b'side, its strong network seems like I have an armyI have come to rely on the professional knowledge working on my behalf.thatEdandhiscolleagueEricChristensen,a retired U.S. Coast GuardCaptain who knows the My father always made an eff ort to attend PVAins and out of the passenger vessel operations and meetings, especially the PVA Annual Conventionunderstands all the regulations we face, are always at MariTrends. Hed say that just one idea couldwilling to share. Im not sure if they even realize pay for the whole trip. He would always learnhow much theyve taught me. They have shown something at these meetings that would save orme how to compose myself in numerous business make money for our operation, which made itsituations.Theyvetaughtmehowtoformat worthwhile.Myfi PVAconventionwasinemailsthatIsendtoregulatoryandlegislativerst Long Beach, CA. Thats when I discovered that,bodies to get my message across properly. In short, as usual, Dad was right. Going to these meetingsas a young person just fi guring out how to run a delivered information and solutions that I neededvessel operation, they are teaching me how to be for our operation to succeed. a businessman. AnothertypeofmeetingthatPVAhostsandMy dad joined PVA in 2009. I plan to be a member is incredibly benefi cial to vessel operators is thefor as long as Im running this business. Frankly, annual PVA Congressional Fly-In. I participatedId be lost without it. in the 2019 event in Washington, DC and it was one of the best professional experiences of my life.The Ben Franklin cruises from Penns Landing.About the Author: It was the fi time I participated in this eventrst and I remember the day clearly. I had to work on the boat before driving a few hours to Alexandria,EDDIE VERZELLAVirginia to meet up with the other PVA membersBEN FRANKLIN YACHTwhoweretakingpart.ThePVAstaff had,as usual, gone the extra mile to ensure wed be readyEddie Verzella is the owner and operator to go to Capitol Hill and meet our congressionalofBenFranklinYachtinPhiladelphia, representatives. I had the talking points that EdPA. He is a member of the PVA Emerging Welch,PVAsLegislativeDirectorwhospentLeaders Committee.much of his early career on Capitol Hill drafting bills,hadpreparedandwithasmallgroupof Pennsylvania operators, we visited the offices of the legislators and their staffon The Hill that had been pre-arranged by PVA. It was an amazing experience. I was able to talk aboutmyoperationandthepassengervessel industry to the very people who have the ability to make decisions about my business. I hope that we will soon have the opportunity to do that again next year, post pandemic, as it is so important. I strongly encourage other vessel operators to joinRELIABLE POWER FOR A in as well. DEMANDING SCHEDULEIn the past 12 months, I have found that PVAYour business cant compromise when it comes to off ers far more than I would have ever expected.maintaining a demanding schedule. Thats why Sure, the training resources, security plans, andcustomers count on reliable John Deere PowerTech all the other things that passenger vessel operatorsmarine engines. With high torque and low-rated rpm, John Deere engines deliver dependable power and needtohaveinplacethatPVAprovidesarequiet operation.extremely helpful.But, I now know that the PVA staffcan give me other critical tools that I need toFull power range of marine engines 60 to 559 kw (80 to 750 hp)carry on my fathers dream. JohnDeere.com/MarineJUNE 2021 25 HOW PVA HELPS ME'