Marine industry veteran steps into president position at BDB

An accomplished leader in the marine industry is now taking the helm of the BDBMC board of directors.

Dan Romence—president of the Indiantown Marine Center—brings a deep understanding of this legacy industry to the organization. Joining the BDBMC in 2023 as the appointee of the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, Dan was highly engaged from the onset, helping guide efforts to prioritize workforce development and readiness initiatives.

Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., the graduate of Hillsdale College parlayed his love of boating into a diverse career on the water. His marine experience includes crewing aboard superyachts and managing the development of new business ventures and overseeing development, construction and operations for a marine maintenance and repair facility in the Bahamas.

Today, he’s helping raise the profile of the newly built and expanding facilities at Indiantown Marine Center. He shared with us what attracted him to the BDBMC and the goals of his chairmanship.

What prompted your move from a board position to a leadership role at the BDB?

“I wanted to become part of the professional group that really sets the standard for business in the Martin County community.”

What are the goals you hope to achieve in the chair position?

“I’d like to continue the pattern of an efficient, effective group that achieves the service as contracted in our agreement with the county, using our experience and knowledge to retain and support existing businesses, address challenges facing the business community as they arise, and offering the services that are essential in business attraction.”

What areas of the county do you see as presenting the most opportunity for economic growth?

“From a personal standpoint, I work in Indiantown, so I see a lot of the land that’s available to companies coming here and looking for a great place to set up shop. I really want to represent the Indiantown community well while of course still balancing everything we do countywide with business retention and the attraction of contributory companies that fit the community’s character.”

What do you find most exciting about stepping into this role right now?

“This is where I really want to give a lot of credit to my predecessor, Susan Rabinowitz. Even though she’s an extremely busy executive with Bank of America and covers a wide region, she gave the BDB her focus and attention. Thanks to her, and our interim executive director, Dan Hudson, we brought on William Corbin as executive director and honed our focus. I’m thankful the groundwork is done so we can focus on key programs. I’m really looking forward to our workforce development initiatives and multiplying our efforts by a formalized coordination with key partners in the space. I’m highly supportive of William and the work that he’s taken on—and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

Learn more about how the Business Development Board of Martin County supports local businesses at www.BDBMC.org