Tom Hutton
Co-founder, Chairman of the Board
Hutton brings more than 20 years of financial and marine industry experience to his position as Chairman of the Boats.com, Inc. Board of Directors, using his background to provide strategic direction for Boats.com, Inc. Hutton's diverse portfolio includes eight years as president and CEO of Risk Management Solutions, where he brought the international insurance company from start-up to over 600 employees. Prior to RMS, Hutton was a management consultant with McKinsey and Company, Inc. in its Los Angeles, San Francisco and Amsterdam offices. Hutton's expertise extends beyond the business side of the marine industry, having designed and managed the construction of a new line of 160 commercial fishing vessels while vice president of Marine Construction and Design Co. (MARCO). In addition to Boats.com, Inc., Hutton invests in other technology and e-commerce companies as a venture consultant with Morgan Stanley and serves as Chairman of Liquid Software. Hutton earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University in Economics and Mechanical Engineering and received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. An avid sailor, Hutton spent several years as an active ocean racing competitor and now spends leisure time with his family aboard their Swan 51 sailboat.
Paul R Rabe
Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Rabe, a veteran leader in the marine industry, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Boats.com, Inc. Rabe is charged with establishing key partnerships within the marine industry as well as building out the management team and leading the continued growth of the company. Rabe brings years of experience driving incubated business ideas and has a solid background in new product research and development. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Rabe is responsible for worldwide operations and strategic direction of the Boats.com, Inc. companies, which include Boats.com and YachtWorld.com. Prior to joining Boats.com, Inc., Rabe served as the Executive Vice President of Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), where he established profitable international supplier alliances and orchestrated global repositioning projects to support evolving product lines. Rabe also served as Vice President and General Manager at Cummins Marine, where he directed domestic and international operations for the diesel engine manufacturer. Rabe spent 16 years at General Motors in research and development capacities for fuel injection and control systems and owns several patents. He holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University and a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Wayne State. He spends his free time sportfishing and has served on the South Carolina Governors Cup Board of Directors, which promotes family sportfishing and conservation.
Jorge Bracer
Vice President/Chief Technology Officer
As Vice President and CTO, Bracer is responsible for all product design, development, and engineering activities. Prior to joining Boats.com, Inc., Bracer founded and served as President of Infoneers, Inc., where he managed the design and implementation of application development and security frameworks, data warehouses and applications for contract management, reseller channel management and direct customer marketing for multi-billion dollar multinational corporations. He has held various positions in engineering, marketing and management at Apple Computer, Optima Systems, and Citibank. Bracer holds a BSEE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He enjoys volleyball, sailing and guitar.
Jessica Stewart Muffett
Vice President
As Vice President of Boats.com, Inc., Muffett oversees the creation, enhancement and implementation of critical Internet-based software tools for the brokerage industry as well as web-related sales and marketing activities for the broker and dealer community. Muffett came to Boats.com, Inc. from YachtWorld.com, which Boats.com, Inc. purchased in January, 2000 from The Cobalt Group, Inc. As the founding publisher of YachtWorld.com, she introduced the power of the Internet to a traditional, technically averse business sector through aggressive sales campaigns and networking. Under her leadership, the company grew into the Internet's largest multiple listing system for yacht brokers in the world, listing more than 46,000 boats for sale. Muffett has a long history in the marine industry, having co-founded and operated her own Seattle-based yacht brokerage and charter business, which she ran for ten years. Muffett also served on the board of the Northwest Marine Trade Association and in 2000 received the NMTA's Jerry C. Bryant Award "For the most outstanding contribution to the marine industry by an individual within the industry." Muffett earned a BA in Administrative Management from the Central Washington University School of Business and has been significantly involved in the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. A former offshore sailor, currently her life revolves around her family and a golden retriever, the official YachtWorld office dog since 1995.
Ian Atkins
Managing Director, Europe
As European Managing Director of Boats.com, Inc. and YachtWorld.com, Atkins is responsible for the development and implementation of a European strategy for both brands and for assembling and managing local resources to supplement the company's U.S. infrastructure. Over the past 24 years Atkins has accumulated an in-depth knowledge of the European marine industry. During his six-year tenure at Ancasta Boat Sales the business grew sevenfold through a series of strategic partnerships and acquisitions to become Europe's leading yacht broker and dealer. Atkins has a strong sales and marketing background, and was top dealer for Beneteau (the world's largest sailboat builder). A dedicated sailboat racer, Atkins is a four-time winner of Cowes Week, the UK's largest sailing regatta. He has represented the UK five times at the World Championship level.
