The Viking Yacht Company executive team (l to r): Patrick Healey, Bill Healey ’51, Bob Healey Sr. ’51 and Bob Healey Jr. ’05

PHILADELPHIA (September 26, 2013) – Viking Yacht Company executives Robert T. Healey Sr. ’51, William Healey ’51, Robert T. Healey Jr. ’05 and Patrick Healey recently received the inaugural Greater Philadelphia Family Business Award of Excellence from Ernst & Young (EY) at the Greater Philadelphia EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards gala.

The Family Business Award of Excellence recognizes an entrepreneurial venture led by a second-generation or later family member or multiple family members who have plans to carry the business forward for future generations. By winning the Greater Philadelphia award, the Healeys earn the right to compete for the national EY Family Business Award of Excellence in Palm Springs, Calif., in November.

Viking Yacht is a world leader in semi-custom fiberglass yacht production with more than 4,000 vessels delivered. While the Healey family is best known for boat building, it has expanded its entrepreneurial endeavors by buying a marina adjacent to the Viking plant. They have also purchased two service yards and are leading efforts to redevelop parts of Riviera Beach, Fla.

In addition to their entrepreneurial endeavors, the Healeys are positively impacting communities around the world. Their nonprofit efforts include the Healey Education Fund, which works to sustain and grow Catholic elementary schools, and the Gleneayre Equestrian Program and Gleneayre Equine Assisted Learning Program, which use horses to help at-risk teen girls learn life lessons. The Children’s Resource Center is a nonprofit organization providing swimming, canoeing and a ropes course for the community in Lumberton, N.J.

The family’s international efforts include the Healey International Relief Fund, which works to improve the quality of life for survivors of the civil war in Sierra Leone, Africa. The Healeys are active in other national nonprofits, including the Winners Circle Charities, an initiative led by Philadelphia Phillie legend Mike Schmidt. Additionally, the Healeys helped provide relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy — both for their affected employees and residents of the New Gretna region.

For his good works, Robert T. Healey Sr. will be honored with the National Catholic Educational Association’s Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award in October and the Shield of Loyola, the highest honor bestowed by the Saint Joseph’s University Alumni Association, in November.