MINEAPOLIS – The Marine Retailers Association of the America has announced a new roster of board members, as well as a new Chair of the board.
Jeff Strong, President of Strong’s Marine in New York, has been named the Chair of the MRAA Board of Directors. Strong has owned Strong’s Marine since 1992, growing the family-owned dealership into an 8-location dealership with 200 employees during the peak summer months.
“Serving on the MRAA board and now as Chair, for me, is all about giving back and helping to improve and grow the marine industry,” says Strong. “MRAA’s mission is to drive dealership success. And MRAA’s robust training programs, with their wide array of tools and resources, along with all of the benefits of MRAA membership, have long been the focus of our strategic roadmap. I’m looking forward to continuing MRAA’s legacy of delivering on that promise.”
Joe Lewis of Mount Dora Boating Center and Marina in Mount Dora, Florida, has been named the Vice Chair of the MRAA Board of Directors. Hagadone Marine Group President Craig Brosenne has been named the new Secretary/Treasurer. Strong, Lewis and Brosenne, along with Immediate Past Chair, Rob Soucy of Port Harbor Marine in Maine, make up the MRAA’s Executive Committee.
New additions to the MRAA Board of Directors include Brandon Sharpe, Sales Manager at Arrowhead Yacht Club & Marina in Oklahoma, as the Regional Director for MRAA’s Region 9 (AR, LA, OK, TX), and Susan Duquette, President at Lakeview Marine in Massachusetts, is a new Director At Large, representing MRAA’s Young Leaders Advisory Council.
Returning MRAA Regional Directors include:
- Region 1 (ME, MA, NH, VT) – Craig LeBlanc, Allen Harbor Marine Service
- Region 2 (CT, NJ, NY, RI) – Bob Petzold, Petzold’s Marine Center
- Region 3 (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV) – Jason Murphy, Norfolk Marine
- Region 4 (KY, NC, SC, TN) – Stacy Greenwood, Cleveland Boat Center
- Region 5 (AL, FL, GA, MS) – Paul Berube, Boaters Exchange
- Region 6 (IL, IN, MI, OH) – Chad Taylor, Taylor’s South Shore Marine
- Region 7 (MN, SD, ND, WI) – Jason Shallcross, Reed’s Marine
- Region 8 (CO, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, NM, WY) – Jeff Siems, Blue Springs Marine
- Region 10 (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT, WA): Bob Bense, Superior Boat Repair & Sales
- Region 11 (Canada): Carly Poole, Buckeye Marine
“We are thankful for this talented group of dedicated marine industry professionals, who will help guide the MRAA to continuous improvement and achieve our mission to provide boating industry businesses with opportunities for greater success and growth,” says MRAA President Matt Gruhn. “As individuals, they have proven themselves as accomplished business leaders. Collectively, their shared expertise of dealership operations and immense understanding of the marine industry will certainly help the MRAA reach new heights in our efforts to nurture the dealership body and the industry at large.”
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.
