MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas elected new officers and regional directors and appointed new at large directors for 2013 during its Annual Meeting at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo in Orlando, Fla.

During the meeting, which took place on Nov. 12, the following officers were elected:

· Steve Baum of Boat Owners Warehouse (Ft. Lauderdale), Chairman;

· Randy Wattenbarger of Cleveland Boat Center (Cleveland, Tenn.), Vice Chairman; and

· Joe Lewis of Mt. Dora Boating Center (Mt. Dora, Fla.), Secretary/Treasurer

· David Foulkrod of Ron Hoover RV & Marine (Rockport, Texas) will now serve as Immediate Past Chairman

Members also voted during the meeting to elect to three-year terms as Regional Directors:

· Rob Soucy of Port Harbor Marine (South Portland, Maine) as Region 1 Director (Maine, Mass., N.H., Vt.);

· Jeff Strong of Strong’s Marine (Mattituck, N.Y.) as Region 2 Director (Conn., N.Y., N.J., R.I.);

· Darren Plymale of Galati Yacht Sales (Anna Maria, Fla.) as Region 5 Director (Ala., Fla., Ga., Miss.);

· Nancy Smith of Colorado Boat Center (Loveland, Colo.) as Region 8 Director (Colo., Iowa, Kan., Mo., Mont., Neb., N.M., Wyo.); and

· Carly Poole of Buckeye Marine Center (Bobcaygeon, Ontario) as Region 11 Director (Canada).

“We appreciate the incredible contributions of our 2012 officers and board members,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “Under their guidance, the MRAA put in place a long-term strategic plan and took some giant leaps forward on many of the initiatives within that plan. As 2013 gets underway, we look forward to what we can accomplish with the fresh energy and ideas of our new officers and board members.”

Incoming Chairman Steve Baum also appointed four at-large directors to one-year terms, including:

· Don MacKenzie of Boats Inc. (Niantic, Conn.);

· Brett McGill of MarineMax Inc. (Clearwater, Fla.);

· Larry Tague of Lake Viking Marine (Gallatin, Mo.); and

· Ryan Hebert of Texas Marine (Beaumont, Texas).

“We’ve achieved a great deal over the course of the last year, and we’re excited to have an influx of new perspectives on our board,” says Baum. “We expect that by combining some new thinking and new approaches with the experience of our current board members, we can continue the momentum of the past year while uncovering new opportunities.”

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

Celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2012, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is the only North American association dedicated to furthering the interests of boat and engine dealers and other marine-related retailers throughout North America. Under the umbrella of MRAA Rewards, the MRAA offers a host of cost-saving, revenue-generating, business-improvement, and professional-development benefits exclusively for its members. MRAA is the united voice of marine retailers. For more information, visit