Industry Veteran Larry Porche Posthumously Receives 2021 NMRA Mel Barr Award

Marine industry veteran Larry Porche, who died suddenly this past June, is the 2021 recipient of the National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) Mel Barr Award.

The announcement was made by NMRA President Scott Kolodny during the IBEX industry breakfast in Tampa earlier today.

The Mel Barr award was created in memory of Mel Barr, an independent marine rep deeply involved in the industry, one of the founders of NMRA and its first president. On his untimely death in 1967, his family, along with NMRA, established the award to honor an individual who has contributed to the improvement of the marine industry. It’s voted on by NMRA member rep groups.

“This year, we recognize the contributions of Larry Porche, who passed away suddenly earlier this year and served our industry, in so many ways, for 44 years,” Scott Kolodny said.

Larry Porche spent nearly half of his career with Land ‘N’ Sea, most recently as director of strategic business development. He was involved with multiple acquisitions throughout his tenure, including Bell Recreation, Kellogg and Diversified Marine.

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