All-New Field Trip Experience to Kick Off Dealer Week 2019

As part of its re-imagined event experience, MRAA’s all-new Annual Conference and Expo, Dealer Week, will kick off with an immersive field trip opportunity on December 8th in Tampa, Fla.

Participants will tour local businesses and gather lessons on customer experience, business operations and employee relations from brands that are innovating in those areas.

“The field trip will provide perspective from outside the marine industry on how marine retailers can best serve their customers,” says Mike Davin, MRAA’s Director of Education. “Our hope is that attendees will walk away with inspiration and ideas that they can go back and implement in their own businesses.”

MRAA conference veteran Valerie Ziebron of VRZ Consulting will act as host and provide additional insights throughout the experience. During the site visits, Ziebron will help participants draw connections between what they are learning at the Tampa-area businesses and the marine retail industry. Ziebron has spent more than two decades helping businesses through education and motivation, and she makes it a point to uncover best practice “golden nuggets” that help people flip the switch from reactive to proactive for greater profitability and customer loyalty. Over the years, she has delivered over 5,000 presentations and helped more than 1,000 small businesses.  Her clients have included Chrysler, General Motors, Yamaha Motor Company and many others.

“When developing the field trip concept, we wanted ensure that we created an opportunity for exeperiential learning that would compliment the educational lineup attendees will experience throughout Dealer Week,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President. “We are confident that with Valerie leading the way, not only have we done that, but this will be a highlight for anyone who is able to attend.”

The field trip is $249 for MRAA members and $299 for non-members. Attendees can register for the field trip by adding it to their cart at checkout or by editing their current event registration. Please reach out to the MRAA if you have any questions at 763-315-8043.

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 Announces Commitment of Six New Education Champions

Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announces the edition of six Education Champion partners in 2019.

Education Champions agree to support the educational programming that the MRAA delivers to its members by leveraging their industry expertise and resources. Additionally, they help fuel the execution and creation of the Association’s education products through a year-round sponsorship. Education Champion is the MRAA’s second-highest level of Partner Membership.

ARI Network
ARI Network Services produces an award-winning suite of tools and services, including industry-leading data feeds, lead management tools and digital marketing services to help dealers reach their target audiences.

“ARI Network Services is honored to partner with MRAA,” says Robert Jones, Vice-President of Sales. “ARI and MRAA share the common goal of educating dealers on best practices, the latest technologies and how to succeed in today’s digital era.”

Chris Craft
Chris Craft, a Florida-based manufacturer of recreational powerboats, has been contributing to the success of the marine industry since 1874.

“We are excited to participate in Dealer Week, and look forward to welcoming the best dealers in the world to our local area,” says Gavan Hunt, Vice President of Sales at chris Craft Boats, “Consistent improvement is the key to success, and the best dealers, and manufacturers implement team training programs each year. We support and applaud the efforts of the MRAA.”

Dealer Profit Services
Dealer Profit Services is a full-service provider of F&I service, training, consulting and compliance support company focused on delivering dealers the consulting, training and services needed to increase their overall earnings.

“After working with so many dealers over the years, Dealer Profit Services firmly believes that there is an exponential relationship between dealer education and training and dealer profit,” says Myril Shaw, Chief Operating Officer at Dealer Profit Services. “The largest part of the DPS mission is to help train dealers to be their best and to strive to help dealers continually improve their results through our education, training, support and services.  We have long believed in and supported the MRAA Educational efforts and are excited to help enhance and advance those activities through our participation as an Education Champion.”

DockMaster
DockMaster is a leading marina and marine management software company that provides the marine sector with the ability to streamline processes and drive greater efficiencies through the use of its software, the new DockMaster Mobile app for marine technicians and the services delivered by its team, with well over 100-years of combined marine industry and accounting expertise.

“We are thrilled to see the MRRA’s growth in its educational programs and the tremendous support they provide dealers year-round,” says Cam Collins, President of DockMaster. “DockMaster has been part of the MRAA family for over 15 years and we’re excited to participate as a technology innovator in simplifying the boating experience.”

National Marine Distributors Association
The National Marine Distributors Association is a national trade association that represents marine accessories wholesale distributors. NMDA has been a strong proponent of the MRAA since 2013.

“MRAA’s efforts, especially with the new Dealer Week, to educate their dealer members and help them grow their businesses represent a goal that NMDA is proud to support,”  said Nancy Cueroni, Executive Director of NMDA.

Vantage Resource Group
Vantage Resource Group is a North Dakota-based 3M National Market Developer and distributor of marine protection film, pontoon wrap kits and protective coatings, in addition to providing marine dealer profit programs.

“We are excited to partner with the MRAA to support marine dealers through education, training and implementation of our proprietary Vantage Profit System,” says Ross Solwold, President of Vantage Resource Group, Inc. “Process-driven  programs based on  innnovative products, education and training at the dealership level are the cornerstone of our business model, which aligns well with the MRAA mission.”

Education Champions make it possible for the MRAA to work with many of the industry’s top subject matter experts and instructional engineers to create education that will make a lasting impact within marine dealerships, whether through Dealer Week, the all-new MRAA Conference and Expo; MRAATraining.com; or the numerous other publications the Association produces annually.

“We are excited to announce the 2019 MRAA Education Champions,” says Allison Gruhn, MRAA Director of Business Development. “We look forward to further utilizing the expertise of the association’s Education Champions in order to deliver timely and relevant information to the industry.”

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.

June is Great Outdoors Month!

The weather is warming up and that means summer vacation is right around the corner. Great Outdoors Month® 2019 is a great way to experience healthy, active outdoor family fun in your great outdoors! Public and private organizations from across the country are coming together as members of the Great Outdoors Month® Council to help all Americans Escape the Indoors and celebrate the educational, economic, health, and social benefits of active fun outdoors. 

Be a part of Great Outdoors Month in 2019!  Events like Kids to Parks™ Day, the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day®, Bike Travel Weekend, National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day, National Marina Day, the Great Outdoors National Day of Service, the Great American Campout and more are great ways to #EscapetheIndoors and discover new ways to have fun with family and friends this June.

“The month of June is always an exciting time for the many facets of the outdoors recreation industry. With the weather heating up and schools concluding for the summer, we can count on the number of boaters on the water to increase,” says Matt Gruhn, President of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “The Great Outdoors Month celebration, particularly National Fishing and Boating Week, is the perfect way to kick off the summer and remind everyone to disconnect and spend time outside with family and friends.”

America’s kids face an outdoor crisis. A generation ago, kids spent more than four hours a day outside — now, it’s less than 40 minutes per week. Being outside has a multitude of health benefits. Children who engage in active fun outdoors are more likely to be physically fit, have better eyesight, improved cognitive development and more. And, the closer we feel to nature, the greater our concern for it becomes.

“All of the organizations involved are in the business of family fun, togetherness, adventure and making memories, and there’s no better way to accomplish these things than spending time together outdoors,” said Great Outdoors Month Council Chairman Frank Peterson. “We’re inviting Americans to Escape the Indoors during the month of June and throughout the year to disconnect from their hectic lives and take in all the wonderful things nature has to offer.” 

More information about Great Outdoors Month and events taking place across America can be found at www.greatoutdoorsmonth.org

9 Highlights from a Podcast on Dealer Week

Mike Davin, MRAA’s Director of Education, was recently featured on the Boat Dealer Profits Podcast talking about our reimagined conference experience, Dealer Week. We’ve summarized the 30-minute podcast into nine key highlights listed below (with timestamps). You can listen to the whole interview here.

  1. Dealer Week is built for dealers, by dealers. (1:50) We sat down with leading manufacturers, suppliers, and most importantly dealers and asked them, “What would make Dealer Week most valuable for you?” The collaboration was amazing, and we are excited to share the many things we are implementing this year according to their feedback.
  2. We did something dorky … we studied how people learn. (2:18) A conference is more than just sitting in the room and listening to the speaker. With Dealer Week, there will be opportunities to reflect on what you learn.

  3. NEW! Mike explains Education Hosts. (3:09) Sam Dantzler, Jim Million and David Spader will serve as your guides through the education at Dealer Week. (More about Education Hosts at the 13:00 mark)
  4. Extended educational session times with built-in dealer-to-dealer learning. (5:20) Through our research as well as experience from past conferences, we know the value that comes when dealers learn from each other. These conversations about challenges and opportunities will be integrated into our Education Pathways.
  5. What will be familiar? (7:34) Our mission and focus on education, industry connections and celebrating the accomplishments of dealers in 2019.

  6. What’s a Pathway? (9:00) Previously known as “tracks,” our breakout education sessions have transformed into Educational Pathways. Rather than being focused on specific areas of the dealership, they cut across various departments and will attract a cross-section of attendees. The Pathways are: the Dealership, the Customer and the Employee. We believe if you’re successful in those three areas, you’ll be successful as a business.
  7. Sneak peek into the education! (11:47) AKA the pain points you have in your dealership.
  8. NEW! 10×10 Sessions. (16:46) 10 industry leaders will spend 10 minutes discussing their take on the hottest topics in the marine world today.
  9. The goal of Dealer Week. (20:36) Dealer success always has and always will be the MRAA’s goal. At Dealer Week, we’ve brought together partners who believe in that mission as well. You can meet them in the Expo Hall!

Be the first to know when the Educational Pathway schedules are released as well as other fun Dealer Week news by following us on Facebook. Click here to see who’s already coming!

EPA Approves Year- Round E15 Sales, Industry Opposes

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency approved a rule allowing the year-round sale of fuel with 15-percent ethanol. Through its voice at the American Boating Congress and through numerous other avenues, the MRAA along with its coalition partners voiced opposition to this effort. The MRAA believes that poor execution of ethanol-related warning labels at gas pumps, coupled with the harmful effects that ethanol has on small gas-powered engines, puts a greater number of boaters in jeopardy on the water this summer. We continue to encourage Congress to pass the Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act, a bi-partisan legislative effort that aims to revise labeling and education requirements for fuel pumps that offer E15.

SOAR Act Introduced in Congress

Bill would simplify permitting processes for outdoor guides and outfitters.

Americans’ ability to participate in outdoor recreation on our public lands and waters took a major step forward this week with the introduction of the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act by Senators Martin Heinrich (D, NM) and Shelley Moore Capito (R, WV). This crucial piece of legislation will make world-class and close-to-home outdoor experiences more accessible by updating the permitting system that guides and outfitters need to operate trips on our treasured lands and waters.

The SOAR Act is bipartisan legislation that improves outfitter and guide permitting systems by simplifying processes, increasing flexibility in allowed activities, reducing fees and much more. All of these provisions – supported by members of the outdoor industry and conservation community – will positively impact a wide range of organizations that deliver facilitated recreation experiences, including for-profit and non-profit guides and outfitters, university recreation programs and volunteer-based clubs.

“Whether you are biking or kayaking, fishing, hunting, ATVing or riding, guides and outfitters play a key role in how Americans access the outdoors,” said Jessica Wahl, Executive Director of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “The antiquated process that these businesses, nonprofits, and education institutions have to go through to get people outside needs to be reformed so outdoor recreation can continue to be a healthy, safe and sustainable use of our public lands and waters and a significant economic driver that makes up 2.2 percent of the U.S. GDP and supports over 4.5 million jobs in communities across the country.”

“Guides and outfitters provide a key touchpoint for Americans to access boating and fishing opportunities across the country,” explains Matt Gruhn. “By reforming our processes to access permits and operate trips on our nation’s waterways, the SOAR Act provides the opportunity to introduce more Americans to the boating lifestyle and gives them the ability to enjoy boating and fishing, both of which are critical economic drivers.”

Dealer Shares His Certification Story

Jim Armington of Buckeye Sports Center has been a part of the Marine Industry Certified Dealership program for about a decade, and he recently shared his experience with us.

“Originally, we signed up for dealer Certification, to be honest, to get the dealer Certification merit badge, to get the sticker in the window, not knowing how much we’d get out of it,” he explained. “And after even going through the program the first year, we learned quite a bit about follow up and procedures that we wanted to have in place, and every year since then, it’s really been a benefit.”

Armington participated in the inaugural Continuous Certification program in 2018 and has already completed some of the requirements for the 2019 program.

“I really think Continuous Certification has most changed our dealership by making us continually focus on what we can do to get better,” Armington said. “And the topics they bring up help kind of start that discussion, start that first step for us to work with the employees, to work with the rest of the team every year on what can we do to get better every year. And Continuous Certification, as the name would indicate, just kinds of directs us towards that.”

Watch Armington’s full Certification story.

Nearly $14 Million Awarded to Schools Improve Talent Development, Education System

Thirteen talent consortia awarded Marshall Plan for Talent funds to improve state’s talent development and education system, benefiting more than 220,000 students.

LANSING, Mich. – High-caliber innovation and partnerships continue to soar as business and education leaders come together to revolutionize curriculum and support services that will address the state’s talent gap, officials from the state’s Talent and Economic Development Department and Department of Education said as they announced the latest Marshall Plan for Talent Innovation Grant awardees.

Thirteen talent consortia, representing 500 entities, were awarded a total of nearly $14 million in grants to start and grow innovative education models.

“We all win when we come together to develop solutions to set students on a path for success and invest in their futures,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “These investments help improve our education system and enhance talent development pipelines that we need to prepare Michiganders for the high-demand, high-wage careers of today and tomorrow.”

Of the nearly $14 million in awards, $6.89 million will go to purchasing state-of-the-art equipment students can use to learn with hands-on techniques. Another $6.14 million will help develop world-class curricula for each consortium, and an additional $150,000 going toward evolving some districts to a competency-based education model. Finally, $465,385 will go toward hiring career navigators who will help students explore career options and pathways in Michigan while providing needed support to school counselors who are overwhelmed – each serving on average 729 students yearly.

“The Marshall Plan for Talent set the stage for Michigan to bring businesses and education together and lay the foundation for a new model that will help students explore in-demand careers and ultimately address the skills gap in Michigan,” Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan Acting Director Stephanie Beckhorn said. “We look forward to ongoing partnerships with these consortium members as we continue to build on these efforts and make sure students are equipped with successful pathways to post-secondary education and training.”

The awarded consortia represent a diverse group of businesses, K-12 districts, post-secondary education institutions and other entities, including 155 school districts – small and large – 136 businesses, 56 post-secondary institutions, 41 industry associations, 19 Michigan Works! agencies and 92 non-profit and other organizations. The funding benefits more than 220,000 students and their communities statewide.

“The Marshall Plan promotes the building of partnerships – a strategy for schools and businesses to innovate and rethink how we go about preparing our young people for the future,” Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles said. “Communities across Michigan see the importance of connecting education directly with job providers. Today, we celebrate their efforts that will make tomorrow brighter and ensure Michigan becomes a Top 10 education state.”

Consortia shaped their applications around five key high-demand, high-wage sectors: healthcare, information technology/computer science, manufacturing, Professional Trades and other business trades.

The Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan (Ted) allows the state to leverage its ability to build talent with in-demand skills while helping state businesses grow and thrive. Joining job creation and economic development efforts under one umbrella, Ted consists of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan Strategic Fund, Talent Investment Agency and Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority.

Learn more about Ted by visiting our website, michigan.gov/ted.

MRAA Launches Marine Industry Guide to Apprenticeship

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas recently published its latest white paper, “The Guide to Apprenticeship,” in conjunction with the Marine Industry Certified Dealership program.

The 21-page digital publication was created to help address one of the most commonly shared pain points of today’s marine dealers — a shortage of qualified technicians. The guide walks through the process — and potential advantages — of growing your own technicians rather than hiring “hard-to-find” veteran techs. The guide provides examples of real-world apprenticeship programs that have led to employees who outperform their peers and deliver increased levels of profitability, while at the same time increasing employee satisfaction and improving the customer experience.

“We were lucky to have a lot of great contributors to this publication, including a number of dealers who were willing to share both how they built their apprenticeship programs as well as the results they’ve seen,” says Mike Davin, MRAA’s Director of Education. “We know that workforce issues remain a top concern for many industry dealers, so it’s encouraging to read about some success stories that have resulted from attracting and developing inexperienced workers into skilled technicians.”

MRAA’s “Guide to Apprenticeship” was designed as supplemental reading for the first quarter course of the 2019 Continuous Certification curriculum, “Develop Your Dealership’s Workforce Outside In,” presented by Jim Million. The online training course introduces the concept of filling in the “gaps” of your workflow by incorporating and training your current employees. For those not enrolled in Continuous Certification, it also serves as a valuable standalone resource for anyone interested in exploring an apprenticeship program.
 
“Dealers, including those in the Certification program, have told us time and again that finding qualified technicians is a struggle,” says Liz Keener, MRAA’s Certification Manager. “While it’s meant to build off the coaching and mentoring skills Certified dealers learned about in the first quarter of this year, this guide will be an extremely useful tool for any dealer looking to add an apprenticeship program. It walks dealers through the entire process of developing an apprenticeship program, offering an easy-to-implement system.”

MRAA members can login and access the full publication at MRAA.com/guides and non-members can download an excerpt of the guide here. The Guide to Apprenticeship and Quarter One of the MICD Continuous Certification program are available now.
 

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.

Dealers Climb Capitol Hill at American Boating Conference

Last week, MRAA and other representatives of the recreational boating industry convened in Washington, D.C. for the annual American Boating Congress. ABC is the industry’s primary political and legislative gathering, where all sectors of recreational boating work for three full days to present a unified front to Congress on the critical issues impacting our industry. 2019 was the largest ABC on record, with more than 350 attendees gathering to discuss important topics such as trade, recreation, conservation, and blue-green infrastructure. Industry representatives held more than 200 meetings with congressional offices. MRAA staff and members were there to learn, engage and meet with their individual members of Congress as constituents. Here’s what they had to say about their ABC experience:

Chris Butler, Butler Marine
“This was my first year at ABC and discovered the importance of letting our elected officials know how important the boating and recreational fishing industries are to our economy.  I will definitely be back next year.”

Joe Lewis, Mount Dora Boating Center & Marina
“This past ABC was a brilliant example of persistence paying off.  The people I met with on Capitol Hill were informed and understood our issues. In years past meetings were a monologue. We explained who we were, what we faced and how they could help. Fast forward to 2019, legislators knew us, our issues and asking us how they could help. Night and day difference after years of work. Finally recreational boating can play a little offense and we did just that in December of 2018 with passage of the Modern Fish Act. We still have many challenges but at least today we have people who are really listening.”

Matt Gruhn, MRAA President
“ABC, with its focus on meeting with Congress Members, can feel like an intimidating process. But the Members and their teams are incredibly engaged in listening to the issues, particularly when we have such a large contingent of industry participating in the dialog, and particularly when they get the chance to talk to one of their own constituents. This year, after meeting with Rep. Jim Hagedorn, along with Alumacraft Boats President James Irwin, we actually received a follow-up phone call from the Representative himself, which we took as a nod to the positive reception we received when presenting our issues. We make a real impact when we participate in this event.”

Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President
“One of the highlights of my experience at ABC this year was the opportunity to meet with Congressman John Katko, who represents New York’s 24th District, where I live. We spoke about the workforce challenges that so many MRAA members face – and particularly the opportunity to reauthorize the Higher Education Act with a provision that reduces the classroom hours necessary for Pell Grants, so that more of those training for careers as marine technicians would be eligible. I was impressed that he knew of many of our marine dealer members based in the district. And he even offered to put me in touch with someone in his office who could help us determine whether there was federal grant money available to support the development of local marine technician education programs.”

Mike Davin, MRAA Director of Education
“It’s easy to feel like casting a ballot on Election Day is the only chance you have to make your voice heard in Washington. Visiting Capitol Hill is a good reminder that Congress is there to represent us, and the Senate and House buildings are both open for visitors. The Hill visits during ABC were a highlight, and all the Members of Congress and staff who met with us seemed engaged and eager to listen.”