About Me

Rick Eyerdam is a veteran editor, publisher and marketer, currently working as a, reporter, consultant and analyst.

Eyerdam joined The Florida Shipper in April of 2004 follow a time as a partner at Marine Media and Technology where he was first retained as a consultant to develop content for the company's publications and to assist in growing the Marine Media & Technology (MMT) presence in the recreational marine community. Through his efforts the company identified the potential for acquisition and development of The Boating News and TheBoatingNews.com. Eyerdam was subsequently named editor in chief of The Boating News Group and then editor and publisher.

Prior to joining MMT, Eyerdam resigned his position as executive editor at Southern Boating and Yachting Publications where he produced a monthly consumer boating magazine and a bi-monthly national trade publication for the marine industry.

He has been an important force in the recreational boating industry because of his tenure at Southern Boating and The Boating News and he has helped to influence positive change on the editorial side and the business side of coverage of the recreational boating and issues that involve all of those who use the waterways and the ports.

Eyerdam earned a bachelor's degree in English and in Government from Florida State University. He held editorial roles with The Miami News, The Palm Beach Times, The Florida Keys Keynoter, Miami/South Florida Magazine, The Sea Hawk Guide to the Florida Keys, and The Official Guide to Florida, South Florida Business Journal, Southern Boating Magazine and the Marine Business Journal.

He has won more than two dozen journalism awards including The University of Kansas, William White School of Journalism Award for Local Coverage, The Claudia Ross Memorial Award for Investigative Reporting from the University of Florida, the Associated Press Award for Commentary on Radio and other awards for investigative reporting, spot news, in-depth news, editorials, columns and sports coverage.

Eyerdam joined Southern Boating after he resigned his position as marketing and communications Vice President at The Dollar Time Group Inc., following the completion of his role in the company's marketing turn-around. Dollar Time Group is was a public company engaged in owning and operating retail stores. For the previous six years, Eyerdam worked at South Florida Business Journal, a weekly regional business newspaper.

Earlier in his career Eyerdam served as a political press secretary and as the staff director of the Rules Committee in the Florida House of Representatives. He was a political reporter, investigative reporter and Tallahassee bureau chief for the Miami News and Palm Beach Times. He was Florida correspondent for the Dow Jones, National Observer. He was White House reporter, among other assignments, for the National Enquirer. He was consulting editor for Hemisphere, the journal of the Florida International University, Center for the Study of Central and South America. He was a contributing editor at Fast Lane Magazine, a national men¹s magazine. And he was founding editor, principal designer and writer of Ability-- a prototype national, general interest magazine for the physically challenged. He was co-publisher of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau's 1988 Destination Guide. He designed and wrote the 1988 Official Guide to Florida for the Florida Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism. Eyerdam's articles have appeared in Southern Magazine, Florida Sportsman, Fast Lane, Pleasure Boating, Recommend, National Observer, National Enquirer, South Florida Business Journal, Southern Boating, New York Daily News Sunday Magazine, The Economist Guide to American Cities, New Miami, the Miami Jewish Tribune, Boats.com and others.

An avid boater and fisherman, Eyerdam is the founder and first president of the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association. He has served as a judge for the National Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Awards for the past 7 years.