On Wednesday, February 27th, the Congressional Boating Caucus and representatives of the recreational boating industry presented the “Boating Industry Briefing: Jobs, Businesses, and the Economy”. It also served as the official release of new economic data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association, and that data indicates that the boating industry generated $170.3 billion in spending in 2018, supporting 691,000 jobs and 35,000 businesses across all 50 states.

Several members of Congress, including Representative Jackie Walorski (R-IN-02), Representative Bill Huizenga (R-MI-02), Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), and Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) attended the event and gave remarks praising the economic impact and jobs that recreational boating creates.

Representatives from the industry were also present at the event, including Kevin Grodzki of Brunswick, David Slikkers of Tiara Yachts, Bill Yeargin of Correct Craft, and Joan Maxwell of Regulator Marine. They discussed a number of issues facing recreational boating, including the ongoing workforce shortage that has dogged the industry for years.

NMMA’s newly released infographics are available here.