Do you know about the people who show up every day to do work on your behalf – advocating for the marine industry and the talented people who work the front lines? We are your marine trades associations and collectively we are the National Marine Trades Council.

Last week, around 30 marine trades association professionals, gathered in Anacortes, Washington to continue to push the industry forward with our pooled expertise. We touched on important topics like workforce & talent management, sharing resources to support our members, continuing education and association best practices. We welcomed back Canadian associations to the council this year, which was a great addition. Having insight from the community with the shortest boating season in North America was insightful.

Building a community of trusted friends that understand the challenges and rewards that come out of your daily activity is rich with benefits. We share similar pains, we celebrate aligned victories and we keep showing up to support each other to achieve the best results we can.

Who is your community? Is it your 20 Group, local area dealers, MRAA members or your local MTA members… whoever you build community with, I encourage you to show up and share your expertise with others. You never know when you might be offered a nugget of valuable information in casual conversation that could change the way you operate.