A testimonial from John Pribik
A Legend of Fort Lauderdale
A kid from Brooklyn living in a four story walk up next to an “L” with open windows and no fans, falls in love with boats and a dream.
With a desire to leave a hard time area begin a career by moving boats around in Sheepshead Bay, New York. A passerby watches as he docks a boat and approaches … the passerby asked are you a “Captain” and the kid said no. The passerby, the owner of a Trumpy, said I like the way you handle a boat would you like to work for me as a Captain? The kid said yes but I am not a Captain… The owner said I’ll buy you a hat.
So begins a change in life story of Frank Gordon leaving the hard luck area of Brooklyn and onto an adventure that spans five decades.
Frank arrives in Florida after a long journey through the intracoastal waterways, arriving in Fort Lauderdale as he describes it — “paradise.” With a desire never to return to Brooklyn he begins a career that leads him into the yacht brokerage business.
What does Frank bring with him that gives him the skill and knowledge of a growing and fascinating industry? Good business sense, honesty, and a way about him that over the years has afforded thousands of repeat customers.
Frank, with his record keeping skills, accurate way of accounting, posting facts, figures, location, condition and owner history onto a 3 ring binder system that precedes the central listing system of today. Other brokers begin to value Frank’s methods, and if you were looking for a yacht in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area, you called Frank.
That begins the brokerage sharing central system — all by phone, mail and stored 3 ring binders. Technology introduces the fax machine and more dealers become involved in sharing listings. Frank grows well into the 1980s with his system and national exposure all around the country.
Frank goes on to train many brokers in his career, who have spun off to begin their own brokerages. You can still find older brokers in many parts of the country who will say Frank Gordon was one of the few that would help another broker when they started out. Frank helped many.