• The recreational loan specialist increased its support of MRAA’s mission through both enhanced membership and Dealer Week participation

MINNEAPOLIS — First Approval Source, a recreational loan specialist serving the boating and other industries, increased its support of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, by upgrading to an MRAA Education Champion, strengthening its support of MRAA’s critical mission of supporting dealers and the Dealer Week Conference and Expo.

First Approval Source joins nine existing MRAA Education Champions that fuel the educational programming the MRAA delivers in a year-round partnership program. While providing significant financial support toward MRAA’s efforts to help dealers grow, First Approval Source and all Education Champions benefit from a partnership package that contains bundled marketing exposure and high-level creative visibility to help them build and maintain relationships with MRAA members and the dealer community as a whole.

“We have greatly enjoyed and benefitted from our growing relationship with the MRAA and all that it does to support its members and boat dealers across the country,” says Jeffrey Backus, Founder and COO, First Approval Source. “With our focus on helping dealers finance more boats and creating win-win financing opportunities for dealers and their customers, I believe our partnership with MRAA is a perfect alignment of how we can continue to increase our support of the marine industry.”

First Approval Source, Buford, Ga., is a long-standing MRAA Member and has greatly contributed to its mission of fueling dealer success, including a partnership to provide a virtual training class on finance and insurance.

“The MRAA and First Approval Source share the same goals of helping dealerships grow and improve through tools, education and information, making this a fulfilling partnership for our team and our dealers,” says Allison Gruhn, MRAA Vice President of Business Development. “We appreciate the First Approval Source team believing in and increasing its support of our mission, and we anticipate curating more opportunities for our dealers to become better equipped at selling and financing boats.”

First Approval Source joins a family of nine other Education Champions, including:

• 700Credit
• Boatline / Statistical Surveys, Inc.
• Elite Recreational Finance
• Global Marine Insurance Agency
• Huntington Distribution Finance
• National Marine Distributors Association
• Regal Boats
• Skier’s Choice
• Vantage Resource Group

About First Approval Source
First Approval Source specializes in making boat dealers’ lives easier while growing their bottom lines. Our integrated F&I services allow dealers to cut processing times in half and increase unit sales by 25%, all while delivering the most competitive rates and terms for their customers. Our commitment to dealers extends beyond just providing loans. We also offer exclusive online training courses on compliance, lender relationships, and protection product sales to ensure your entire team becomes experts in the finance process. For more information about First Approval Source, visit https://firstapprovalsource.com/.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.