Palm Beach Towers and Atlantic Marine Electronics - 20 years and counting
by Viking Yachts 17 Aug 2023 07:59 NZST
PBT & AME - 20 years and counting © Viking Yachts
Viking's ability to control multiple facets of production results in turnkey deliveries of our yachts and industry-leading customer satisfaction.
Two of our sister companies, Palm Beach Towers (PBT) and Atlantic Marine Electronics (AME), play critical roles in this vertical integration - and they're both celebrating their 20th anniversary.
Since their establishment by Viking President and CEO Pat Healey, PBT and AME have become the outright leaders in their respective industries.
"They are the best in the world at what they do," says Pat. "They have been a huge part of the Viking Marine Group's growth and our ability to deliver the finest boats in the industry. Their quality, expertise, innovation, attention to detail and customer service are second to none."
Both companies grew quickly, establishing operations in both New Gretna and at the Viking Yacht Service Center in Riviera Beach, Florida (below).
Palm Beach Towers General Manager Drew McDowell and AME General Manager Todd Tally have been on the job since the inception of each subsidiary and have fostered their growth and success.
The milestones for PBT and AME over 20 years have been endless, beginning with each company's earliest installations. The first tower was done on a new model, the 45 Open, while the Viking 65 demo was the first convertible. "The 65 was a milestone boat in itself, so we knew we had to design, fabricate and install a tower that was equally impressive," says Drew.
AME's inaugural installation was on the 65 Enclosed Bridge Rumba. "It had standalone LCD units for chart plotting, radar and sonar," says Todd, shown above checking over the system in the enclosed bridge. "At that point, we did not have multi-function displays (MFDs) or networking. It's amazing to think how far technology has advanced."
With the introduction of the Valhalla Boatworks V Series in 2019, PBT and AME are busier than ever, working side by side building a better boat every day. All Valhallas with PBT towers receive custom AME installations, such as the V-37 Jenny B.
For a deep dive into the evolution of PBT and AME - including the conversation between Pat Healey and a loyal Viking owner that started it all - please visit here for a six-page article in the latest Valhalla magazine.