SUZUKI MARINE CREW WORKS TO CLEAN UP PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA COASTAL AREA
(MARCH 23, 2021 – Panama City, FL) – As part of Suzuki Marine’s “Clean Oceans Project” initiative to help protect waters and coastal environments around the world, the company used a trip to its new Marine Technical Center in Panama City, Florida as an opportunity to put its goals into action.
Earlier this month, Suzuki Marine top executives – including President Masahiro “Max” Yamamoto, Executive Vice President Kunihiko Wahira and Vice President George “Gus” Blakely picked up their bags, donned their gloves and took to the sand and scrub brush to clean up beaches and grasslands in the area. They had come to Florida to meet with various government officials and state agencies to facilitate progress on both Suzuki Marine’s Technical Center and its new corporate headquarters in Tampa, yet found time to break away for what has become a tradition for the entire Suzuki organization – making a positive impact for the marine and coastal environment.
They were joined in this cleanup effort by a host of additional Suzuki Marine employees who were on site to film videos and still photos of exciting new outboard motor and accessories, some of which are available now and others that will be coming in 2022. Even though development and construction work is still underway, using Suzuki Marine’s new 20-acre waterfront facility as a home base provided easy access to shooting locations both on land and out on the water.
In about 90 minute of strolling the sand and beating the bushes, the Suzuki Clean Up Team was able to fill numerous bags, along with a full-size pickup bed, with debris collected off the beach, docking facility area and coastal grasslands. Everything from wrappers, cans and bottles to large items like lumber, tarps and PVC pipes were brought to the collection site where it was properly disposed of. It is likely that Hurricane Michael, which washed over the Panama City area in 2018, contributed to much of the debris covering the peninsula on which the Technical Center sits.
“We had some very positive and constructive meetings with Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, State Senator George Gainer and other state officials to discuss the big plans we have for both our Technical Center and our new Suzuki Marine headquarters in Tampa, Florida,” said Gus Blakely. “We came away from these meetings feeling energized and confident that we made the right choice in making Florida our new home.”
Following the meetings, it was time to put Suzuki’s conservation goals into action. “All of us at Suzuki take the goal of protecting out waters and coastal environments seriously,” said Blakely. “The problem is pollution is not unsolvable if we all do our own small part. This is why we recently introduced the worlds first microplastics filter for use on our outboard motors, and why we engage in grassroots cleanup activities such as this all around the world”
For more information about Suzuki Marine please visit your local Suzuki Marine dealer. You can also find a Suzuki Marine Dealer on www.suzukimarine.com – “Locate a Dealer”
