ODYSSEY AT THE CROSSROADS
Sitting in a booth in Lester’s Diner, a popular meetup for marine professionals in Ft. Lauderdale, I sipped a cup of coffee and glanced at the door waiting for Turan Ozbakir, the new owner of Vicem Yachts.
Had I not Googled him before our meeting I certainly wouldn’t have pegged the young, slender man in jeans and V-neck T-shirt who walked in as the owner of such a prestigious company. His olive skin and jet-black hair— along with a furiously buzzing phone—betrayed his incognito identity.
A graduate of Ft. Lauderdale’s Nova Southeastern University with a bachelor’s in business administration and management, and a master’s in entrepreneurship, Ozbakir joined Vicem more than seven years ago. He started in customer service and then held several other positions, then spending the last five years as the brand’s sales and marketing director, before becoming owner earlier this year.
The new role is a big challenge for the young Turk, but it’s one he plans to attack head on. That much became clear before a menu could even be brought to the table.
“You know what I’m trying to
