ORLANDO, FL, December 10, 2023 — The MRAA Educational Foundation announced today that Jami Hirsch, Co-Owner at BoatCraft in Traverse City, Mich., is the recipient of the Foundation’s 2024 Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship. This year’s scholarship recipient was unveiled at the Foundation’s awards luncheon in Orlando, Fla., as part of Dealer Week, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas annual conference and expo.
The Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship, founded in 2013 by Spader Business Management (now NCM Associates) and the MRAA Educational Foundation, honors the marine industry service of Spader founder Duane Spader, as well as his leadership philosophy of lifelong learning. Hirsch will receive full tuition to attend the NCM Associates Leadership Development Program, valued at nearly $15,000. Applicants must be employees of a Marine Retailers Association of the Americas retail member. BoatCraft is an MRAA Silver Member.
From achieving sales goals to competing in Ironman Triathlons to co-owning an upstart dealership, Hirsch isn’t afraid of challenges or pushing forward to overcome and accomplish personal, professional and family goals. During a difficult stretch for the family, she and her husband, Jeff, have persevered through personal and professional change to launch a boat dealership in the fall of 2019. Despite lacking a physical location and employees — and COVID — Hirsch says they pressed on with the dealership while home schooling their children from the road in an RV.
In 2021, things took off for BoatCraft, partly due to a return to normal and mostly because of their passion and enthusiasm for boating. After buying property for their dealership, adding another line and hiring five new employees, they have boosted their revenue, received numerous accolades from three product manufacturers and earned hundreds of loyal customers. However, Hirsch, who learned about hard work while growing up on an Iowa farm, says her humble upbringing has also showed her that working smarter, not harder, is also a pathway for success.
“I have been able to ‘grind’ through many challenges with successful outcomes,” Hirsch wrote in her scholarship application. “It has become clear that the grind is no longer the appropriate route. It is time to utilize this tenacity in a more effective way. With the opportunity that the MRAA [Educational Foundation] scholarship provides, I am certain I will be able to move towards a brighter future. Not only for myself and my family, but my hopes are we can create an environment for our employees and customers to also thrive.”
The NCM Leadership Development Program is a rigorous educational initiative designed for high-performing department leaders, emerging leaders and future executives poised to drive organizational
success. Spanning several months with five intensive 3.5-day sessions, the immersive program equips participants with essential leadership skills through an in-depth exploration of established principles, models and management techniques. Each session is strategically spaced to encourage practical learning application in real-world scenarios, ensuring immediate impact and sustained growth in leadership capabilities.
“We’re inspired by Jami’s passion for boating and her belief that improvement requires persistence,” states Matt Lodder, Chairman of the MRAA Educational Foundation Board of Directors. “It’s clear that she has a solid foundation for success, even in the face of challenges and change, and has already displayed great leadership. We’re convinced this scholarship will help her optimize her efforts and sharpen her leadership tactics, while she continues to guide the dealership to new heights.”
About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit https://www.marineedfoundation.org/.
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.
