The MRAA Educational Foundation is seeking applicants for the 2015 Kevin Lodder Scholarship. The Kevin Lodder Scholarship Fund, which was founded in memory of Kevin Lodder of Lodder’s Marine in Fairfield, Ohio, provides a full scholarship to attend a weeklong Spader Business Management Total Management 1 Workshop to an employee of a Marine Retailers Association of the Americas retail member.
The Total Management Workshop details skills that will increase profits, stability and growth for the dealership. Attendees will leave the workshop with a clear set of principles, processes and tools to take their company to new levels of performance and profitability.
They will leave knowing:
· How to make faster, better decisions based on proven principles and ratios for business management
· How to achieve a highly profitable and adaptable business by effectively structuring a right-sized operation
· How to achieve excellent margins and competitive pricing
· How to create simplified score-keeping with a profit plan that connects the financial goals of the company, each department and individual employees
· How to achieve rational inventory planning, higher margins, lower risk, and enjoy more robust adaptability
· How to improve employee and customer communication, improve attitudes and reduce conflict by mastering the four basic human styles
“The workshop opened my eyes to a little bit of everything that goes into owning a dealership and each position needed to do that well,” says Kathy Bense, Superior Boat Repair & Sales, a past recipient of the Kevin Lodder Scholarship. “I learned the process of when to expand your business to another tier, how to plan a budget, the process of determining how many boats to order, and how you shouldn’t overextend your inventory and flooring.”
Any employee of an MRAA dealership member is eligible to apply for the Kevin Lodder Scholarship, which is valued at nearly $3,800. The scholarship includes the registration fee for the workshop ($2,995) and a travel allowance of $800. The 2015 recipient will be announced at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 15-18 in Orlando, Fla.
For more information and to apply, visit the Kevin Lodder Scholarship web page by clicking here. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30.
Please contact Liz Walz with any questions at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com.
About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information, visit About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. The MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit ###
