASDAQ: HSII) with deep industry-vertical practices including industrial and consumer. Its industrial practice overlaps directly with BMG's boat manufacturer and marine OEM clients at the executive level.

Direct peers

• Lucas Group: Mid-market executive search firm specializing in operations, supply chain, and manufacturing placements. Overlaps with BMG's operations, production, and purchasing placements for marine manufacturers and suppliers.
• The McCormick Group: Specialty executive search firm focused on industry verticals including industrial and consumer. Closest analog to BMG's model - a smaller, vertical-specialized recruiting firm - and competes directly for retained mid-to-senior industrial and consumer leadership searches.

Others

• Indeed: Dominant job board and hiring platform owned by Recruit Holdings. Functions as a candidate-sourcing alternative to BMG's CareerBoat.com and competes for top-of-funnel candidate attention across marine job listings.
• CareerBuilder: General job board and talent platform. Competes with BMG's CareerBoat.com for posting visibility and represents a low-cost alternative that marine employers may choose over retained search for non-executive roles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brooksmarinegrp
• Facebookfacebook.com/brooksmarinegroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brooks-marine-group-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brooks Marine Group