Marine Dealer Conference & Expo when registration kicks off on April 1. All month long, marine retailers and their teams will save $50 per person off the Full Conference Retail Registration Rate, with members of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas eligible to receive an additional $75 discount for a total savings of $125 per registration.
MDCE comes to life online at MarineDealerConference.com, where prospective attendees can learn more about the event and register. During the registration process, MRAA members will be asked to first log in using their username and password in order to capture member discounts.
The 2015 edition of MDCE was among the most successful conferences to date, with a total of 1,147 marine industry professionals from throughout North America and as far away as Australia traveling to Orlando. In all, 238 marine dealerships representing 875 separate locations attended last year’s conference, 40 percent of which were attending for the first time. More than 90 percent were MRAA members.
The 2015 MDCE sported a sold-out Expo Hall with more than 100 exhibitors representing almost every sector of the pleasure boating industry and filling more than 40,000 square-feet of exhibit space.
About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational topics, a full-featured expo hall and a series of fixed networking opportunities, all of which are designed to help marine dealers connect with and learn from others who can foster their success. MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing Keynote Presentations, and Learning Labs. The 2016 event will take place Dec. 5-8 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MarineDealerConference.com.
Funding for the initiative would ensure better assessment of the economic significance of programs and policies with the jurisdiction of the Departments of Agriculture and Interior. The letters voiced strong support for a recent statement issued by the Federal Recreation Council, which concluded ORSA would “directly and efficiently benefit both the private and public sectors, including the outdoor recreation industry and business interests.”
Honorable Lisa Murkowski, Chairman Honorable Tom Udall, Ranking Member Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Murkowski and Udall:
We request your action in the FY17 budget to fund the creation and operation of an Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) to better assess the economic significance of programs and policies under the jurisdiction of your subcommittee, chiefly within the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture.
The nation’s public lands and waters play an essential role for the recreation industry. Virtually all Americans participate in some form of outdoor activity at these places. This activity results in an estimated $650 billion in annual expenditures on RVs and boats, lift tickets and entrance fees, fishing and hunting licenses and surfboards, campground fees and OHVs – and much more. Expenditures on recreation create manufacturing jobs, jobs in retailing and repairs, lifeguard posts at public beaches and guide jobs in the backcountry, jobs at insurance firms and hotels. Federal agencies host more than a billion recreation visits and now tout the direct contributions to local and national economies. The National Park Service claims ten dollars in spending for each dollar it receives in appropriated funding. The Forest Service notes that its lands supply an estimated 60% of all downhill ski and snowboarding activity, all at privately built and operated ski areas.
Many of those signing this letter regularly collect and make available very useful data on the economic activities associated with a specific recreation industry. But this data is not standard in format and often fails to capture the full array of spending linked to recreation activity. A trusted, comprehensive report is needed.
The leadership of the federal agencies most active on recreation is represented on a multi- departmental body called the Federal Recreation Council (FRC). That Council has made the creation of a Recreation Satellite Account by the Bureau of Economic Analysis its highest priority. Creation of the account is, by national standards, very reasonable. The Department of Commerce, which has recently created similar satellite accounts for the arts, and for travel and tourism, estimates that the account can be in place in three years or less at a cost of approximately $3.5 million.
We endorse a recent statement by the FRC:
“ORSA will directly and efficiently benefit both the private and public sectors, including the outdoor recreation industry and business interests, as well as the public policy community, by providing a ready means to assist in the evaluation of policies, programs, grants and other support or development tools. Creating the satellite account presents an opportunity for detailed and defensible data to inform decision making, improving governance and long-term management of public lands and waters.”
The ORSA information is vital to making good choices in allocating federal funds through the budget process – for your very committee to make strategic decisions. Yet currently available information is not from the best possible public sources. Rather it has been created on an irregular basis by the recreation industry itself.
Yet the implementation of this account is in limbo. Although the funds are a very small portion of existing federal recreation program funding approved every year by your subcommittee – and about 1% of existing federal recreation fee collections – the money does compete with other popular recreation expenditures.
We call upon the Congress to invest immediately in creating the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account as a vital tool in assessing federal program priorities and benefits. We ask that this be done in a way which does not impact highly popular recreation services, but instead as a vital part of effective governmental program management activities.
We urge that the FY17 budget provide for complete implementation of the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account on a priority basis. The path forward is clear. Congressional action recently created and funded an Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account. Similarly, a Travel and Tourism Satellite Account has been recently created. The data is already being collected. It simply needs to be organized so it can be appropriately aggregated from traditional reporting accounts.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Derrick A. Crandall, President American Recreation Coalition
Michael Nussman, President American Sportfishing Association
Jay McAninch, President and CEO Archery Trade Association
Paul Bambei, President ARVC – National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds
Brad Gross, Chair Association of Marina Industries
Margaret Podlich, President BoatU.S.
Geoff Baekey, Managing Director CHM Government Services
Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President The Corps Network
Ed Klim, President International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association
Matt Gruhn, President Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
Tim Buche, President Motorcycle Industry Council
John Johnson, Executive Director National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
Domenic Bravo, President National Association of State Park Directors
Thom Dammrich, President
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Terry MacRae, Chairman National Park Hospitality Association
Barbara Tulipane, President National Recreation and Park Association
Michael Berry, President National Ski Areas Association
Amy Roberts, Executive Director Outdoor Industry Association
Phil Ingrassia, President Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association
Frank Hugelmeyer, President Recreation Vehicle Industry Association
Nick Sargent, President SnowSports Industries America (SIA)
Ron Christofferson, President States Organization for Boating Access
MRAA Retail Members can now access complimentary finance and insurance courses at MRAATraining.com
First Approval Source, a provider of consulting and finance & insurance outsourcing to marine dealers, has partnered with the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas to offer finance and insurance education exclusively to MRAA Retail Members via the association’s Interactive Virtual Training System.
The first of the monthly courses to be offered to MRAA Members — Creating F&I Performance Goals — is now live at MRAATraining.com. In it, First Approval Source COO Myril Shaw discusses the most important F&I benchmark, customer penetration rates for F&I products, the F&I Department’s contribution to the bottom line and how to manage F&I expenses.
“First Approval Source is deeply committed to serving the marine retail community through training,” says Liz Walz, vice president of the MRAA. “We are thrilled to be able to work with Myril and his team to provide our members with a consistent flow of new finance and insurance education.”
The F&I Training Series has been made available to MRAA Members on a complimentary basis, thanks to the support of Norman Spencer Marine Insurance.
About First Approval Source Since January of 2012, First Approval Source has been helping dealers increase their profits while satisfying the financing requirements of their customers. A leader in customer service and customer satisfaction, the First Approval Source team is known among the dealer community for its quick, flexible, responsive and focused service as an outsourced F&I provider and consultant. First Approval Source recognizes that more and better qualified leads result in more unit sales. Once its team has helped drive an increase in unit sales, then their attention turns to helping deliver more profit per unit. For more information, visit www.firstapprovalsource.com.
About Norman Spencer Marine Insurance Norman Spencer Marine Insurance provides marine industry leading insurance services to clients and insurance buyers nationwide. Endorsed as the provider of insurance services to MRAA Members since 1988, their products include dealer insurance, manufacturer insurance, marina insurance and consumer boat/yacht insurance. For more information, visit www.norman-spencer.com.
About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is the only North American association dedicated to furthering the interests of boat and engine dealers and other marine-related retailers throughout North America. Under the umbrella of MRAA Rewards, the MRAA offers a host of cost-saving, revenue-generating, business-improvement, and professional-development benefits exclusively for its members. MRAA is the united voice of marine retailers. For more information, visitwww.MRAA.com.
SeaDek Marine Products, a manufacturer of non-skid boat decking, has finalized an agreement to join the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas as a Partner Member.
“Having a respected marine manufacturer like SeaDek onboard as MRAA’s newest member signifies the value of benefits enjoyed by suppliers from coast to coast,” MRAA President Matt Gruhn said. “We greatly appreciate the support and partnership SeaDek offers as our newest member.”
SeaDek products are available in a wide variety of thicknesses, colors and textures, and their fully customizable products provide traction and comfort when wet or dry. With a wave of new products in the queue, SeaDek says it is poised for growth in 2016 and beyond.
“We’ve worked hard to develop a selection of innovative and functional products for boaters of every kind,” Jason Gardner, co-owner and SeaDek’s VP of marketing, said. “We’re pleased to join MRAA and look forward to playing an active role in an organization with such a long history of supporting boat and marine dealers.”
Gardner went on to cite SeaDek’s new Dual Density Helm Station Pad as an example of the company’s commitment to material innovation and new product development — and the first of many unique products SeaDek plans to release in the coming months and years.
As a Partner Member of MRAA, SeaDek will now enjoy a robust menu of exclusive benefits and joins a growing list of premier suppliers and manufacturers wishing to support their dealership communities through partnerships with the MRAA. A complete list ofpartner benefits can be found here.
Headquartered in Rockledge, Fla., SeaDek has spent the last decade developing innovative, non-skid decking solutions for the marine industry. SeaDek’s closed-cell EVA pads are formulated to withstand the rigors of even the most unforgiving marine environment, and all pads are installed using 3MTM pressure sensitive adhesive.
More than 50 manufacturers, suppliers and retailers are current MRAA partners.
Danny Goldenberg is one of the youngest principals in the marine industry. A former speed boat racer, Danny and his business partner started Marine Connection in a 2,000 square-foot warehouse space with one boat, two chairs and a laptop computer. Today the operation has grown to three locations across southern Florida (Vero Beach, West Palm Beach and Miami). Danny is a proud member of the Entrepreneurs Organization of South Florida and has a 6-month-old daughter.
Talk a bit about how you, personally, found yourself in the boating industry.
I have been a boater by birth. My parents took me fishing and boating for as long as I can remember. It’s truly in my DNA. My first boat was a 13-foot inflatable dinghy and I was on it all summer. I must have been 14 or 15. I used to gather all my friends and spend the whole day on it. I bought and sold many boats throughout my life and I always ended up selling them for more than the purchase price. I decided to enter the retail market in 2006 because I wanted to be close the boating. It all started with the passion of the sea. We went thru the recessions by dealing in bank-seized boats and we were really good at it. We re-marketed thousands of used boats all over the world. We decided to go in to new boats in model year 2012. We have been growing our volume in new boats ever since.
How has being an MRAA member helped Marine Connection both streamline day-to-day operations and craft long-term strategy?
What do you see as the No. 1 challenge facing the boating industry? How are your dealership(s) countering?
I believe the No.1 challenge is the rising boat prices. Boating is becoming a very expensive activity and our demographics are drastically changing. We are having hard time getting first time buyers into boating. They are very important for the future of our industry. Grow boating is doing a great job but boating industry should learn from RV & Auto industries to streamline manufacturing and create efficiencies. We are trying to work with our manufacturers to create affordable boat models to capture a wide variety of demographics and most importantly get people into boating!
Offer some advice to small (or large) dealerships as they battle the lull of winter.
They should offer winter friendly products that would complement their existing customers. Some dealers go into winter power sports. I think that is smart. The ones with storage & service facilities can offer incentives to do work in winter months. They can also partner up with dealers in the south to utilize their human resources and customers that like to use their boats in southern states.
What book or business book are you currently reading? Do you have a review?
I love the read biographies of successful business people around the world. I read couple of those every month. Currently, I’m reading the story of Gerald Ronson “ Leading from the front”. He is a very successful businessman from UK. I was fortunate enough to meet him personally. One of our leisure industry investments led us to lease one of his commercial properties in London. He talks about being personally involved in the details his businesses and keeping in touch with all employees at all levels. “ Leading from the front” is a very inspiring story. His ups and downs are especially notable.
Marine Connection, was once again included on Boating Industry’s most recent list of Top 100 boat dealers. In your own words, discuss a few elements you see as reasons behind your dealership’s sustained success and its reputation as a top-tier dealer among industry peers.
Another way of doing this is by pushing the envelope on customer satisfaction. We recently came up with a new freebie package that included a good quality Turkish Beach Towel with our logo on it, 2 Pair of Sunglasses with our logo on it and a Marine Connection Hat. These are all good quality items and they represent our way of saying thank you to our customers. We double the package for boats 30 feet and above.
The following letter was sent Feb. 24 and jointly signed by The American Sportfishing Association, B.A.S.S, Izaak Walton League of America, The Nature Conservancy and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
Dear Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio:
As organizations representing a broad range of conservation, sportsmen and women, recreation, and outdoor industry interests, we are writing to ask you to ensure the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) promotes the protection and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats across the country as part of a comprehensive approach to water resources management. Every year, hunting and fishing contribute $200 billion in total economic activity to our nation‟s economy, and water resource projects and associated programs are critical to maintaining and improving these economic contributions as well as our sporting traditions.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) water resource projects are designed to meet many needs, including water supply, flood control, navigation, and hydropower as well as recreation and wildlife purposes. Ensuring these projects are designed, built and operated to sustain and improve the environment is critical to the health of our rivers and other waterways.
There are three areas where the next WRDA can make important improvements to the existing programs and do so in ways that are more cost-effective, facilitate project delivery, empower state and local governments, and help meet the many needs associated with our waters and waterways. Specifically, we request that the next WRDA:
1. Use nonstructural, natural, and nature-based solutions wherever practicable and cost-effective. Natural infrastructure, such as wetlands, natural floodplains, dunes, and reefs, often provides a cost-effective means of meeting our water resource needs in conjunction with or in place of more traditional „hard‟ infrastructure. By ensuring such approaches are equally considered during project design and implementation we can help reduce risks from flood and storm events, improve water quality, and enhance habitat and
recreational opportunities while saving taxpayer dollars.
For example, the Corps should utilize levee re-alignment to reduce artificial “pinch points” in watersheds that cause longer and higher flood stages and increase damages downstream. This will reduce the costs to taxpayers by promoting solutions for structures that have been subject to repeated flood damage. Also, the Corps should prioritize or address habitat connectivity whenever possible. Maintaining and restoring habitat connections offers tremendous benefits for fish and wildlife, but it can significantly reduce flood risks, too.
Directing the Corps to consider nature-based solutions, levee re-alignments, habitat connectivity, and other non-structural approaches can simultaneously improve flood control, storm resilience, and fish and wildlife habitat, providing a more sustainable water resources infrastructure.
Modernize operations of water control structures. Most of the Corps‟ existing dams, locks, and other infrastructure were built decades ago and are operated according to water control manuals and navigation plans that, in many cases, have not been updated in years, do not take advantage of the most sophisticated weather forecasting technologies, and rely on rule curves for reservoir operations tied to specific calendar dates rather than hydrologic conditions. The Corps must seek opportunities to update and optimize the operations of existing infrastructure, but it lacks clear direction from Congress. As a result, Corps facilities miss opportunities to boost water supply, manage flood and storm risks, increase hydropower, expand recreational opportunities, and enhance environmental benefits. The next WRDA should direct the Corps to modernize operations at its facilities while continuing to meet their authorized purposes.
Improve civil works mitigation practices. Mitigation should be designed to facilitate efficient and timely delivery of needed infrastructure projects and assure effective natural resource and habitat outcomes, such as flood risk reduction, water quality improvement, increased recreational opportunities, and improved fish and wildlife habitat and habitat connectivity. Frequently, mitigation is more effective and efficient if it is considered before project construction begins. Encouraging both watershed-scale and advanced mitigation can help speed up project delivery and reduce costs by ensuring environmental requirements are met early and that compensatory mitigation activities have significant lasting benefits for fish and wildlife.
These three improvements will help ensure the Corps has the flexibility and direction to make the smartest possible choices about building, repairing, and operating our infrastructure, and using our limited resources in the most effective way. They can also facilitate broad support for delivery of projects while ensuring a comprehensive approach to water resource management. Improving the health of our water resources is necessary to sustain our national, regional and local economies and, particularly, to provide ongoing opportunities for hunting and fishing.
We ask for your support to ensure the next WRDA helps us meet these goals and recreational opportunities while saving taxpayer dollars.
For example, the Corps should utilize levee re-alignment to reduce artificial “pinch points” in watersheds that cause longer and higher flood stages and increase damages downstream. This will reduce the costs to taxpayers by promoting solutions for structures that have been subject to repeated flood damage. Also, the Corps should prioritize or address habitat connectivity whenever possible. Maintaining and restoring habitat connections offers tremendous benefits for fish and wildlife, but it can significantly reduce flood risks, too.
Directing the Corps to consider nature-based solutions, levee re-alignments, habitat connectivity, and other non-structural approaches can simultaneously improve flood control, storm resilience, and fish and wildlife habitat, providing a more sustainable water resources infrastructure.
Modernize operations of water control structures. Most of the Corps‟ existing dams, locks, and other infrastructure were built decades ago and are operated according to water control manuals and navigation plans that, in many cases, have not been updated in years, do not take advantage of the most sophisticated weather forecasting technologies, and rely on rule curves for reservoir operations tied to specific calendar dates rather than hydrologic conditions. The Corps must seek opportunities to update and optimize the operations of existing infrastructure, but it lacks clear direction from Congress. As a result, Corps facilities miss opportunities to boost water supply, manage flood and storm risks, increase hydropower, expand recreational opportunities, and enhance environmental benefits. The next WRDA should direct the Corps to modernize operations at its facilities while continuing to meet their authorized purposes.
Improve civil works mitigation practices. Mitigation should be designed to facilitate efficient and timely delivery of needed infrastructure projects and assure effective natural resource and habitat outcomes, such as flood risk reduction, water quality improvement, increased recreational opportunities, and improved fish and wildlife habitat and habitat connectivity. Frequently, mitigation is more effective and efficient if it is considered before project construction begins. Encouraging both watershed-scale and advanced mitigation can help speed up project delivery and reduce costs by ensuring environmental requirements are met early and that compensatory mitigation activities have significant lasting benefits for fish and wildlife.
These three improvements will help ensure the Corps has the flexibility and direction to make the smartest possible choices about building, repairing, and operating our infrastructure, and using our limited resources in the most effective way. They can also facilitate broad support for delivery of projects while ensuring a comprehensive approach to water resource management. Improving the health of our water resources is necessary to sustain our national, regional and local economies and, particularly, to provide ongoing opportunities for hunting and fishing.
We ask for your support to ensure the next WRDA helps us meet these goals and look forward to working with you as you develop this legislation.
Sincerely,
American Sportfishing Association B.A.S.S. Izaak Walton League of America The Nature Conservancy Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
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