Jeff Broman
It has been an eventful month for Jeff Broman since he took over as the director of Mercury Racing.
Broman stepped into the role following an unexpected management overhaul at the Fond du Lac, Wis., facility in late September that resulted in the exit of two senior executives. Previously, he held the position of Mercury Racing’s director of engineering for five years, after spending 18 years at Mercury Marine.
“I am familiar with the aspects of the business that I’m now overseeing; I just need to grasp them more thoroughly,” Broman stated in an extensive interview during the 2023 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. “Everyone has been incredibly supportive in offering their assistance to me. There’s a lot to absorb, but my stress level remains quite manageable.”
The 45-year-old seemed destined to end up at Mercury Racing. Having grown up in Fond du Lac, both of Broman’s parents were employed by Mercury Marine. While pursuing his mechanical engineering degree at the University of Wisconsin, he interned at Mercury Marine and was subsequently hired full time upon graduation.
“When the chance to work at Mercury presented itself, that was my desired path,” Broman remarked. “That was my aim.”
Upon joining Mercury Marine, Broman began his career with two-stroke V6 outboards, later transitioning to the OptiMax and Verado L6 platforms. “I’ve contributed to nearly all the four-stroke outboards we’ve developed in the last 20 years,” he noted.
Broman has also actively participated in the design of Mercury Racing’s 450R and 500R outboards launched in 2023 to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary.
Now, in his capacity as the director of Mercury Racing, Broman intends to steer the high-performance engine manufacturer in a direction that bears similarities to recent years. This includes the introduction of new and innovative offerings, likely resulting in more outboard models.
According to Broman, while Mercury Racing will always produce high-horsepower sterndrives, the fast-paced market has fully adopted outboards for over ten years.
“Outboards present numerous customer-friendly advantages,” he explained. “Performance sterndrives will always have their place. There will be boats that simply don’t make sense without outboards, but they will continue to utilize sterndrives. For now, I don’t foresee (sterndrives) returning to what they were like 10 or 15 years ago.”
Mercury Racing is likely to refresh specific existing sterndrives such as the QC4 introduced ten years ago, rather than creating an entirely new model. “It will remain a foundational part of our lineup for many years ahead,” Broman stated.
After a hectic 2023 featuring the launch of the 450R and 500R outboards, Broman affirmed that Mercury Racing will maintain its momentum in 2024. Although he remains discreet about upcoming developments, he is confident that consumers will be pleased.
“Next year’s projects won’t reach the same scale,” he said. “We’ll handle several smaller initiatives that will fit within that timeframe.”
While the unexpected exits of general manager Stuart Halley and director of customer experience Steve Miller surprised the company’s 100 staff members, Broman indicated that operations have continued as usual at Mercury Racing.
Broman mentioned that the company is striving to involve more personnel in sales and service to enhance the customer experience.
“Everyone you’ve been in contact with over the last month is still available to you as a customer today, so there’s really no change,” Broman remarked. “We are aiming to build a stronger team to execute more strategic initiatives, grow the business, and engage in projects we previously lacked the capacity for. That encapsulates our approach to the recent organizational adjustments.”
Broman, who is married and has three children, is only the fourth leader to oversee Mercury Racing since it was acquired by Mercury Marine in 1990. The Wisconsin native is eager to make his impact on the company.
“I’m extremely thrilled about this opportunity,” Broman said. “We’ll keep the momentum going next year. Although it won’t be our 50th anniversary anymore, we’re committed to ongoing product development. We’ll continue rolling out new products and collaborating with our customers. I’m looking forward to it.”
Stay tuned for the full interview in the upcoming issue of Poker Runs America.