MRAA News

CMTA Surmounts Outreach, Educational, and Scholarship Programs to Combat Workforce Crisis

Essex, CT. – There are job opportunities within the recreational boating segment that are going unfilled, and hundreds of them are here in Connecticut. Statistics from the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas estimate that by 2019, there will be over 30,000 budgeted positions available nationwide but left open within the sector due to a […]

MRAA and ORR Support Sound Trade Policies, Warn Against Tariff Impacts

While the outdoor recreation industry supports fair international trade policies and efforts to protect U.S. business interests in the global market, recent trade policy developments have threatened continued growth in this critical $673 billion industry. We understand the Administration’s efforts to safeguard U.S. intellectual property and balance unfair trade deficits, however recent tariffs have prompted […]

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Welcomes Final Release of First-Ever Government Statistics on Industry

Washington, D.C. – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) today welcomed the final report on the first-ever government statistics recognizing the outdoor recreation industry as a significant contributor to the U.S. economy. The report, federally funded by the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, was released today by Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The […]

MRAA and Boating Ontario Join Forces to Extend Reach

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Canadian counterpart Boating Ontario have launched a collaborative effort to expand the delivery of resources and tools across borders. In 2011, the MRAA Board of Directors voted to change the MRAA bylaws in efforts to provide more opportunities to Canadian members. First, by changing the name of […]

Chaparral And Robalo Boats Celebrate Top Dealers

Chaparral and Robalo Boats honored its top dealers and sales professionals from around the globe for the 2018 model year at their 2019 Annual Dealer Conference meeting held at the Ritz – Carlton, Lake Oconee, GA. Top Domestic Dealer Award Winners: Chaparral: The Boat Rack, Sherrills Ford, NC Premier 54 Motorsports, Osage Beach, MO Waterfront […]

Congressional Boating Caucus Highlights Workforce Issues on Capitol Hill

On September 5th, MRAA, NMMA, and BoatUS hosted several representatives of state marine trades associations including Wendy Mackie if the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, Peter Schrappen of Northwest Marine Trade Association, Randall Lyons of the Massachusetts Marine Trade Association, and Susan Zellers of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland for the purpose of a […]

Congress To Tackle Harmful Algae Blooms

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on dangerous algae blooms. Florida is currently facing an unprecedented algae event, but a number of other states are experiencing harmful algae blooms and the problem continues to grow. The negative impact that toxic algae blooms have on the recreational boating community […]

Partnership Key to Barletta Pontoon Boats Dealer Meeting

On August 14, partner dealerships and prospects from around North America descended on Elkhart, IN to attend the inaugural Barletta Pontoon Boat Dealer Meeting and feel, first-hand, what all the “buzz” was about; a focus on innovation, quality, and partnership. While maintaining an informal “feel”, the meeting offered some structure including product training, pricing and […]

MRAA Annual Conference & Expo to rebrand, relocate in 2019

Event transformation has been designed to engage, energize and empower the marine dealer community to new heights.   MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 6, 2018 — The MRAA Annual Conference & Expo will embark on an exciting transformation in 2019, introducing a new name, relocating to a new location and delivering an all-new immersive event experience, the likes […]