Dealer Week Announces First 10×10 Series Speakers

Event will feature 10 short educational talks from thought leaders both inside and outside the industry.

Dealer Week just added three new speakers, among the most respected voices in the marine industry, to the already impressive lineup of presenters at this year’s event.

These speakers will be featured as part of the event’s 10×10 Series, which will weave 10 separate 10-minute talks on a variety of topics throughout Dealer Week. The speakers are: Bill Yeargin, President and CEO of Correct Craft, Inc., who will speak on Results Through Learning; Bruce Van Wagoner, Marine Group President, Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance, whose topic is: Prepared for Change?; and Dr. Thom Dammrich, President Emeritus, National Marine Manufacturers Association, who will address Boat Prices and the Internet.

“In preparing for our first-ever Dealer Week, we saw an opportunity to widen the scope of our education, to plug into a more diverse range of experts,” says Liz Walz, MRAA vice president. “Our goal is to share as many opportunities for dealers to strengthen their businesses in the months and years ahead as possible, and this new series is designed to help us achieve it.”

The 10×10 Series is a brand-new offering developed by the MRAA team. Here are the facts about these Dealer Week educational presentations:

  • They will be delivered by thought leaders from inside and outside the industry.
  • Each one is scheduled for 10 minutes in length.
  • They will be spread throughout the event, from the Opening Ceremony on Monday morning to the Closing Ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.
  • Each will feature:
    • New insights, experiences or data to consider;
    • Why they’re important to the future of marine retailing;
    • And a challenge to take action to drive growth and improvement.

Additional speakers in the series will be announced soon. Dealer Week will be hosted Dec. 8-11 at the Tampa Convention Center. For more information and to register, go to DealerWeek.com.

About Dealer Week

For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.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, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Confirming what we know: Recreational boating a major contributor to economic activity

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released data proving what we already knew: recreational boating is a major generator of economic activity across the nation. Outdoor recreation generates $778 billion in gross annual input, or 2.2 percent of annual U.S. GDP, while supporting 5.2 million jobs. This makes the industry larger than mining, utilities, farming and ranching, and chemical products manufacturing. Boating and fishing are the largest economic generators for the outdoor recreation industry. This data is thanks to the BEA’s Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, created in 2016 by a law championed by Senator Cory Gardiner (R-CO) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).  Want to see how boating affects your state? Check out the data here.

Hagedorn and Van Drew Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Vocational and Skilled Workforce

style= /></p> <p style=Last week, members of the MRAA team had the chance to discuss the bill with Congressman Jim Hagedorn.

Today, Congressmen Jim Hagedorn (MN-01), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Ron Estes (KS-04) and Paul Mitchell (MI-10) introduced the “American Workforce Empowerment Act,” a bipartisan solution to address the growing shortage of skilled workers to fill job openings in the technical and skilled trades.

The Hagedorn-Van Drew legislation empowers aspiring skilled workers to pursue vocational training by utilizing pre-tax dollars from their 529 savings plans for education, training, certain apprenticeships and the purchase of necessary tools and equipment for their vocations.

Specifically, the bill expands Section 529 eligibility to include educational and training expenses spent on any training program leading to a “recognized post-secondary credential” as defined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), including tools and equipment, and National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 (NAA) registered apprenticeship programs, which trade unions and manufacturers describe as vital to training America’s workforce.

Workforce development is key to sustaining jobs and economic growth. Trade unions, manufacturers, small businesses and industry groups are concerned about the increasing shortage of skilled trade workers, and under current law, hardworking individuals wishing to pursue post-secondary technical training, trade skills or an industry-recognized credential are often limited to eligible institutions as defined by the IRS and in Section 3 of WIOA.

Additionally, many apprenticeship programs formed under the (NAA), along with programs defined as leading to a “recognized post-secondary credential” as defined in WIOA, are currently not Section 529 eligible.

“The bipartisan bill Rep. Van Drew and I have introduced will give students and workers the choice to use pre-tax savings to pursue their goals and dreams,” said Hagedorn. “For more than a generation, younger Americans have been discouraged from seeking vocational and skill-based training. Our bill is designed to help reverse that trend and create opportunity. Businesses are begging for machinists, welders, truck drivers and an array of other qualified trades and labor-intensive professions, most of which offer excellent pay and long-term stability. Investing in our workforce to grow our economy is a bipartisan goal,” he continued.

“Rep. Hagedorn’s bill is a great step toward creating a more robust workforce for our many dealers and manufacturers who have struggled to find qualified technicians,” says Matt Gruhn, President of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “By expanding the types of programs eligible for payment by 529 savings plans — and most significantly, by making registered apprenticeship programs eligible – we can more readily close the gap on the more-than-21-percent of positions that have gone unfilled in our industry.”

“The recreational boating industry needs a skilled 21st century workforce to maintain and grow our role as a significant job creator and this bill will go a long way towards addressing the workforce shortfall our businesses are facing,” said Nicole Vasilaros, senior vice president of government and legal affairs at the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “We thank Representatives Van Drew and Hagedorn for introducing commonsense legislation that will expand access to invaluable apprenticeship programs and we encourage all members of Congress to support this bipartisan measure.”

“Even with unemployment at record lows, well-paying jobs that require skilled workers remain unfilled. Not everyone wants to pursue a four-year college education, which has led to record-levels of student debt and delayed important milestones in young peoples’ lives such as marriage and homeownership. We should incentivize and promote training and apprenticeships which can lead to a ticket to the middle-class for those who like to work with their hands and see the product of their hard work,” said Congressman Jeff Van Drew. “The bipartisan American Workforce Empowerment Act expands the list of eligible 529 savings plans activities, traditionally for higher education expenses, to include educational and training expenses, including tools and equipment, for technical training, trade skills, or industry-recognized credentials.”

“The American Workforce Empowerment Act will build on our progress of expanding 529 savings accounts to cover costs for apprenticeships and postsecondary education,” said Congressman Ron Estes. “This will allow more families and students to use their hard-earned money to pursue needed training and education. While our economy grows at historic rates, apprenticeships and postsecondary education are critical to help fill open jobs. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this bipartisan solution to help get people to work and grow our economy.”

“The American workforce must be ready to meet our nation’s expanding needs, and we currently face a shortage of skilled trade workers. The bipartisan American Workforce Empowerment Act will make it easier for those pursuing technical training and apprenticeships to utilize 529 savings plans to achieve their goal. I’m glad to be working with my colleagues Reps. Hagedorn, Van Drew, and Estes to enable hard-working Americans to pursue fulfilling careers,” said Congressman Paul Mitchell.

Press release courtesy of Rep. Hagedorn (MN-01), found here.

MRAA Launches Marine Retail Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination Period

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has opened the nomination period for the 3rd Annual Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes marine retail professionals who have made fundamental, significant and sustained contributions to the marine industry.

Applications are due October 18th, 2019.

Last year, Gary Briggs of Wayzata Marine, Wayzata, Minn., was named the second recipient of the award. Briggs was a founding member of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Marine Dealers Association and has remained active for more than 50 years. He held a 43-year membership of the North Central Marine Association, and he became an MRAA member in the mid 1970s. And over the years, he was recognized as the founder of the Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Award, Boat & Motor Dealer magazine’s National Dealer of the Year, an Irv Rosenthal Award winner and an NCMA Hall of Fame inductee.

The selection of the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient will be made on the basis of the nominee’s contributions to the industry; the lasting impact of those contributions; and the demonstration of a lifetime commitment to the business of selling and/or servicing boats, and the delivery of an outstanding boating lifestyle to consumers.

“Presenting the MRAA Lifetime Achievement Award has quickly become one of the greatest honors of my professional position,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “The leaders we recognize through this award really laid the groundwork for the health and prosperity of the marine industry and our incredible network of boat dealers.”

The award will be presented on December 10th, 2019, during the MRAA Awards Ceremony, at the inaugural Dealer Week, MRAA’s Annual Conference and Expo. For more information or to submit a nomination, visit here.

Nominations for the MRAA Lifetime Achievement Award may be submitted by anyone, including self-nominations. Nominations may not be made anonymously, as the burden of offering evidence of merit falls on the nominator. Those nominations should include the nominee’s resume and/or career summary; a comprehensive description of the nominee’s major contributions to marine retailing, with supporting documentation; and at least three letters of endorsement, providing further evidence of the significance and magnitude of the nominee’s professional achievements.

Anyone who lives up to these criteria is eligible for consideration, although individuals selected for this award should normally be in or near their retirement. The award may be received posthumously.

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.

MRAA Promotes Dealer’s Voice on Capitol Hill

The MRAA Advocacy team is hard at work for you. Newly appointed MRAA Government Relations Manager, Adam Fortier-Brown is working with members of Congress to address concerns with improving E15 labeling, and strengthening the U.S. labor force and the trades.  To do this, he met with members on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate, and attended receptions with Congressional members where he was able to express how dealers are being affected by E15, steel and aluminum tariffs, and a shrinking labor pool for the trades.  

President, Matt Gruhn, Government Relations Manager, Adam Fortier-Brown, and Program Marketing Coordinator Mickaela Hilleren met with Representative Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) to discuss his American Workforce Empowerment Act, which would decrease the financial barriers that students wishing to pursue vocations face.  Students attending trade schools and apprenticeships for educational expenses including purchasing tools and equipment.  Do you have concerns about current policy?

To best support the industry, let us know what issues you are dealing with, and how we can help you by emailing Adam at adam@mraa.com.

MRAA meets with NOAA about Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary expansion

Our MRAA advocacy team met with members of NOAA to discuss the agency’s proposal to expand the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, found here. The team will continue to engage with NOAA to ensure that the dealer’s voice is heard and considered through this process. Locations for public comment begin at 6PM EST at the below dates.

September 23 – Key West, FL
Key West High School
2100 Flagler Avenue

September 30 – Marathon, FL
Marathon Middle High School
350 Sombrero Beach Road

October 7 – Tavernier, FL
Coral Shores High School
89901 Old Highway

October 28 – Coral Gables, FL
University of Miami Newman Alumni Center
6200 San Amaro Drive

November 4 – Fort Myers, FL
Holiday Inn Airport at Town Center
9931 Interstate Commerce Drive

The Florida Keys Sanctuary Advisory Council meetings can be found here, for members of the community to provide oral comments on the proposal.  To find more ways to get involved, reach out to Adam at adam@mraa.com.

Prepare for the Next Recession – Online and In-Person

We’re often asked whether we have tools to help dealers survive the next recession. The answer is “yes.”

It’s impossible to know when the next recession will arrive; however, as anyone who experienced the last downturn will attest, you’d be crazy not to be prepared when it does.

To help with that process, MRAA has a couple of tools available from Spader Business Management, one that is available online now, and one that will be hosted at Dealer Week in Tampa, Dec. 8-11.

The first is John Spader’s online course “Become Bulletproof for the Next Recession,” which is available via MRAATraining.com through February of 2020.

As John Spader notes in his description of the course, if your dealership survived the last recession, you may feel ready for the next one. But feeling ready isn’t the same thing as being ready. The course walks dealers through some tough questions like, “Have you and your business really gotten better since the last recession or have you just been riding the rising tide?”

The course explores what will be different about the next soft market compared to the last one, what will be the same, and walks dealers through assessments to determine the strength of their businesses. It also provides concrete benchmarks to measure your staying power and adaptability, whether you have the right people in the right seats, how well you’re steering the bus, and the speed with which you can change direction.

The course is available for purchase or for free with a Silver or Gold MRAA membership.

The second opportunity comes from David Spader, who will present “The Agile Dealership: Confidently Responding to Change & the Unknown” at MRAA’s Dealer Week.

The two-hour workshop is designed to help marine dealers identify, monitor, and respond to the key issues that their businesses are facing now and in the future. The workshop will walk through the characteristics of an agile leader, the six concerns employees have during change, key people indicators, key economic indicators, and share a dealership case study.

The course will cap off The Dealership Pathway at the Dealer Week. Early registration for Dealer Week runs through Sept. 30.

BoatPAC to Hold Florida Events with Elected Officials and Industry Champions

BoatPAC, the joint political action committee of NMMA and MRAA will host two events in Florida in the coming weeks with key members of Congress and industry champions. On October 1, BoatPAC will host an event in Tampa during IBEX with key industry champions at Jackson’s Bistro from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Then, BoatPAC will head east for an event on October 10 with Congressman Brian Mast.

For more information on attending either of these events or to learn more about BoatPAC, please contact Erica Crocker, NMMA’s director of political advocacy and engagement, at 214-336-1257 or ecrocker@nmma.org.

MRAA Strengthens Dealer Voice in Washington, D.C.

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has strengthened the voice of the marine dealer in Washington, D.C., with the appointment of Adam Fortier-Brown as MRAA’s Government Relations Manager.

Fortier-Brown, whose family owns and operates Clark Marine, a Manchester, Maine-based boat dealership, graduated from the University of Maine magna cum laude, with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. He has worked in the office of Senator Susan Collins, as well as at The Cohen Group. He also launched and ran Camp Kesem at the University of Maine, a summer camp for children of cancer patients, in Orono, Maine.

“Adding Adam to our team gives us a unique, business-focused voice in Washington, D.C.,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “Adam’s presence and expertise give MRAA the ability to talk specifics about the real-world impact of issues such as ethanol, tariffs and workforce shortages, among many other issues. Having grown up around and worked in his family’s dealership, he knows first-hand the challenges our dealers face, and that experience gives us a powerful voice of dealer representation.”

As Government Relations Manager, Fortier-Brown will be responsible for representing the legislative and regulatory interests of the MRAA and its members, ensuring the Association’s voice is present wherever issues concerning boating and marine retailers are discussed. He will be based out of the offices of the National Marine Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C., where he will integrate with the NMMA team in representing the marine industry and its significance in the overall economy. He will lead MRAA’s efforts in all areas of advocacy, including BoatPAC, the joint MRAA-NMMA Political Action Committee.
 
“I am excited to be joining such a strong organization to help give the industry that I grew up in a voice in Washington,” Fortier-Brown said. “The team at MRAA is always looking to strengthen and support the recreational boating industry, and I am thrilled to join the team and get to work with them on this.”

Fortier-Brown starts at MRAA on Sept. 16, 2019 and can be reached at adam@mraa.com or 202-737-9779.

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.

Dealer to Dealer: September 2019

How have you made purchasing decisions (for the next model year) at recent dealer meetings based on your current inventory levels?

I have brought in 2020 inventory, so that combined with my existing 2019 inventory, it will match my inventory level that I had last year heading into Q4. The primary difference being, last year at this time, I had less leftover 2018 inventory, where as this year roughly 30% of my inventory is MY 2019. Ultimately, my dealer meeting orders are down YOY. – Quinn Bellamy, Silver Lake Marine

We are backing are orders off by 20%. To much inventory and don’t think It will be a problem to find next year. – Ken Toby, Marine Sales Kentuckian

There has been lots of talk of 30% more inventory in the field than last year and I feel that it has a lot of people scared and dumping inventory at low margins.  The explanation in my opinion is two factors.  The obvious one is bad weather for the first part of the year.  The second is not as clear to many dealers and you guys maybe have a better handle on this and can shed some light.  Many dealers I talk with or sell against will often say sometime in May that they are sold out of new boats and can’t get orders fulfilled, etc.  This has gone on for years.  The often heard (and misguided) response to that is, “ that’s a good problem to have!”.  The fact is that it is not at all a good problem, it is poor planning plain and simple.  So now that the economy and consumers have proven over the past 7 years that things are good, dealers have ordered to accommodate demand.  And to do this you need to have stock over the summer when people are using and buying boats.  Just because 2020’s are now on our lots does not mean that you should be clear of all 2019 models.  It takes time to build inventory so if you were to be sold out in June and 2020s start slowly rolling in to your dealership in July, you will not have a full stock until winter.  The “overstock” of inventory is merely a correction of past “understocking” combined with a later start to the selling season.  No need to panic!  Just my .02. – Stuart Litjens, Boulder Boats

Yes, we did make ordering decisions based upon current inventory levels and the compressed selling season we experienced in 2019. The year began with political and economic news that, to some extent, hindered very early-season boat sales. We went into a dark, wet, cold, long spring before boaters saw any real sunshine around July 1. – Tighe Curran, Pier 33

After reviewing our current inventory we have made a decision to cut back on the initial 2020 orders. There are many dealers that have more inventory than previous years. This means there will be a glut of left over inventory and unfortunately dealers are willing to “blow out” their product below normal pricing. Also in the last few months it seems like the retail sales have slowed a little. Also election year is next year and I have seen for the last 45 years the boat sales slow up every four years just before the elections because of the uncertainty but after the elections business as usual.  We will be cautious for the next 12 months but by no means cut back on our normal inventory levels. You can’t sell it if you don’t have it! – Jim Wiborg, Bob Hewes Boats

Very carefully, still have ‘18s in stock. – Von Skinner, Cozy Cove Marina

Manufacturers have been forcing us to take on more, and in turn put our store into a volatile market. Our area/competition has high inventory levels for this time of year, and if the economy turns we will all be in trouble. While reps share our concerns, they can’t do as much as they could in the past. The continued rising price of new boats, and the cost of warranty to deliver a product in confidence to the consumer is higher. We are now in a situation where it requires more employees just to deliver on the same principles we have in the past, because of poor quality control from the factory. We have scaled back on ordering 2020 product because of this. – Anonymous

The amount of purchasing I’m doing is based on what has turned. I have 4 lines. [Our] purchasing decisions were made based on the idea that it will be a flat or slightly down year – Joe Hoffmaster, Hoffmaster’s Marina

We have, and in most cases we’re anticipating an increase. We doubled the order for one of our best-selling brands, from 40 units in 2019 to 80 units in 2020. – Roger Moore, Nautical Ventures

How have you made your purchasing decisions for next model year? Tell us below in the comment section!