Slovenian entrepreneur is the leader of the largest yacht sales company in the region. More than half of his life in the industry, Matjaž Murko has seen rough and calm seas, but never stopped creating, expanding and diversifying the MennYacht Group
Today, MennYacht Group is the largest regional yachting company, partner of the Italian Ferretti group, and active in more than just yacht sales. Their largest division offers technical support and after sales to clients, with a unique service network branching throughout the Adriatic. They also have division specializing in charter and yacht management, and are dealers for Technohull and Williams RIBs.
Matjaž Murko: A visionary at the helm
This well-rounded approach reflects the vision of ther CEO, Mr. Matjaž Murko, who has been leading the company since the beginning and who celebrated two major anniversaries last year – thirty years of MennYacht Group and his sixtieth birthday.
There simply are no industry players who have not met Matjaž, his wife Darja, his son Žiga and their many employees on some of the yachting events. We are happy to share his vision of the past, present and future of yachting.
Marking 30 years of MennYacht excellence
YOU HAD A BIG YEAR LAST YEAR: 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MENNYACHT AND YOUR 60TH BIRTHDAY. HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE YACHTING INDUSTRY?
Back in 1987, when my wife Darja was still with Kompas, I had a charter boat cleaning service, because there was a fleet anchored in Portorož. I have many skills, back then I also was the events industry; there were big events in Portorož, with up to a thousand guests and I would animate large crowds. I still do that today, but in person, in the ultimate luxury yacht sale setting.
HAVEN’T YOU HAD ENOUGH OF YACHTING?
No, and I never will. I am unstoppable, I’m all in this.
From humble beginnings to regional leader
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BEGINNINGS, MORE THAN THREE DECADES AGO.
Our first client was Pershing, back in 1994. They were not a part of any group back then, they were just a small shipyard building between 12 and 16 units a year, but some of them between 60 and 70 feet, really big. They had a gas turbine 70 feet model, crazy for that time. Even back then they built models using Arneson surface drive, and that’s what impressed us. Our first test ride was our first meeting with that type of drive and when the water surged behind us… Pershing 70 was capable of reaching 50 knots with 1350 hp, which was unbelievable. We were welcomed by Tilli (Antonelli) himself, who arrived in his Range Rover, cigarette in hand, and drove us to the yard himself. The production hall was beautiful, a perfect little shipyard; very modern, very tidy. What a discovery Pershing. When we started working with them as dealers, everyone around us thought we went crazy: when we arrived at the Portorož marina with a new yacht, they thought a hydrofoil was coming in.
FOR MENNYACHT, DID THIS MOMENT SHAPE THE FUTURE OF ITS SUCCESS??
Although Pershing was built in Ancona, they were not represented by anyone in the Adriatic. We wanted to introduce this wonderful brand to the entire world, and we welcomed all curious guests while we were Palmižana on our boat (Pershing 60). I think we would wash 120 wine glasses daily, that’s how many interested visitors we had. Back then, there were no boat shows, no events, nothing. We had one employee who spent half of the time in the office, half of the time on our yacht. I was doing something else back then and was well acquainted with sales in Central Europe, which was good for business development. But we wouldn’t still be around today if we still were only dealing only in Pershing: their entry into the Ferretti Group turned out to be crucial. After that, along with Ferretti, we got access to Riva, Itama, Wally and Custom Line.
Growth through crisis and opportunity
IS IT EASIER NOW THAT YOU HAVE A LARGE STRUCTURE BEHIND YOU?
The situation is certainly different, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier. It’s nice to see that we can do business within a large, stable structure, but our path was not without challenges. Especially bad were the years after the 2009 global financial crisis, when our used boat stock grew – back then every business move required exceptional prudence and resourcefulness.
CAN YOU SEE THE FUTURE FROM WHERE YOU’RE STANDING?
I can still only see what I’ve been seeing since day one: the yachting industry will grow, as will the size of the yachts; we will sell more expensive and beautiful boats. We don’t sell yogurt – a consumer good with a three percent fluctuation. The yachting industry is so sensitive, one year you can sell twenty units, and the next year only two. Still, our business is growing, most of our clients want new and bigger boats, but we’ve also seen some switch from larger boats to smaller ones, because some don’t want to work with people (crews).
Comprehensive client support
CAN YOU ALSO PROVIDE CREWS FOR YOUR CLIENTS?
We have a crew management department, led by Tomaž Fakin, but where we are really strong is after sales. This costs us a lot, but I’ve realized early on how problematic it can be to own a yacht, but have no technical support. That’s why we started working on our services on day one, and now we have an extremely large and strong team led by Črt Prinčič that do almost everything in the warranty period, as well as later, as our clients are satisfied and want us to take care of their boat. Today we are able to answer any demand, but it’s still difficult to make money servicing, despite the high turnover. But it is important for us to offer our clients maximum support.
HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO YOU HAVE TODAY?
In the past, I was doing it all myself, but now we have ten sales experts for various markets, thirty employees in services, ten in the office, in marketing, charter… Altogether, there are more than fifty of us.
Expansion and development across the Adriatic
WHAT LIES AHEAD OF MENNYACHT IN THIS YEAR?
As the one who has been running MennYacht since day one, I can tell you we are constantly developing throughout the Adriatic region. We moved one office from Kremik to Marina Mandalina Šibenik, where now, in addition to services, we also have a sales office in line with the standards of the Ferretti Group. In Marina Dalmacija Sukošan, we are opening the best sales office at the Adriatic, in the central marina building, and hiring additional workers in services and after sales. We also have a new service center in Split, led by our Jakov Dekovič, also providing additional support to Domagoj Tabak, who leads our Split sales branch. Our partner and director of MennYacht Croatia, Janko Matušić, is working on a project in Rijeka, more precisely in the industrial zone of Mučići, where we will build a large service hall and show room for Technohull, as addition to the storage and services facilities we have Poljane above Ičići. We also have a newly renovated office in the Porto Montenegro marina in Montenegro, which is becoming an increasingly important destination on the Adriatic, especially for large yachts. We have excellent results in our charter department, under director Eva Jeraša, and that department keeps getting stronger every year. We are also developing a yacht management department, under Kristina Trobec Bukvič, who recently joined our company and brought years of expertise.
YOU HAVE BUILT A RECOGNIZABLE BRAND. DID YOU HAVE ANY HELP FROM THE PRINCIPALS?
We have built our entire brand and created our whole development philosophy ourselves. I have always believed in the Adriatic region and have always said that we do not only sell yachts, but also the destination. Our in-depth knowledge of the Adriatic, its moorings, restaurants, destinations that are available to our clients, that is all important. We are ready to book a berth on the Hvar waterfront or deliver medications to a family sailing with us; which we really did. There is still a lot of work to do here in the region; Italy, France or Spain are good examples, but destinations need to focus more on elite tourism to get to the same level.
Signature brands beyond Ferretti: Technohull and Williams RIBs
IN ADDITION TO THE FERRETTI GROUP BRANDS, YOU ARE ALSO DEALER FOR TECHNOHULL AND WILLIAMS RIBS.
The sale of Technohull inflatables is going extremely well, that was the right move for us. We like to take our clients to Greece, where the factory is. We were just there recently for ten days, visiting their boat show and Technohull Open Day. Technohull models are popular with clients looking for a superbly designed vessel that also offers incredible performance. Technohull is a boater’s boat, with increasingly popularity as chase tender for large yachts. Williams inflatables are jet-powered tenders known for quality and versatility as the number one choice for a tender for smaller and medium-sized yachts.
A brand built on loyalty
IS THERE GREATER SATISFACTION THAN SELLING A BOAT?
Actually, sometimes we sell a boat without any great satisfaction. But we find it in the results of the sale, providing that our employees are happy to work in a company that is always developing, following a vision, always with a smile on their face despite stressful situations and overwork, working and giving it all – that is the greatest satisfaction. Many of our employees have been with us for more than 15 years, some even 25 years. Sales can be stressful, sometimes we fell as stressed as doctors fighting for the life of a patient and failing. It gets a little easier with age, but when you’re selling a big yacht, a hundred or more feet, and everything is already agreed upon, but then client turns on his heel and goes somewhere else – you’re left empty-handed after investing several years of work into it and you have no time to dwell on it. Success and failure happen every day.
Text Darko Šupuk
Photos MennYacht Group
