— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Like a Rock: Jud Black’s Enduring Legacy at Bluewater Yacht Sales
Exceptional Character
Everyone that has met Jud will tell you the same thing: he’s exceptionally quiet and humble, which is a stark contrast in an industry teeming with many vibrant and boisterous characters up and down the docks. How does he manage to always be the chillest person in the room? Jud’s wife, Ann, explains it matter-of-factly, “He really is just one of those rare, good guys that listens more than he talks.” Prioritizing listening to customers, team members and employees has been a winning formula for him over the last five decades in the marine business, and throughout his many service and sales roles while working his way to partner and executive at Bluewater Yacht Sales.
“Jud is the definition of a professional who is selfless, humble and honestly cares about his customers and coworkers more than himself,” says business partner and friend Randy Ramsey. “I don’t know many people who fit that description.”
Craig explains that he is about ten years younger than Jud and went to Kecoughtan High School at the same time as Jud’s sister Shari. It was through that familiarity that when Jud went to work for Chris Hall at Boater’s World around 1988, he wound up hiring Craig as a part-time service apprentice a year later. “Jud and I grew up in a similar atmosphere, both raised on the water here, and learning about boating as kids. Early on, I was working after school and evenings. Many nights we were there until midnight rigging a boat for the next day. Jud and I did a lot together, and at that point he was more of a mechanic than a sales guy,” Messick explains.
Masterful Mentoring
Knowing exactly when—and when not—to say things is a knack that few of us have mastered, but Jud’s tact and personality are such that people have gravitated to him throughout his career.
Down to the person, every Bluewater team member values him as a sounding board: someone who is easy to access and will freely return sage advice and bits of wisdom. From some of his long-time colleagues, such as Craig Messick, Carl Beale, Scott James, Hank Sibley and Wyatt Lane to newer Bluewater personnel such as Baxter Lusink, Blake Tice and Aubrey Wroten, so many good team members have been attracted to Jud’s easy going leadership style, and ultimately benefited from his belief in them. “He’s been doing this work a long time and always has valuable insights and doesn’t ever get shaken up,” says Tice. No matter what happens, Jud is the even keel reassuring his team members they can work through any challenge.
“He’s always calm, a good listener and there to help others. He’s always been a mentor for many of us.”
Through their journey dealing small boat brands at Boater’s World to pivoting to Bluewater’s larger yacht business in the early nineties, John watched Jud transition from a young salesman to a premiere broker. Then in 1999, both Jud and Earle Hall became partners in Bluewater as VPs of Sales and Service, respectively. Chris and Earle Hall were talented businessmen in their own rights, and the trio made a formidable team as they built their sales and service capabilities while offering Viking, Hatteras and Regulator brands, among many others along the way. According to John, Jud has been a big part of Bluewater’s success because of his demeanor and skillset. “Jud is a born mediator, and voice of reason,” John says. “He has always hired well and is excellent at reading people and situations.” Bluewater’s standards have always been sky-high, which can make for a demanding workplace. But Jud’s communication skills helped to recruit and retain top talent over the years.
“Some of my best memories with Jud are situations where we started out in a difficult place, but working through it together, we moved forward to be successful,” Randy summarizes.
“He doesn’t talk much. He’s quiet and mild-mannered, never looking for much attention,” confirms fellow Sales Professional Carl Beale. Carl was another of Jud’s early hires, starting out as a detailer, and holding many jobs including delivery captain and salesperson, while also spending a chunk of his career as a financial advisor.
Balancing time as a salesperson working directly with customers while also managing other members of the team has always been an interesting dynamic, but one that Jud has handled with grace, fairness and professionalism. When Chris, Earle, Jud and Randy were the four primary partners in Bluewater Yacht Sales, he could often be found encouraging and coaching the sales team at company gatherings, a practice that continues to this day. As upper management, they urge their team members to set both lofty professional and personal goals and let them know how the company can help them succeed. When a team member has dreams of a new home or boat, they’re excited to help them realize those goals and keep everyone pulling hard for the betterment of the team.
While each salesperson is essentially competing for some of the same customers, it still pays to help one another out. That’s because in a business where the sales cycle is so long, any individual’s numbers can rise and fall precipitously, but with a large team rafted together, Bluewater has found a rising tide will lift all ships.
“As Carl puts it, Jud’s leadership style has no peaks or valleys, just a steady commitment to greatness that rubs off on his peers.”
In Jud’s view, this business is all about relationships and Bluewater wants to represent customers for life. “We live vicariously through our customers and value our personal relationships with all of them. Every choice we make must answer the question, ‘does this serve our customers?’” he said. And with that philosophy always in front of mind, both the customer and salespeople are rewarded.
Old-fashioned Humility
Being a quiet and curious student, observing and absorbing his surroundings has given Jud an edge in the sales and customer service world, but also contributed to his deep and diverse knowledge-base early in life. According to Ann, his parents gifted him a Sears Gamefish boat when he was very young, kicking off a lifetime of developing his boating acumen. “He was also very close to his grandmother, ‘Nanny,’ who taught him how to crab, fish and play cards while spending summers with her on Gwynn’s Island,” which is about 50 miles north of his childhood home in Hampton. There, Jud’s father owned a full-service gas station and service bay on King Street, where Jud often hung out as a child and learned how to repair cars with his dad. “His family was very much of a do-it-yourself mentality,” says Ann, a reality that set up Jud with a background of skills and knowledge he has put to great use in his career in the marine industry.
If his small town upbringing reminds you of the “Andy Griffith Show,” it’s his courteous behavior that has also drawn comparisons to “Leave it to Beaver” episodes. More than any other character traits, it’s Jud’s truthfulness and kindness that shine through in his day-to-day interactions. “It doesn’t matter who he’s talking to, there’s no difference in how he deals with people. Jud could be selling someone a 9.9 outboard for a Jon Boat or working on a big Viking deal—he’s going to give those two people the same respect. He’s always genuine no matter what, and he is the same way with employees,” explains John Bishop.
Carl offers up an example of how loyal people have become towards Jud, “A customer was planning to list his small center console with Jud, but while the boat was getting cleaned up, a friend of the detailer wound up buying it [before a listing agreement was in place]. The owner still paid Jud a commission when he probably didn’t have to. That’s the kind of respect Jud has earned by always looking out for his customers—shooting straight and working loyally on their behalf.”
“Jud is even and fair. Whether it’s good for him or bad for him–he’s always going to tell the truth.”
A Fine Fisherman
For John, his early friendship with Jud helped to inspire his career in the recreational fishing industry. “Jud is the first person I knew who took me offshore fishing on their private boat.” He had been on commercial charters before, but came away impressed with Jud’s skills. “He’s a tackle junkie and a good fisherman.” But he’s also a workaholic, so he isn’t able to fish on his own boat much, while often being invited aboard his clients’ and friends’ larger yachts. “But he can rig and hook fish with the best of them,” says John.
Thinking about fishing conquests, Carl reminisces about the Viking 55 demo, Bluewater, they entered into the White Marlin Open in the early 2000s. “Jud and I were the anglers, and we went neck and neck for top releases [for the whole tournament]. We totaled 21 fish, and he beat me by just 5 points!” At that time there were extra points awarded for tagging fish Carl explains. “We didn’t win big money back then, just a ring and plaque. But that was a fun time, being anglers with him on a new boat with a great team.” More recently, the two fished together on Jud’s Regulator 34, Black and Blue, in the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament in 2023 and 2024, placing 6th and then 2nd respectively.
Over the years, Jud’s proximity to world-class boats, anglers and brands also fueled his involvement in extracurricular activities such as being a founding board member of the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament. He’s also served on the board of the Virginia Marine Trades Association helping to promote, protect and encourage commerce in Virginia’s ports and seaside communities. In these ways he’s built an impressive legacy in his proteges’ sales and service careers and shaped a culture of giving back to many local charities throughout Hampton Roads, coastal Virginia and the Chesapeake, by way of the tournament.
Representing the Best
Through all the ups and downs of the economy and enduring so much change in technology, construction techniques and customer demand, Bluewater has always adapted and re-focused on representing the finest brands possible to their customers. This was always an edict of Chris Hall’s strategy, but Jud wouldn’t have had it any other way. Look back on Bluewater’s various marketing slogans over the years and you’ll find phrases such as “judge us by the companies we keep,” and “boating’s best brands.” Spend time at a boat show talking with Jud, and you may hear him put it in much simpler terms. When asked about a brand Bluewater chose not to represent, “We’re boat snobs!” Jud admitted, before elaborating, “We gravitate towards boats that we would like to own personally. If we don’t want it, we can’t sell it. The result is a concentration of extreme quality in our lineup.”
As Jud’s career matures, there are few non-boating activities he takes part in, but he and Ann have been able to enjoy RVing more often in recent years, and they are currently setting out to build a house in the mountains. Both activities provide a change of scenery from his lifetime passion of serving customers on the lower Bay, says Craig. But he also notes that Jud shows no signs of leaving the boats and business that he so genuinely loves.
