In November, 2021 MRAA launched the Marine Industry Compensation Study. It was conducted for the first time in 2017 and came as a response to an industry-driven desire to identify compensation and staffing trends in dealerships across North America. With several years having passed, economic and workforce changes and, of course we can’t forget the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been curious to know what has changed for dealers in terms of compensation. Now, after several months of waiting, we are happy to announce we are just two weeks away from releasing the full report!

While some of the data is still being flushed out, here are some things you can look forward to seeing. With 102 dealership responses, initial data has come in for 37 positions for total compensation and other compensation information. Positions reported come from the front office, sales department, service department, parts/accessories/retail department and marina and include:

• Front Office: Owner, General Manager, Receptionist, Bookkeeper, Controller, Warranty Administrator, Title Clerk and Accounts Payable Clerk
• Sales Department: Sales Director, Sales Manager, Sales Lead, Sales Consultant, Sales Assistant/Lot Attendant, F&I Manager, F&I Associate, Sales/Marketing Assistant, Marketing Manager and Internet Sales Manager
• Service Department: Service Director, Service Manager, Service Apprentice, Service Technician ‚Äì Entry Level, Service Technician ‚Äì Intermediate, Service Technician ‚Äì Senior/Master, Service Writer/Advisor, Boat Detailer, Rigger, Service/Parts Associate and Shop Foreman
• Parts/Accessories/Retail Department: Parts Manager and Parts Associate
• Marina: Marina Manager, Gas Dock Attendant, Marina Operations/Maintenance Personnel, Storage Runner/Yard & Marine Attendant, Yard Foreman and Yard Staff/Porter

The data for each position has been broken down based on characteristics such as geographic distribution, region (metro/suburb vs. small town vs. rural/low population), revenue (more or less than $10 million total annual revenue), Marine Industry Certification Dealership status, number of employees and whether or not there is a marina.

The 2021 Marine Industry Compensation Study was launched with support of the Bill & Kristin Fenech Foundation on behalf of Barletta Pontoon Boats and will be available mid-May.