MRAA Partner Interview: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

We had the chance to ask Stephanie Vatalaro, of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, a few questions about their newest campaign and the other efforts RBFF is taking in order to increase the number of people getting out on the water and participating in outdoor recreation.

To get started, we would love to hear about you and what you do at the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation.

I am the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF), where I lead the organization’s outreach strategy to recruit new participants to fishing and boating through our Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ brand campaigns.

The RBFF is currently working to increase the number of fishing participants from the existing 49.1 million to 60 million by 2021. What efforts are you taking in order to reach the goal in the next two years?

We’re working to achieve 60 in 60 using a three-pronged approach – recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3). The main focus for RBFF is on recruitment, but we also work with industry and state agencies on retention and reactivation. We offer many tools and programs for our stakeholders to get involved. The latest – our Fishing License & Boat Registration Website Plugin – connects your customers with fishing license and boat registration information in just one click. With the plugin on your website, you’ll lower the barriers to participation by facilitating license sales, increasing the number of fishing trips and anglers, and positioning your business as a trusted resource for the items needed to fish.

Not only is RBFF focusing on increasing the number of anglers in general, but also it is working to increase the number of women who participate in the sport. Tell us about the Women’s Initiative and how MRAA readers can get involved.

Nearly half of all newcomers to fishing last year were female, and today, Moms are fishing with their kids more than Dads. But only 19% of women see themselves in the sport, and women drop out of fishing at really high rates. That’s why we launched the #WomenMakingWaves campaign last year to empower women in fishing and boating. We are encouraging all women to go out and create unforgettable memories on the water. If you’re a beginner, we’ve got everything you need to get started. If you’re an avid participant, you can help us spread the word. The marine industry can do its part to support Women Making Waves by featuring women in their advertisements and social media campaigns, learning how to better engage women in the sales process and hosting female-focused events.

Access to water is an issue that affects all aspects of the marine industry. In addition to the License + Registration PlugIn, RBFF offers other plugins that help lessen the hurdles to boating. How can the Places to Boat & Fish embeddable map help retailers get people out on the water?

Having easy access to the water is critical for a successful day of fishing. Our embeddable Places to Boat & Fish Map is a free, interactive tool that makes it easy for boaters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts to find bodies of water, specific types of fish and various destinations including camp sites, restaurants, picnic areas and other outdoor retailers.

Thank you, Stephanie, for all of your time and talking us through the offerings that RBFF is delivering to the marine industry.

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation continues to create resources that support the growth and participation in boating and fishing. Click to access free resources to help grow boating and fishing on from the RBFF Resource Center.

Op-Ed: National Infrastructure Conversation Must Include Recreation

This op-ed originally appeared in the May 16th edition of The Hill. Jessica Wahl is executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), America’s leading coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations and organizations working to promote the policy and legislative reforms needed to enhance the outdoor recreation economy. MRAA is a founding member of the ORR.

When outdoor enthusiast Mikah Meyer arrived in Washington, D.C., this month, it wasn’t just another typical springtime tourist visit. As Meyer climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he was completing a specific quest — to visit all 419 National Park Service sites three years to the day after he began.

Inspired by his late father’s love of road trips, Meyer, 30, set a Guinness World Record by becoming the youngest person to visit all National Park Service locations, as well as becoming the first to visit those 419 sites in a single continuous road trip.

While Meyer’s journey was extraordinary, it’s important to remember that millions of Americans visit our public lands and waters every single day of the year, totaling over one billion visits annually. Whether it is a family vacation to an iconic national park, weekly fishing trips or part of a daily commute, our public lands play an essential role in supporting quality of life, local jobs, and a vibrant national outdoor recreation industry.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, outdoor recreation makes up 2.2 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and supports more than 4.5 million jobs across the country. The outdoor recreation industry — which is growing faster than the economy as a whole — contributes $734 billion to the U.S. economy. This is more than other major sectors such as mining, utilities, and computer and electronic products.

The same day Mikah Meyer arrived at the Lincoln Memorial, two other Americans paid a visit to a national park site about a mile away. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) entered the White House to discuss infrastructure, and they emerged with good news: a “general agreement” with President Donald Trump that $2 trillion should be made available to fix our nation’s roads, bridges, rails, ports, airports, water and sewer systems, and energy and telecom grids.

We agree that support of “traditional infrastructure” is vital for America to remain competitive, prosperous and safe. We also believe that an infrastructure package represents an extraordinary bipartisan opportunity to not only rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges and airports, but also to improve the beloved infrastructure on federally managed lands and waters — our green and blue infrastructure.

Sadly, many roads, trails, marinas, campgrounds, and other outdoor structures and natural infrastructure are desperately in need of care. Simply put, we have Eisenhower-era recreation infrastructure at a time when visitation has increased and visitors depend on safe roads and bridges, attractive open spaces, clean public waters, and 21st century amenities. The national parks alone are facing a $12 billion maintenance backlog.

The benefits of encouraging the outdoor recreation economy are clear. When Americans participate in outdoor recreation, they purchase gear, equipment, food, lodging and more, and contribute $65.3 billion in annual tax revenue to federal coffers. Investing in our natural recreation assets and building recreation infrastructure is a smart investment, with a recent study confirming that every dollar invested in the national parks returns $10 to the U.S. economy.

Additionally, much of America’s recreation infrastructure on public lands and waters is already associated with revenue streams from recreational activity — fishing and hunting licenses; entrance and activity fees; campground, slip and launch fees; recreation permits and registration fees; and excise and fuel taxes.

Outdoor recreation is paying into the system and we must be part of any legislation to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. We look forward to working with Congress on opportunities to address the maintenance backlog and to implement policies that allow for public-private partnerships to help ease the backlog and significantly enhance the experience for visitors to public lands and waters.

As Congress tackles our nation’s infrastructure challenges, outdoor recreation needs to be at the table. Mikah Meyer — and all Americans who enjoy our National Park Service sites and other public lands and waters — deserve contemporary and thoughtful solutions that will improve the health and vibrancy of communities and economies across the country.

This week is Infrastructure Week, a period of education and advocacy that brings American businesses, workers, elected leaders, and citizens together around one message: America’s future will be shaped by the infrastructure choices we make today. If members of Congress choose today to make investments in outdoor recreation enjoyment and stewardship of America’s iconic public lands and waters, then they will, at the same time, be supporting and expanding American jobs, our economy and priceless outdoor experiences for generations to come.

If you have questions, please contact MRAA Public Policy Manager, Will Higgins.

Be, Do, Get

I recently completed Skills for Success, a Dale Carnegie course, and one of the many things that I learned was the “Be, Do, Get” concept. The idea is to craft a short statement that outlines the growth you are interested in achieving. I thought this was pretty cool, and could be applied to all areas of my life. My “Be, Do, Get” statement is, “Be authentic, Do the work, Get continual improvement.”

I purposely left mine to be vague as I wanted to be able to apply it to several facets of my life. Here is an example of how I am applying my statement:

I want to show up to work every day with my true self, and be able to treat others with humility and respect. I want to do the work, which can take a different shape depending on the day and needs of the members and organization. Continual improvement, if we are not working on something to develop our tools as professionals, we are complacent with change and not able to move with new opportunity.

I would like to challenge you to think of a “Be, Do, Get” statement that you can apply to yourself or your dealership. Staying focused on how you need to show up, what needs to be done and focus on the outcomes desired will help shape the future you want.

Share your statement in the comments. We would love to see what is fueling your personal growth!

MICD announces 6-Week Program

The Marine Industry Certified Dealership program has launched a new path to help dealers complete the initial Certification process in just 6 weeks.

The 6-Week Certification Completion Plan breaks down the formal 15-part checklist into manageable weekly steps that allow dealers to achieve their Certification status in a shorter period of time.

Dealers will still start the Certification process with a Pre-Certification Assessment and a call with their Certification Consultant. The Consultant will then guide them through the 6-week process that helps the dealer establish effective and efficient operational systems and process, create a culture focused on employee satisfaction and generate not just satisfied customers but loyal fans.

The Consultant will work with each dealer to develop a plan that works for them, offering space for the dealer to complete all requirements on and path and timeline that will work for their specific location’s needs.

Interested in the 6-Week Certification Completion Plan? Contact the MRAA’s Nikki Duffney at 763-333-2420 or at Nikki@mraa.com.

5 Tips To Grow Your Own Technicians

At the MRAA, our job is to help our members become more successful, so we’re constantly trying to better understand their pain points. In recent years, we frequently hear from dealers that their biggest struggles are “workforce challenges” – often in the form of a lack of qualified technicians.

With a shortage of readily available help in the existing workforce, many successful dealerships have focused their attention on developing talent internally. Here are some tips for growing your own technicians:

  • Create a roadmap. Outline the progression of what it takes to become a master technician. This doesn’t just benefit incoming trainees; it will help all service department employees to understand what their career journey will look like.
  • Set competency benchmarks. Make a list of the training, skills and certifications trainees will require to graduate to technician status. The qualifications in your current technician job descriptions are a good starting point.
  • Develop a timeline. People need to understand how long it will take to move through your program. Estimate the time it will take to acquire the necessary skills.
  • Structure your compensation. If you don’t have one already, you’ll need to develop an incentive-based compensation plan. (To begin, a starting apprentice with entry-level skills should receive about 50 percent of a standard “journeyperson” wage.)
  • Get buy-in. For your trainees to become successful, you’ll need internal champions who believe in the program. The good news is that, if used correctly, an apprentice can increase billed labor for a lead technician — and cover their cost for the first year.

Want more? These tips are all taken from our latest white paper, available online now. MRAA members can download it today for a step-by-step manual on how to design, recruit and evaluate an apprenticeship program. Download the “The Guide to Apprenticeship.”

Not a member? We have a free resource available that covers the first six steps in the planning and design of your apprenticeship program. Download now.

Step One: Evalute Your Website

Step One: Evalute

As a marine retailer, you know that digital marketing is one of the fastest changing areas of your business. You have heard that your website is now your business’ “virtual storefront.” So with that understanding, it is key that your website not only provides its users with great content, BUT it also needs to provide them with a stellar user experience.

As discussed as part of the digital publication, “Evaluate Your Website’s Domain, Design and Digital Content”, the first (and arguably the most important) purpose of a website’s design is to prevent a bounce. If you can convince your users to stay on your page for 30 seconds, you have a solid chance that they will stay much longer.

Use the following checklist, that is presented and explained in the whitepaper, to evaluate the USABILITY of your website:

How much time does it take to load the homepage? _________________

Can a visitor find information easily?  YES or NO

Is there a search button for visitors? YES or NO

Do all the links work? YES or NO

Is my site mobile friendly? YES or NO

Is my site compatible with multiple browsers? YES or NO

Are visitors able to navigate between different webpages in a simple an hassle-free manner? YES or NO

Are all clickable items and navigation buttons clearly marked and easy to identify? YES or NO

Are all the images clear and easy to see? YES or NO

Are there options for providing me feedback? YES or NO

Is the overall performance of my site acceptable? YES or NO

Now that you made it through the checklist, what are you doing well? And what did you identify as an opportunity to better your website’s usability? Even one small change can dramatically advance the user experience of your website.

For two more guided checklists and additional guidance on auditing your website’s domain, design, and digital content, MRAA members can login and download the full white paper here.

The digital publication, “Evaluate Your Website’s Domain, Design and Digital Content” is the first in a three-part series, “The 3Ds of Effective Website Marketing,” created through a partnership between MRAA and Dominion Domains.

Tell Congress: Educate Consumers on E15

Most consumers are unaware of the dangers posed by fuels with high levels of ethanol, like E15. Small engines, like those in boats, lawn mowers, and motorcycles can only use fuel with 10% ethanol or lower. Using E15 in these engines destroys them and voids their warranty. Plus, E15 is federally prohibited from use in small engines.
 
Fortunately, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL-21), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Charlie Crist (D-FL-13), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) have reintroduced their bipartisan legislation called the “Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act.” This bill would more clearly label gas pumps that contain E15 and better educate consumers about higher ethanol blend fuels. And with year-round sales of E15 on the horizon, we need this bill more than ever.
 
Contact your members of Congress today and tell them to support the Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act.

If you have questions, please contact MRAA Public Policy Manager, Will Higgins.

Canada Repeals Tariffs on Marine Products

Last summer the Canadian government levied a 10 percent tariffs on U.S.-built boats, causing severe disruptions for US boat builders and their Canadian dealers.

According to the Government of Canada, effective April 30, 2019, all retaliatory tariffs on U.S. recreational boats entering Canada have been removed, marking the most positive development for our industry since this concerning issue first emerged.

The Canadian Marine Trade Associations have been advised that earlier this week, the Canadian government approved the “Order Amending the United States Surtax Order (Other Goods),” which ended the 10 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. boats heading to Canada that was implemented in response to the U.S government’s Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Specifically, this action removes the following boat-related HTC codes from the list of goods subjected to the surtaxes:

  • 8903.10.00
  • 8903.91.00
  • 8903.92.00
  • 8903.99.90

All boats imported on or after April 30, 2019, are no longer subject to retaliatory tariffs (on a forward basis). At this time the government will not issue rebates or refunds for surtaxes paid on boats prior to this action.

This order will be officially published on May 15, 2019 in Part II Canada Gazette. The next few weeks may still have some challenges in sorting through the details; we urge you to continue collaborating and communicating to support the entire industry.

If you have questions, please contact MRAA Public Policy Manager, Will Higgins.

MRAA Member Testifies in Support of Minnesota Recreation Office

On Monday, May 6th MRAA member John Wooden of River Valley Marine testified in the Minnesota House of Representatives Government Operations Committee in support of HF 2864, a bill that will create a Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Office. Wooden highlighted the economic impact of boating and other forms of recreation in the state, citing a report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that found outdoor recreation responsible for 2.2% of the United States Gross Domestic Product, with $16.7 billion in consumer spending and 141,000 jobs generated in Minnesota alone. He also appealed to the impact that a state recreation office could have on the marine industry’s workforce:

“From a business standpoint, and I speak for nearly every outdoor recreational business in the state and across the country, we are experiencing a tremendous shortage of qualified workers to fulfill our growing employment needs. I currently have more than 20 jobs open across my locations, and that’s just a fraction of the outdoor industry’s current open positions. It is my hope that this new office of outdoor recreation will not only shine a light on the powerful economic contributor that is the outdoor recreation industry, but that it will also help demonstrate the importance of the  economic considerations for our businesses, such as this shortage of employees and the need to create skilled job training opportunities, within the boating and outdoor economy as a whole”.

State outdoor recreation offices have been a focal point of MRAA’s partnership with a large coalition of other outdoor recreation groups, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). MRAA and the ORR view these state offices as an opportunity to expand recreation opportunities, ensure access to public lands, and educate the public on the impact of the outdoor recreation economy as a whole. These efforts are being pursued in many other states, including Wisconsin, where MRAA members met with the Governor’s Department of Tourism last week.

If you have questions, please contact MRAA Public Policy Manager, Will Higgins.

Continuous Certification Launches Employee Satisfaction Survey Process

As seasonal dealerships are ramping up for their peak season, the Continuous Certification program has kicked off Employee Satisfaction Survey season.

Dealers in the Continuous Certification program recently received links to their Employee Satisfaction Surveys (ESS). The ESS process allows dealers to survey their employees anonymously to get a clearer view of the culture within their business. The dealership’s entire staff then works together to develop a process improvement plan to address any issues uncovered up by the ESS.

Dealers in the Continuous Certification program are given the entire year to complete the survey. However, those who complete the survey by Sept. 16 are eligible for the 2019 Great Dealerships to Work For Awards, which recognizes the dealers with the highest Employee Satisfaction scores.