PERRY WOODMAN - PRESIDENT
Contact Perry at
905-999-5643.
Boating has always been a passion, from my days in Newfoundland, messing about in runabouts, sculling and canoeing on the lakes and the open Atlantic. My family took up sailing together, racing and cruising. My daughters have taken it to another level as professional sailing instructors, most recently in the BVI and Cayman Islands.
After a varied career in retail sales, marketing and distribution, I took advantage of an opportunity to sell boats for a local dealer part time in 2005, and quickly moved to full time, then to VP of Sales and Marketing.
After 11 years working for someone else, it was time to take control of my own destiny, so Breezeway Yachts was launched. [Breezeway was the name of our social center at Memorial University, and it's a part of a boat, so the name was a natural fit.]
Over the years, I have sold literally TONS of boats, new and used, sailboats, powerboats, catamarans and dinghies worth tens of millions of dollars. I've worked with clients to maximize the value of their boats and sell them quickly. We have found boats internationally and gotten them here; found buyers internationally, sending boats out of the province and the country.
I like to think my team and I work with a larger vision than just closing the sale [although we're pretty good at getting that done as well]. We care that the boat you buy is appropriate for your needs and desires. We want your experience to be comfortable and stress free.
ROB SALOMAN - PRODUCT SPECIALIST - CATALINA'S and CATAMARANS
OTTAWA, RIDEAU-ST LAWRENCE, KINGSTON and the 1000 ISLANDS
Rob is a Certified RYA/MCA YACHTMASTER OFFSHORE.
He can be reached at
613-795-1734.
Rob hails originally from Kitchener, Ontario, where he grew up boating and visiting cottages in nearby Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. A Ryerson University graduate with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering, Rob has also studied Business Administration at the University of Ottawa. These studies launched a 35-year career in high tech marketing and sales with many significant achievements and awards along the way.
Boating is a passion for Rob. He began his boating adventures in 1980 at the Nepean Sailing Club on the Ottawa River. Rob’s first date with his lovely wife Laurel was in a 19-foot Sandpiper on the Ottawa River. Their boating history now includes cruising and racing with family and friends on the Great Lakes, in the BVI’s, Georgian Bay, the Bahamas and participating in the 1997 Newfoundland flotilla. In 2019 Rob completed his RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certification with Commercial Endorsement in early 2020, and is available for yacht deliveries.
Rob has volunteer experience as a hockey coach and Able Sailing Companion. In addition, he finds time for hockey, skiing, cycling and his guitar gets regular use! Raising four boys has, of course, required some boat upgrades along the way. Rob and Laurel still live in Ottawa, but they spend much of the summer in the Thousand Islands, aboard their Beneteau 423 'Heart and Soul'. They are based at Trident Yacht club, where Rob has served on the board.
We are pleased to have Rob on the Breezeway Yachts team as he embodies the ideals we value; personal integrity, a love of boating and respect for clients.
TONY CAHILL - PRODUCT SPECIALIST
COBOURG to WHITBY to the GTA
Tony can be reached at
647-385-8202
Tony was born in Vancouver, but other than 3 years spent in Hong Kong as a teenager, has lived most of his life in Ontario. Tony's introduction to sailing was at the Oakville Yacht Squadron as a 10 year old aboard his father's O'Day Tempest, giving him almost 50 years of boating experience.
Growing up, Tony's family lived in a few different places around the province and world. In Ottawa Tony took part in the junior program and at 12 years old sailed one of the first lasers built. A few years later living in Hong Kong he imported the first laser there, starting of a fleet that is still active today.
Once back in Canada, Tony attended St Francis Xavier University where he acquired a degree in Political Science. His professional career was spent at the Toronto Star where he spent 36 years in advertising sales and marketing.
Finally settling in Whitby, Tony and his wife Sabine sail their CS 36 Scotia Girl out of the Whitby Yacht Club where Tony is Past Commodore. He also owns a shark that he races with mixed success and continues to own a laser.
We are pleased to introduce Tony as a member of the Breezeway Yachts team.
GLENN BERGLUND - PRODUCT SPECIALIST
ST CATHARINES to OAKVILLE
Glenn can be reached at
905-650-2668.
Glenn was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario. He began sailing in the Dalhousie Yacht Club junior sail program at the age of 14, just after his father passed away, and a lifelong passion was ignited.
Glenn became a licensed Motor Vehicle Technician through the Niagara College Apprenticeship Program and for twelve years he worked at high end dealerships in the area, servicing Saab, Jaguar, BMW, Austin, MG and others. After a two year sabbatical of sorts that saw Glenn travel in Africa and work in the ski industry in Western Canada, he returned to his roots. A football injury in 1993 led to knee reconstruction surgery, and while convalescing, his career took a significant turn when a Manager at C&C Yachts offered Glenn a job. He never went back to pulling wrenches.
A year or so later, C&C was shut down due to a plant fire. He was offered a job at Hinterhoeller Yachts as Purchasing Manager, moving quickly up the ladder to company President. Fate stepped in again [this time in the way of litigation] and shut that company down. Shortly thereafter Glenn transitioned from manufacturing to retail, moving to Toronto and taking a Yacht Broker position with Swans Yacht Sales, where he was the top producer for his seven year tenure.
He returned to St. Catharines in 2007 to be close to his teenaged daughter, Monica, and is justifiably excited that the love of his life is also a junior sailor.
Back at home he managed a high end automobile restoration company and most recently represented luxury vacation properties.
Glenn purchased a C&C27 from his stepdad in 1988, and for the next thirteen years, when he wasn’t racing or cruising, he was lovingly refurbishing her. During most of his time in Toronto, Glenn was race crew, primarily on the new C&C99. He and his stepdad purchased a new Catalina 30 during that period, so boats are still in his blood.
We are pleased to introduce Glenn as the newest member of the Breezeway Yachts team. Glenn embodies the ideals we value; personal integrity, a love of boating and respect for clients.
CHRIS VERRA - BROKER
BELLEVILLE, PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, BAY OF QUINTE, BRIGHTON
You can reach Chris at:
613-885-1482
Raised on the shores of Georgian Bay, Chris made his way to Belleville as a teenager. He and his wife Debbie raised four daughters in the area and have been active members of the boating community there for many years. He has a background in print journalism and has written for such notable boating publications as Lattitudes and Attitudes, GAM on Yachting and Good Old Boat.
Chris has owned and managed his own sales agency for almost three decades servicing the outdoor sporting and marine industries. He is a professional customer service expert with a deep knowledge of boats and boating.
Chris has purchased and refurbished numerous sailboats and sport boats in the past twenty years and can walk you through your next vessel purchase or sale with confidence and first hand knowledge.
He and Debbie recently returned from a one year sailing sabbatical to the Bahama's and back aboard their Aloha 32. Today they keep their latest boat, a Bristol 41.1, in the Bay of Quinte and enjoy cruising in the waters around Prince Edward County and Eastern Lake Ontario.
We are pleased to have Chris on the Breezeway Yachts team as he embodies the ideals we value; personal integrity, a passion for all things "boating" and a respectful approach in serving the needs of our clients.
CHERYL WOODMAN
MARKETING and DIGITAL MEDIA
Cheryl can be reached at
Cheryl is a Windsor, Ontario native. She grew up surrounded by water; Lake St Clair, the Detroit River and Lake Erie. As a kid she spend her summers baiting hooks with her dad as he fished those waters or sneaking into the area Yacht Clubs with her brother.
She was initiated into the business world while in school as a MacDonald's employee, learning the value of teamwork, process and precision. Moving into music retail with Flipside Records, later to be acquired by A&A Records and Tapes [that wasn't yesterday!], she developed an understanding of relating to clients with a wide variety of interests and tastes.
She quickly moved into management and used her organizational and people skills to develop management teams across Ontario. Her territories expanded with moves to London, Ottawa and Toronto, where she assumed the role of Sale Manager for Ontario, encompassing over 100 stores. From this, Cheryl eventually moved into the position as Human Resources Manager for the Company of 250 stores.
While at A&A, she got married and started a family. While on maternity leave, she began to care for a friend's child and her career as a Day Care Professional was born. This allowed her to be very involved with her own two girls as they grew. A very satisfying period.
Boating became a big part of the family lifestyle in 2003 with the purchase of a Catalina 27 sailboat. This led to cruising, club racing and the introduction of the girls to a sailing education. The Catalina 27 was replaced by a C&C 29mkII and then a Catalina 355, and sailing adventures expanded.
Alongside that, Perry began his boat sales career in 2005 and Cheryl has been a large part of that. From attending a variety of events including local on-water boat shows, to large events like the Toronto Boat Show and the US Boat Show at Annapolis, she has seen the workings of the industry from the inside.