HISTORY
The firm of Northrop and Johnson has a proud history as a
leader in yacht brokerage that goes back over 65 years, to it's founding
by James T. Northrop in the 1930's. After World War II he became
associated with George F. B. Johnson, Jr. and the firm of Northrop and
Johnson was founded with original offices in New York City. The firm has
expanded since that time, with the founding of the Ft. Lauderdale office
in 1960, then additional offices opening in the 1970's in Marblehead,
Massachusetts, Newport, Rhode Island, Essex, Connecticut. With the
addition of the Cannes, France office in 1972, Northrop and Johnson became
the first US Yacht Brokerage Firm with an overseas branch.
Northrop and Johnson proudly continues as an industry leader in a very
literal sense. No firm can claim the global influence our Directors and
Brokers have had on the evolution on the yacht brokerage industry over the
past quarter century. Northrop and Johnson has been represented among the
officers and directors of the world's major brokerage associations for
decades, promoting ethics and high marketing standards throughout the
industry. Kees Van Vliet, President of the Cannes office of Northrop and Johnson was
the original founder of the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association in
1984, uniting all major Mediterranean Yacht Brokerage firms in the
interest of promoting the highest industry standards. He has served on the
Board of Directors from 1984 to 2000, and was President of MYBA from 1984
to 1998. |
|
|
Kevin Merrigan, joined
Northrop and Johnson's Newport, Rhode Island, office in 1987 and
went on to become a partner in the firm's Marblehead, Massachusetts
office. In 1990 he established the Fort Lauderdale, Florida office
and is now it's president and sole shareholder. Mr. Merrigan's most
recent accomplishment was to be named President of the Northrop and
Johnson Holding Company, the company formed in 1993 by the owners of
all Northrop and Johnson offices to oversee and maintain the
integrity of the Northrop and Johnson name.
Mr. Merrigan has also been on the Board of Directors of the Florida
Yacht Brokers Association since 1992, and he continues to serve as
Treasurer of the Association still. He is also a member of the Yacht
Brokers Association of America and was a founding member of the
International Yacht Council. |
|
|
 |
Kees Van Vliet,
established the Northrop and Johnson office in Cannes in 1972.
He has served as President of the Northrop and Johnson Holding
Company for many years and currently serves as Vice President.
As a leader in the brokerage industry in Europe, he worked
tirelessly to found the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers
Association in 1984 and continues today to serve their cause
to maintain a high standard of professional ethics in the key
European yacht brokerages. |
|
|
|
 |
Bob Leslie, purchased
the Massachusetts office of Northrop and Johnson in 1985. Under his
leadership the company has grown to be one of the largest yacht
brokerages in the Northeast. In the past 15 years Robert has sold
many significant yachts in the 80' - 120' range to a loyal customer
base here in the US as well as Europe and Asia. Robert served as
president of the Yacht Architects and Brokers Association from 1990
to 1992 and has served as a Director of that organization for a
total of 8 years. |
|
|
 |
Hank
Halsted, President of Northrop and Johnson, Newport, served
on the Board of Directors of the Yacht Architects and Brokers
Association from 1990 until 1996. He was Vice President from
1992-1994, and President of YABA in 1994-95. He was re-elected to
the Board in 2000 until the present. He is also a founding member
and on the Board of Directors of the International Yacht Council, an
Association of all Yacht Brokerage organizations worldwide, that
facilitates interstate and international yacht brokerage business. |
|
|
 |
Brian Commette, also from the Newport office of Northrop and
Johnson, has been on the Board of Directors of the Yacht Architects
and Brokers Association (Now, the Yacht Brokers Association of
America) since 1996, he served as Vice President in 1999-2000 and
was elected President of YBAA in 2001. Brian is also a founding
member of the International Yacht Council and on the Board of
Directors. Among his contributions to the Council, Brian was the
primary author of the By-laws of the Association. |
|
|
|
 |
Missy Johnston,
President of Northrop and Johnson Yacht Charters, Newport, has had
tremendous influence on the evolution of the Yacht Charter Business
over the past decade. She has been a member of the American Yacht
Charter Association since 1991, was Secretary from 1995-97 and has
been Vice President from 1998 to the present. She has been a member
of the Charter Yacht Broker Association from 1998 to the present and
has served on the Board of Directors since 1999, as Chair of the
Contract Committee. Missy was instrumental in writing and shaping
the Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 1995 as pertains to the interests
of the yacht charter industry, and served as the liaison to the U.S.
Coast Guard, meeting with the appropriate committees in Congress in
Washington as the law was conceived and enacted. |
|
|
|
| In summation, when
Northrop and Johnson claims to be an industry leader, the phrase is
not spoken lightly. We have had major influence on all aspects of
the industry, from crafting the contracts on which the business is
transacted, to helping guide legislation that affects the marine
trades, to codifying the ethical standards by which our business is
conducted. As a group, we have helped to guide the evolution of our
business from its infancy to the mature global network that exists
today. No other firm can claim such impact. |
|
