The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA) presented longtime industry leader and former co-owner of Baert Marine, Warren Kelly, the Frank Farrell Distinguished Service Award. After a varied decades-long career, Warren Kelly and Bill Baert recently sold their dealership to Port Harbor Marine based in Portland, Maine, and both have since retired.
Warren has been a leader in the recreational boating industry for half a century and has always been a strong supporter of the MMTA and the Business of Boating (BOB) conference in Massachusetts. Warren is the fifth recipient of MMTA’s Farrell award, joining Joe O’Neil, former owner of the New England Boat Show; Dick Egan of Crosby Yacht Yard; Ed Lofgren of 3A Marine, and Larry Russo, Sr., of MarineMax Northeast.
The award is in honor of the late Frank Farrell (1928-2001). Farrell was a co-founder of the New England Boat Show in 1957 and was instrumental in the formation of the MMTA in 1964. He became the first full-time executive director of the MMTA in 1975, a position he held for more than 25 years. The presentation took place at the MMTA’s BOB conference on Jan. 25, in Foxboro, Mass. The award was presented to Warren by MMTA board member Larry Russo, Sr.
“For over twenty years, Warren produced the Fall Boat Show and the Boston In-Water Boat Show, which were owned by MMTA. He honed his skills at the hand of his mentor, Frank Farrell. It was a personal honor for me to present this coveted recognition to Warren,” said Larry Russo, Sr.
Kelly said, “I simply cannot express how grateful I am to have been a part of the marine industry for the past 50 years. Being presented with this coveted award from the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association is simply an unexpected honor for which I cannot express my gratitude. I am honored to say that Frank Farrell was a close friend, and Frank’s contributions to our industry set the standard for this recognition, which makes this moment so very special on a personal level.”