Although slow to admit it, Joe was destined for boatbuilding. As an avid free diver and spearfisherman growing up in Miami, the Oceans of South Florida were his life. When presented with an offer to work for a prominent boatbuilder at the time, Joe jumped on the opportunity. After a few years, the company he was working for changed hands and things went south giving Joe the jumpstart he needed to start Contender Boats in 1984. Equipped with a passion for diving and sportfishing along with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of what it took to make a high-performance fishing machine, Joe got to work building the iconic boats Contender is known for today. Highly competitive by nature, he’s never settled – constantly pushing the envelope in performance, quality, fishability and innovation. Beyond his contributions to the boating industry, Joe is also a strong supporter of the fishing community sitting on various boards and advisory councils. He is also a fierce conservationist fighting hard to protect both the sport and the resource for generations to come.