Resources for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

From natural occurrences (much like the Hurricanes headed towards shore) to the “freak” events that take you off guard, we never know when disaster is going to hit and put your business in danger. The MRAA team felt the time was right to offer a few resources that can help you prepare or recover after disaster strikes.

Seven Tips to Help Your Small Business Recover From Hurricane Damage

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Small Business Recovery Expanded Guide

Small Business Association: Prepare for Emergencies

Sea Grant Crisis Management Guide

Weathering the Storm: Hurricane Preparedness & Recovery Event

If you are looking for resources specific to your area, please email mickaela@mraa.com and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.

Hi, I Have Tattoos

Hello, my name is Nikki and I have tattoos. As an elder millennial, it was almost a rite of passage to get my first tattoo in 2002 at 18 years old and I have clear memories from each experience that has left permanent ink on my skin.

In my most recent tattoo experience, I was visiting friends in California and decided to get tattoos at the same shop for a Flash Friday event. My friend recommended a shop she knew and trusted that has almost perfect reviews and a beautiful space. I was in!

We arrived, picked out our designs and my friend saw the artist she typically sees. Since I wanted to try to get tattooed at the same time, I went with the next available artist. This was my mistake, big mistake. The artist I chose to work with brought with him a heavy emotional life story, that he chose to share very intimate details with us about. I was uncomfortable to say the least, and it was more from his attempts at conversation than it was about the needles in my skin.

Today, I have a beautiful tattoo that reminds me of this man’s emotional life story rather than the wonderful memory I had hoped to create with my friend. I feel, in this case, my customer experience was tainted by one bad employee that didn’t understand his negativity was impacting my experience. Think about it – if your employee is having a bad day and working with a customer, what kind of story are they telling?

Chaparral And Robalo Boats Celebrate Top Dealers

Chaparral and Robalo Boats honored its top dealers and sales professionals from around the globe for the 2018 model year at their 2019 Annual Dealer Conference meeting held at the Ritz – Carlton, Lake Oconee, GA.

Top Domestic Dealer Award Winners:

Chaparral:

  1. The Boat Rack, Sherrills Ford, NC
  2. Premier 54 Motorsports, Osage Beach, MO
  3. Waterfront Marine, Somers Point, NJ
  4. Munson Ski & Marine, Round Lake, IL
  5. Atlanta Marine, Buford, GA

Robalo:

  1. Bob Hewes Boats, N Miami, FL
  2. Sunrise Marine of Destin, Mary Esther, FL
  3. Waterfront Marine, Somers Point, NJ
  4. Fish Tale Boats, Ft. Myers, FL
  5. Angler’s Marine, Supply, NC

#1 Chaparral & Robalo largest combined volume dealer:

  • Waterfront Marine, Somers Point, NJ

Top International Dealer Award Winners:

Chaparral:

  • Ideal Boat Sales, Pwllheli, United Kingdom

Robalo:

  • Soluciones Nauticas Sa De Cv, Merida, Mexico

#1 CSI Dealer Award Winners:

Chaparral:

  • Cecil Marine, Williamstown, NJ

Robalo:

  • Vero Marine Center, Vero Beach, FL

Top Sales Professional by Region – Chaparral:

  1. Scott Ledwith, Atlanta Marine, Atlanta, GA – Southeast Region
  2. Bradley Rozier, Premier 54 Motorsports, Osage Beach, MO – South Central & Western Region
  3. John Noonan, Amity Harbor Marine, Amityville, NY – Northeast Region
  4. Roberto Alvarado, Wayzata Marine, Wayzata, MN – Midwest & Great Lakes Region
  5. Steven Henry, The Boat Rack, Sherrills Ford, NC – Mid-Atlantic Region

Overall #1 International Sales Professional:

  • Neville Williams, IdealBoat Sales, Pwllheli, United Kingdom


Top Sales Professional by Region – Robalo:

  1. Justin Wray, Dealer’s Choice, Orlando, FL – Southeast Region
  2. Paul Peters, The Nautic Group, Kemah, TX – South Central & Western Region
  3. Bruce Staley, Waterfront Marine, Edgewater, MD – Northeast Region
  4. Neil Williams, Sun Sport Marine, Harrison Township, MI – Midwest & Great Lakes Region
  5. Glenn Abramson, Anglers Marine, Supply, NC – Mid-Atlantic Region

Congressional Boating Caucus Highlights Workforce Issues on Capitol Hill

On September 5th, MRAA, NMMA, and BoatUS hosted several representatives of state marine trades associations including Wendy Mackie if the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, Peter Schrappen of Northwest Marine Trade Association, Randall Lyons of the Massachusetts Marine Trade Association, and Susan Zellers of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland for the purpose of a Capitol Hill Briefing on the recreational boating industries workforce shortage.

The briefing, attended by numerous congressional staffers focused on the successful efforts of state marine trade associations to institute programs on recruiting and retaining workers in the marine industry.

A major highlight of the panel included the implementation of a for addressing the workforce crisis, “10+1 Strategy: A Marine Industry Guide to Growing the Workforce.” The plan is the result of a yearlong collaborative effort by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association. Endorsed by 25 national, regional and state trade associations, “10+1” represents an industry wide business plan in the form of an all-new, instructive document designed to help address the workforce challenges currently facing the marine industry. 

The briefing was held on behalf of the Congressional Boating Caucus is an informal, bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives formed in 1989 to advocate for the interests of the recreational boating industry.

If you have any questions about legislative issues, or something happening in your state, please contact Will Higgins.

Congress To Tackle Harmful Algae Blooms

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on dangerous algae blooms. Florida is currently facing an unprecedented algae event, but a number of other states are experiencing harmful algae blooms and the problem continues to grow. The negative impact that toxic algae blooms have on the recreational boating community and marine businesses was mentioned by several witnesses and senators, including Patrick Neu, Executive Director of the National Professional Anglers Association, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Potential legislation that would assist in funding, research, and efforts to combat harmful algae blooms were also discussed during the hearing. 

“As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I applaud the full Senate’s approval of these crucial provisions that I championed on behalf of Florida. With the harmful algal blooms impacting both coasts of Florida, my amendment provides funding for additional assistance to identify health impacts from the toxins,” Rubio said.

Additionally, Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson successfully secured funding from the center for disease control for responding to the blooms, with special priority given to any locations that are subject to a state of emergency designation within the previous 12 months because of blooms.

 

If you have any questions about legislative issues, or something happening in your state, please contact Will Higgins.

Be the Change: Tell your Senators to Support the Modern Fish Act

Thanks to your efforts, the House has passed HR 200, which includes Modern Fish Act provisions. This is a bipartisan step towards advancing recreational fishing policy. Your letters made the difference!

It is now time for the U.S. Senate to take up and pass the Modern Fish Act (S. 1520).

It is imperative that you contact your senators today and strongly urge them to support the Modern Fish Act. 

The Modern Fish Act will make critically important changes to federal fishing regulations, including several key provisions that are supported by a broad coalition of recreational fishing and boating organizations:

  • Allows for recreational fisheries to be managed using more appropriate management tools
  • Modifies the annual catch limit requirement to allow for more adaptive approaches
  • Requires managers in the southeastern U.S. to perform long-overdue examinations of fishery allocation, based on modern criteria
  • Limits the spread of catch share programs that have negatively impacted anglers and fishing communities
  • Promotes consideration of new data collection methods that could improve fisheries management and conservation
  • Ensures exempted fishing permits help fisheries management and conservation – rather than the status quo which can hinder both

Please urge your senators to support the Modern Fish Act.

 

If you have any questions about legislative issues, or something happening in your state, please contact Will Higgins.

Partnership Key to Barletta Pontoon Boats Dealer Meeting

On August 14, partner dealerships and prospects from around North America descended on Elkhart, IN to attend the inaugural Barletta Pontoon Boat Dealer Meeting and feel, first-hand, what all the “buzz” was about; a focus on innovation, quality, and partnership.

While maintaining an informal “feel”, the meeting offered some structure including product training, pricing and promotions discussions, and networking opportunities. One of the highlights of the three day event was the business meeting that included a question and answer session at its conclusion.

“Attendance at the event was outstanding,” stated Bill Fenech, President and Co-Owner of Barletta Boat Company. “Our team was able to spend quality, face-to-face, time with our current dealer partners and several high-caliber prospect dealerships. What was really exciting was the unexpected number of attendees in the area for other dealer meetings, that came to see our product, our people, and hear our story. This all really emphasizes the need and desire for a pontoon boat manufacturer to shake things up by doing things differently…the Barletta way.”

With the release of the new E-Class (Elite) pontoon boats, the “little brother” to the highly successful L-Class (Luxury) line, orders written at the meeting were stronger than expected, surpassing Barletta’s internal goal by a wide margin, with more orders on the way.

“The meeting was a huge success,” stated Jeff Haradine, VP of Sales. “Not only in terms of commitments for the upcoming year, but in terms of the overall feel of the meeting. Really strong partnerships take years to develop – but we’ve signed great dealers and built killer relationships. What we’ve experienced over this very short period of time just can’t be duplicated by our competitors. It’s truly something special.”

With over 70 locations nationwide, Barletta’s dealer network includes over 20 dealerships representing multiple locations, recognized as Boating Industry’s Top 100 dealerships of 2017. Until recently, Barletta had suspended signing new dealers to insure that they could adequately support their dealer partners with product. As the team reviews the model year 2019 order commitments and assigns delivery dates, Barletta may consider suspending new dealer signings again, as the production team ramps up.

“Our team focuses on doing what’s right for the relationships we are building with our dealer partners,” continued Fenech. “Build hot products with quality, provide large territories, and don’t settle for less than the best customer service in the industry. Sometimes it’s as simple as returning a phone call. We treat our dealers in the same manner that we would hope to be treated; our team doesn’t know how to do it any differently than that.”

MRAA Annual Conference & Expo to rebrand, relocate in 2019

Event transformation has been designed to engage, energize and empower
the marine dealer community to new heights.

 

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 6, 2018 — The MRAA Annual Conference & Expo will embark on an exciting transformation in 2019, introducing a new name, relocating to a new location and delivering an all-new immersive event experience, the likes of which the marine industry has never participated in before.

The 2019 MRAA Annual Conference & Expo will relocate to Tampa, Fla., where it will call the Tampa Convention Center its home, December 8-11, 2019. The new location is expected to deliver invigorating energy and offerings to MRAA’s 43rd Annual Conference, and it will also feature an on-water element for MRAA’s exhibitor and sponsor partners to display and demo product.

“We are incredibly excited about moving our annual conference to Tampa, where we expect to attract new dealers and new exhibitors,” says MRAA President Matt Gruhn. “But we are most excited about evolving the event experience into something far more rewarding and impactful for our dealers and the industry at large. Dealers can expect the same high-quality educational programming that MRAA has always delivered, with a focus on stronger tools and resources for successful implementation and results. Our team here at MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and we expect this reimagined event to engage, energize and empower our dealer community to lead us there.”

Over the last two years, MRAA has invested significantly into the research and study of the latest trends and developments with annual conferences. Attending several event-focused programs, retaining the services of an event consultant, and adding to its internal education and events staff, MRAA has laid the foundation for an all-new event experience that will take shape in 2019. The MRAA staff has also worked closely with a marketing agency to develop a conference name and a branding campaign that will speak to the opportunities this event will offer the marine industry. Although that logo and brand are finalized, MRAA has held off on introducing it so as not to distract from the 2018 conference.

Additionally, next month, MRAA will convene an industry strategy session with leading dealers and suppliers in an effort to fine-tune and maximize the impact the 2019 MRAA Annual Conference & Expo will have on the success of marine dealers and the recreational marine business community.

“The next evolution of MRAA’s Annual Conference & Expo will be the most significant to date,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President and Director of Education. “We’re combining our expertise for building world class educational programs with deeper relationships and insights from our dealer and supplier partners, and proven, real-world advice from an event experience authority. This formula is already providing exceptional new opportunities for our conference and everyone that participates in it.”

The MRAA Annual Conference & Expo originated in 1977. It has evolved several times over the years, leading up to 2008 when it was rebranded as the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo. The MDCE has been co-produced with Boating Industry magazine since 2008. For 2019 and beyond, MRAA’s Annual Conference & Expo will take on a new name and will be brought back in house to be produced entirely by the MRAA.

“Over the years and through several iterations, the MRAA Annual Conference & Expo has generated success by maintaining its focus on dealers,” Gruhn adds. “As a non-profit trade association, MRAA exists to deliver tools, resources and educational programs to our dealers so they can maximize their success and enable consumers to enjoy a world class boating lifestyle. When we do that in collaboration with industry manufacturers and suppliers, as with this reimagined annual conference, together, we can inspire our dealers to accomplish great things.”

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for our industry to thrive, the retail organizations on the front lines of our industry must thrive. So MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with tools, resources and educational programs, offering them opportunities for improvement and growth, and by representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

MRAA Educational Foundation Opens Scholarship Application Process

The MRAA Educational Foundation has kicked off the 2018 application process for its six scholarships and the Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year Award, at MRAA.com/Foundation. Included in those six scholarships is a new scholarship to help support dealership apprenticeship programs, our Marine Apprentice Technician Scholarship.

The award and scholarships, which will be presented during the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, Dec. 9-12 in Orlando, Fla., are intended to financially assist the professional development of those working in the marine industry. The deadline to submit a scholarship or award application or nomination is October 12th.

Retail Members of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and their employees can now complete online applications for the Kevin Lodder Scholarship, Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship, Marine Apprentice Technician Scholarship, and the Marine Industry College Scholarship. Women from throughout the boating business are eligible to be nominated or apply for the Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year Award. Marine Trade Associations that are members of MRAA can apply for the foundation’s Marine Trade Association Scholarship.

This year, the MRAA Educational Foundation updated the Marine Technical School Scholarship by directly awarding scholarships to enrolled students in approved marine trade schools in lieu of directly to trade schools.

“The MRAA Educational Foundation’s scholarships are ever evolving to promote a stronger workforce for our dealerships to meet the needs for our industry’s future,” said Jeff Siems, MRAA Educational Foundation President. “By promoting education within our industry, we are enabling individual marine professionals, the businesses they work for, and the industry, as a whole, to prosper.”

A nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, the MRAA Educational Foundation has handed out more than 80 scholarships and awards collectively worth more than $190,000 over the past 15 years.

Click the links below to learn more about each of these offerings and to nominate or apply:

Donations from independent donors and corporate partners make all scholarships provided by the MRAA Educational Foundation possible. To learn more about donating, or to find more information about the MRAA Educational Foundation, visit www.MRAA.com/foundation.

AVALA Supports MRAA at the Partner Level

AVALA Marketing Group has joined the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas as its newest Partner level member.

 

AVALA Marketing Group is a digital marketing agency that supports manufacturers who sell high consideration goods through dealer channels, in efforts to drive more revenue throughout the entire customer lifecycle.

 

“While historically, we here at AVALA have focused on the manufacturer side of the marine industry, both on pre and post-purchase activity, through our work managing the Marine Industry NMMA CSI program, we recognize that all segments of the supply chain must work in unison to deliver the quality lifestyle that boating promises,” says Steve Pizzolato, Founder and CEO of AVALA. “We’ve partnered with MRAA to extend our knowledge, understanding and expertise of the keys to high levels of customer service to the all-important dealer body.”

 

AVALA uses its three core service areas — marketing strategy, web and application development, and automation — to deliver the greatest ROI for its clients. AVALA not only offers tools to best reach their desired audience, but they also provide a detailed plan on how to implement, as well as the after-sale measurement tools.

 

“We are excited to not just welcome AVALA Marketing Group to MRAA membership, but also to begin planning a robust partnership with Steve and his team to help our dealers continue to develop world-class experiences for their customers,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “AVALA’s passion for the marine industry is obvious in the work that they do, and we are looking forward to teaming up with them on several future projects.”

 

AVALA joins the roster of boat manufacturers, vendors and suppliers who support the efforts of the MRAA through partnership, continues to grow. Find a full menu of partner benefits here.

 

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.

 

About AVALA

AVALA Marketing Group helps brands selling high consideration goods and services through dealer networks, drive more revenue throughout the entire customer lifecycle. We combine data, intelligent digital strategies, and technology to increase visibility, deliver leads, close more sales, increase customer lifetime value, and maximize your marketing ROI. Our talented team of experts use Aimbase®, our automated intelligent marketing platform to implement successful digital marketing strategies based on processes and best practices that have been refined over thousands of campaigns.