John Gear
Yacht Consultant
John grew up on inland lakes and Lake Michigan and cannot remember a time when there wasn’t a boat at the dock. From early spring to late fall, the water was always the focal point of every spare moment. He and his wife even spent part of their honeymoon transiting Lake Michigan aboard the Milwaukee Clipper.
After college, John entered the financial services industry in Detroit, but even there, sailing on Lake St. Clair with one of his peers from Merrill Lynch was never an opportunity to be missed.
In 1976, John purchased the Edward B. Freeman Company, a Stuart, FL yacht brokerage that pretty much set the tone for the next fifty years. After growing and selling several other businesses, he re-entered the yacht brokerage business with Stuart Yacht Sales in 1995.
In 2002, John joined Kadey-Krogen Yachts, which, by then, had moved from Miami to Stuart. In 2006, he became a partner and President until 2014. He and his partners successfully navigated the company through the Recession of 2008. In 2014, he sold his interest in the company, but not his passion for the product. He remained with Krogen until 2026.
