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Who We Are:

Sea Tow has been the on-water assistance fleet of choice for boaters since 1983. A franchise-based marine assistance organization headquartered in Southold, New York, Sea Tow was founded in 1983 by Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer after the U.S Coast Guard stopped responding to non-emergency calls.

Since that time, Sea Tow has grown into a thriving network of nearly 100 locations across the United States with additional offices in Europe and the Caribbean. This network consists of a dedicated team of captains, crew and support staff that are standing by, 24/7, to serve our members and other boaters.

Executive Team

Sea Tow Services International is a family-owned and family-run business, but of course there is a strong team of executives who work with the Frohnhoefer family.

Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer III - Chief Executive Officer
As the son of the founder, Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer III virtually grew up on a boat.  His experience ranges from being one of the first Sea Tow deckhands, to Sea Tow Captain after earning his first Captains license at the age of 18, to currently holding a 1600 Ton Master, Chief Mate  - All Oceans, All Seas license.  As CEO Capt. Joe III maintains oversight of the entire business with a focus on external operations, including legal, franchise development, operations and compliance.  He also maintains key relationships across the marine industry.  Capt. Joe III also serves on the Board of Directors of the Sea Tow Foundation.

Kristen Frohnhoefer - President
As the daughter of the founder, Kristen Frohnhoefer has spent over 25 years working for Sea Tow learning about every aspect of the business. As President, Kristen is responsible for overseeing all internal operations including the membership program, marketing, sales, communications and call center operations. She also focuses time on business development and maintains key relationships across the marine industry. Kristen also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Sea Tow Foundation.

Cindy McCaffery - Vice President of Program Development
As the Vice President of Program Development, Cindy’s responsibilities include management of Sea Tow's training programs, boat shows and event coordination. She and her team manage multiple Sea Tow programs for dealers, manufacturers, retailers and service providers. Cindy also serves as the event coordinator for the company’s annual meeting and is the contact person for media relations. The former executive vice president of Lieblein Associates, a marketing and communications firm, Cindy brings to Sea Tow over 18 years of experience in sales, training, marketing, communications, event planning and hotel management.

Vanessa Kraus - Director of Marketing
Since 2011, Vanessa, along with her incredible team, have been managing the Sea Tow brand on a national and local level. Her passion is working hand–in–hand with the Sea Tow network of franchisees across the country to grow their membership and further position Sea Tow as the premier on-water service provider. Vanessa brings over 10 years of marketing, public relations, social media and brand management experience to the Sea Tow team.

Georgia Frohnhoefer - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
As the wife of Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer, Founder of Sea Tow Services International, Georgia has been integral to the success of Sea Tow as “the woman who makes it all work!”  After serving as Executive Vice President of Sea Tow since its inception, Georgia now serves as Chairwoman of the Board ensuring that Sea Tow lives up to Capt. Joe’s vision and ideals.

Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer Jr. - Founder (1945-2015)
As the founder of Sea Tow Services International Capt. Joe had a vision of building the most professional on-water assistance network to ensure that boaters knew someone was there to help.  He not only founded Sea Tow and served as Chairman & CEO, but was one of the founding members of C-PORT, the national association for the marine assistance industry where he served for many years as the national liaison between the marine assistance industry and the U.S. Coast Guard.  Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) and served on the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC), a deliberative advisory body to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard.  An avid boater and staunch supporter of boating safety he founded the non-profit Sea Tow Foundation in 2007 to promote safe boating practices and give back to the boating community he loved so much.  Over the years Capt. Joe received many awards including the NY Metro Region Entrepreneur of the Year, and the prestigious Chapman Award for his contributions to the marine industry.

 



Corporate Office

Building Green & Strong

In 2004, Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer recognized that, to best serve Sea Tow’s expanding membership base and the needs of its franchise network, Sea Tow needed a larger facility. And so began the two-year project of designing and constructing the company's new corporate headquarters.

Renovating an existing structure or building a traditional wood or steel structure would have been easier, faster and less expensive in the short term. But Capt. Frohnhoefer saw Sea Tow’s need for a new building as an opportunity to create a national corporate and communications center that not only would withstand whatever came its way, but also would reflect Sea Tow’s unwavering commitment to public safety and environmental responsibility.

Several management policies and practices demonstrate Sea Tow’s continued determination to protect the environment, including commitment to energy-efficiency, water use reduction, minimal impact transportation, recycling and environmental education and awareness resulting in Sea Tow obtaining LEED certification of their corporate headquarters.

24/7 Call Center

Regardless of whether you refer to it as our “call center” or our “dispatch center,” it’s one of the most important pieces of the Sea Tow operation. Our 24-hour call center is located in our international corporate headquarters in NY and handles both dispatch and membership inquiries. Fielding calls directly from our toll free number, 800-4-SEATOW (473-2869), our trained representatives are standing by to assist you. Functioning as a direct link to our local captains, it is their responsibility to ensure our members get the fastest and most effective service out on the water… or to renew your membership. You will have peace of mind knowing there is a knowledgeable and friendly voice waiting to service you and your family should the need arise!


Awards

As the first on-water assistance network Sea Tow has set the tone for the industry and has been recognized for their accomplishments.

Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year – New York Metropolitan Region
In 2002 Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer, Sea Tow founder and CEO, was recognized for his vision, not only in starting Sea Tow, but in creating an industry.

Inc. 500/5000 – 2007
In 2007 Sea Tow Services International Inc. was ranked 4489 on the Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest growing companies in the U.S. having achieved 43.8% growth over the prior three years.

Neptune Awards
Sea Tow has been awarded Neptune Awards four consecutive years since 2010 for Marketing Excellence by the Marine Marketers of America in a multitude of categories including Best Consumer Mobile App, Best Digital Newsletter, Best Regional/Local Advertising and Best Product Literature Series.

Inc. 500/5000 – 2011
In 2011 Sea Tow Services International Inc. was again named to the Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest growing companies in the U.S. with a rank of 4802 having achieved 9% growth over the prior three years. Sea Tow Captains and crews are also frequently recognized for their outstanding on-water assistance they provide to boaters all over the map. These awards are handed out by the United States Coast Guard, local government, Sea Tow customers and by the executive team at Sea Tow Services International, Inc.

2012 Customer Innovator of the Year - Optimum Lightpath
Optimum Lightpath named Sea Tow Services International the 2012 Customer Innovator of the Year for unique use of Ethernet-based services to drive communication efforts that help boaters in distress around the world.

2014 Charles F. Chapman Award
Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer, Founder and CEO of Sea Tow Services International was honored with the Charles F. Chapman Award by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) for his distinguished career spanning more than 40 years in the boating industry. One of the industry's most prestigious honors, each year the Chapman Award recognizes an individual or group that has provided consistent promotion and protection of the sport of boating and its benefits to both the recreational boating industry and the public.