Grow Boating Inc. Transfers MICD Program Ownership to MRAA

Grow Boating Inc. has transferred ownership of the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program to the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. As full owner of the MICD Program, MRAA is responsible for every aspect of managing, operating, marketing and promoting the program for dealers, including conducting dealer Certification reviews and consultations.

The MICD Program was originally created as a pillar of the Grow Boating initiative to help ensure a seamless, positive experience for the boat buyer. Since Grow Boating’s inception, a need emerged for increased focus on creating future boat buyers with the industry’s Discover Boating marketing program. As a result, Grow Boating sought a partner to shepherd the MICD Program, allowing Grow Boating’s board and staff to dedicate more time to Discover Boating.

In 2013, MRAA became that partner and began managing the MICD Program, working directly with a committee of dealers and manufacturers and the Grow Boating Board of Directors, also made up of manufacturers and dealers, to identify ways of reinvigorating the program. What followed were a revamped, refocused strategy and the decision to transfer full ownership of the MICD program to MRAA.

“MRAA’s entire reason for being is focused on helping our industry grow and succeed by helping our dealers grow and succeed,” says MRAA president Matt Gruhn. “As we have built new services and programs over the last three years, we’ve always viewed the MICD Program as the ultimate tool to help dealers find greater success. It combines proven principles and best practices to guide dealers in building high-quality, sustainable organizations.

“We are honored that the industry, and particularly the Grow Boating board, entrusts us with the responsibility of building upon the foundation of this great Certification program,” Gruhn continues.

“Transferring ownership of the MICD Program to MRAA improves synergies across the entire industry as we work to create the best experience for boaters,” says Grow Boating president Carl Blackwell. “The Grow Boating Board of Directors, which includes marine manufacturers and dealers, unanimously approved transferring the MICD Program to MRAA because we know they’ll have a laser focus on growing participation in the program to improve the customer experience.”

The MICD Program provides dealers with standards, business processes and best practices to help them improve retail operations, increase sales, and continuously improve customer/employee satisfaction. To date, the MICD Committee’s manufacturers and dealers, alongside MRAA, responded to requests to streamline the Certification process by: Creating a digital portal and home for program materials and standards completion on MRAATraining.com; lowering the overall cost of Certification; moving Recertification from every year to every-other year; instituting lower Certification cost options for multi-location dealerships; and creating a tiered program, based on a series of escalating steps, allowing dealers to enter the program and navigate it at their own pace.

“There’s no more direct route or no better tool that we can offer our members than the MICD Program,” Gruhn says. “It provides a clear and precise roadmap for dealers that want to demonstrate they are among the very best in the industry, and that they want to continuously improve their operations.”

For more information about the MICD Program or to enroll, contact program director Sonja Moseley at 763-333-2424 or sonja@mraa.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit

About the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program

Managed by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program (MICD) is dedicated to improving the customer experience at the retail level. The first step in the Certification process focuses on establishing a high level of customer satisfaction through communication, appearance and quality. The second tier of Certification continues to enhance the customer experience by implementing processes for overall dealership functionality. At the program’s Five Star level, established organizational procedures are implemented to ensure smooth operations and happy customers. To learn more about the MICD Program, visit MRAA.com/certification.

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Get Ready For Boating Season With MRAATraining.com

As part of its quest to support marine industry growth through education, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas recently uploaded six educational sessions filmed at last year’s Marine Dealer Conference & Expo to MRAATraining.com. The videos offer powerful new insights to help marine retailers prepare their team for the boating season ahead.

The MRAA Interactive Virtual Training System at MRAATraining.com houses a plethora of educational modules from leading experts both inside and outside the marine industry that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, at the convenience of the user. MRAA members and MDCE 2014 attendees receive significant discounts on the six new courses.

“With the changes taking place in the market and in our customers, it’s critical that dealerships prepare their teams for success this season,” says Liz Walz, MRAA vice president. “Whether you have open positions you can’t fill, challenges handling upset customers, trouble getting to the top of prospects’ online searches, or you’re losing deals with today’s hyper-informed customers, we have training that can help without taking valuable employees away from the dealership or breaking the bank. Our MDCE modules are available to every employee under your roof and for three months at a time for one affordable price.”

The six MDCE 2014 modules that MRAA members can sign up to view on MRAATraining.com include:

•Build a Service Dream Team — Yamaha Marine University’s Valerie Ziebron examines the key human resource elements dealers need to master in order to create an outstanding service department: Recruiting; interviewing; hiring; reviewing and terminating employees; management’s role in creating, communicating and driving goals; and what employees need from managers to be successful. Cost: $349 for MRAA members; $399 for non-MRAA members

• Turn Upset Customers into Loyal Ones — Yamaha Marine University’s Valerie Ziebron enlightens dealers about the best way to handle upset customers and pick up positive conflict resolution techniques to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Cost: $249 for MRAA members; $299 for non-MRAA members

• Planning for Peak Performance — Leadership guru John Spence guides dealers through the critical aspects of effective strategic thinking, providing tools, ideas and skills for them to apply when creating a detailed, realistic and customized business plan for the dealership. Cost: $249 for MRAA members; $299 for non-MRAA members

• ESI Fuels CSI — Dealership consultant Sam Dantzler explores the behavioral science behind employee motivation and engagement, discusses the link between the Employee Satisfaction Index and the Customer Satisfaction Index, and helps dealership principals learn how to strengthen the bond among team members and give employees the ability to see the business through “owner’s eyes.” Cost: $249 for MRAA members; $299 for non-MRAA members

• Increase Your SEO Through Social — Social media expert Lauren deVlaming helps dealers better understand how to use social media to improve search engine optimization on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pintrest, YouTube, and more. Cost: $249 for MRAA members; $299 for non-MRAA members

• Sales Strategies for the Hyper-Informed Customer — Sales trainer David Martin unveils who the hyper-informed customers are, how they shop, what they want, and how dealers can make them happy. Cost: $249 for MRAA members; $299 for non-MRAA members

MRAA members can automatically receive a $50 discount on each MDCE 2014 training module by logging into MRAATraining.com with their MRAA member username and password. MDCE 2014 attendees received a promo code to gain an additional $100 off per module.

A package of all six modules offers an even better deal: $1,500 for non-MRAA members who did not attend MDCE 2014; $1,250 for MRAA members who did not attend MDCE 2014; $1,000 for non-MRAA members that attended MDCE 2014; and $750 for MRAA members that attended MDCE 2014. Forgot your promo code or have questions? Contact Liz Walz at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com for more information.

To learn more about MRAA membership or to join, contact MRAA membership coordinator Hannah Muerhoff at 763-333-2420 or hannah@mraa.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry. It will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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MRAA Unveils 2015 Guides to Success

In today’s market, being a successful marine retailer means more than simply selling lots of boats; top dealerships excel in all areas of their business, including leadership, marketing, sales and service. That’s why the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is providing its members with the MRAA Rewards 2015 Guides to Success, a series of invaluable guidebooks written by experts who offer tips, ideas, strategies and best practices for running a top-notch business.

Access to the 2015 Guides to Success, which are available in digital format for download, is free for all MRAA retail members. Together, the guides offer members and their respective dealership teams exclusive access to professional advice from thought leaders and subject matter experts both inside and outside the recreational boating business.

For the first time this year, MRAA has elected to create four separate guides, instead of one, all-inclusive guide, as had been produced in years’ past.

“We consider the Guides to Success a roadmap for dealers looking to improve and grow their business,” says Liz Walz, MRAA vice president. “We separated the 2015 guides into four distinct publications to help dealers share this resource with their employees. When a dealer becomes a member of MRAA, so do their team members. By giving employees access to MRAA resources like this one, members can really amp up their return on investment in membership.”

The 2015 guides were broken up by subject matter: Leadership; Sales; Marketing; and Service. The Leadership Guide was created in partnership with the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program, and the Sales, Marketing and Service guides were produced in partnership with Lighthouse Media Solutions.

A total of 37 experts, many of whom are trusted MRAA benefit providers and MDCE speakers, penned 39 articles spread out among the four guides. Taken individually or as a whole, the guides are a unique and powerful resource for marine industry professionals that’s unavailable anywhere else. Below is a quick rundown on the specifics of what each guide has to offer:

• The Guide to Leadership Success in 2015 shares strategies to help company principals and managers lead their respective dealership teams to their greatest business potential in the year ahead and beyond.

• The Guide to Marketing Success in 2015 highlights ways to most effectively use social media and grow online dealership presence; leverage e-mail marketing tools to boost sales; improve customers’ experience online; market to women; and more.

• The Guide to Sales Success in 2015 provides best practices to boost margins on pre-owned inventory; manage consumer leads; implement cloud-based sales tools; sell extended service agreements; obtain insurance coverage; generate referral sales; and more.

• The Guide to Service Success in 2015 lays a framework to help retailers build a winning service department; sell and merchandise accessories; leverage existing relationships with marine distributors; and more.

The MRAA 2015 Guides to Success are available exclusively for MRAA members as a benefit of membership in the organization. To access the guides, members can click here and sign in using their username and password.

To learn more about MRAA membership or to join, contact MRAA membership coordinator Hannah Muerhoff at 763-333-2420 or hannah@mraa.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit ###

MDCE 2015 Issues Calls For Presentations

Organizers of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo are seeking educational session proposals from potential speakers for the 2015 MDCE, which will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The deadline to submit a proposal is Mar. 13.

Presentations should be directed at an audience of marine dealership professionals, from dealership principals and general managers to employees and managers of such departments as sales, marketing, service, parts, accessories, finance and insurance, boat rentals/clubs, and marina operations.

MDCE organizers are looking for presentations on advanced, intermediate and fundamental business topics. The information to be presented should be timely, informative and educational, offering concrete takeaways the audience can bring back to their business to accelerate future success.

If you have an idea for an educational seminar that would make a meaningful contribution to MDCE 2015 and the presentation skills to entertain and engage our audience, we want to hear from you! To submit a presentation proposal, please visit https://mraa.com/?page=MDCE_Presentations and fill out the form.

For additional information, contact Liz Walz at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com.

The 2015 MDCE will offer two full days of Educational Tracks, in addition to a half-day of Pre-Conference Workshops and two keynotes. The conference has traditionally included three Educational Tracks, but last year it expanded to four: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also was added in 2014 and will likewise conclude the 2015 event.

In 2014, MDCE attracted more than 580 dealers, 40 percent of which attended for the very first time. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. Total MDCE 2014 attendance, including exhibitors, topped more than 1,100 marine industry professionals. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing keynote presentations, and the all-new Learning Labs. It will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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Digital Marketing Master Series Returns for a Second Year

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and ARI Network Services, Inc. (ARI) have extended their partnership for a second consecutive year to offer MRAA members eight more complimentary, educational webinars on digital marketing throughout 2015.

The Digital Marketing Master Series is designed to deliver a clear ROI for MRAA members’ digital marketing efforts and demystify today’s technology tools to help marine retailers sell more boats. MRAA’s retail members have exclusive access to these interactive educational opportunities.

“ARI is thrilled to provide this valuable resource to MRAA members for a second year,” says Bob McCann, ARI director of education. “The Digital Marketing Master Series gives MRAA’s dealer members the tools and knowledge they need to maximize the impact of their digital marketing initiatives to drive more sales online and in-store.”

In 2014, MRAA and ARI produced a series of eight educational webinars aimed at helping dealers develop best practices to implement at their respective places of business. Topics ranged from ways to increase boat show sales and maximize post-sale profits, to improving search engine optimization, setting an effective marketing strategy, and nurturing lead management.

ARI and MRAA have agreed to produce eight more webinars in 2015. The first installment in the 2015 Digital Marketing Master Series was held Jan. 28. “Ask the Digital Marine Marketing Experts” gave attendees the opportunity to participate in a Q&A-type session with a panel of experts and leading dealers. Webinar attendees were asked to submit questions about their digital marketing challenges to panelists in advance, and during the webinar panelists shared insight into how dealers can engage with customers and prospects across all of their online channels to drive more traffic online and in-store.

The Jan. 28 webinar concept was so successful that plans are underway to offer three more question-and-answer sessions this year.

“The ‘Ask the Expert’ format of January’s webinar contributed to one of our best episodes yet,” says Liz Walz, MRAA vice president. “We had great participation from dealers, and attendees seemed to get real value out of being able to pick the brains of the industry’s leading marketing experts.”

The next webinar in the Digital Marketing Master Series will be held Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 11:30 a.m. ET and is entitled “Selling on eBay and Craigslist.” MRAA and ARI’s Phil Stepp will help dealers learn how and why they should take advantage of listing new and used boats and engines on third-party listing services.

Access to the Digital Marketing Master Series webinars is an exclusive benefit of MRAA membership and is free for all MRAA Retail Members. Access to webinar registration and previously recorded sessions are available on MRAA.com/DigitalMarketing. Members will be required to log in with their username and password.

To learn more about MRAA membership or to join, contact MRAA membership coordinator Hannah Muerhoff at 763-333-2420 or hannah@mraa.com.

About ARI
ARI Network Services, Inc. (ARI) (NASDAQ: ARIS) offers an award-winning suite of data-driven software tools and marketing services to help dealers, equipmentmanufacturers and distributors in selected vertical markets Sell More Stuff!™— online and in-store. Our innovative products are powered by a proprietary data repository of enriched original equipment and aftermarket electronic content spanning more than 17 million active part and accessory SKUs and 750,000 equipment models.Business is complicated, but we believe our customers’ technology tools don’t have to be. Weremove the complexity of selling and servicing new and used vehicle inventory, parts, garments and accessories (PG&A) for customers in the automotive tire and wheel aftermarket, powersports, outdoor power equipment, marine, home medical equipment, recreational vehicles, and appliance industries. More than 23,500 equipment dealers, 195 distributors and 3,360 brands worldwide leverage our web and eCatalog platforms to Sell More Stuff!™ For more information, visit investor.arinet.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit

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Member Spotlight: Aric Chaltry

Aric Chaltry started his marine industry career in high school, cutting grass at Nestegg Marine. Shortly after graduating from Northern Michigan University, he spent summers building new docks and working in the service department. Over the last few years, Chaltry took courses through Mercury Marine, Raymarine and Lowrance. And in November 2013 he was awarded the Duane Spader Development Scholarship from MRAA, currently serving as Nestegg’s parts specialist. Chaltry dishes with us about his rise in the ranks, taste in music, and his goals for the future.

Q: What is your current role at Nestegg Marine?
Chaltry: I am currently a parts specialist at our marine ship store. 

Q: How did you get started at Nestegg?
Chaltry: In 1999, I was hired to cut grass, pump gas, work the docks, wax/clean boats, and paint bottoms. I continued learning other portions of our business by working with the service, sales, management, and parts department team.

Q: You won the Duane Spader Development Scholarship in 2013. What was that like? How is the education program going thus far?
Chaltry: It was an incredible and fortunate feeling to be selected as the recipient of that scholarship. The training is extremely insightful and has had an impact on the culture of our business. 

Q: Do you have any advice for students currently in marine technician schools?  
Chaltry: A marine technician’s job is unique, as every job is different. Be prepared for the challenges, and you will be rewarded.

Q: What are your 5- to 10- year business goals?

Chaltry: We are currently at a critical path in our business. We have somewhat plateaued. Nestegg is looking to expand its boat storage facilities and hire additional technicians. We also need to begin finding new faces for those people retiring in the next five years. Additionally, we need to continue additional capital improvements of our facilities.

Q: Let’s Get real… 

  • What do you do when you’re not working? Hunting, fishing, Packers, Badgers, Brewers, and weight training is my therapy.
  • What would be some songs we would hear on your iPod? Disturbed, P.O.D., Godsmack, Metallica, Mudvayne, Linkin Park, Eminem, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, AC/DC, Van Halen.
  • What’s your “dream boat” to own? A Hatteras GT63. 
  • What’s your favorite water sport? Fishing and duck hunting.
  • Any other fun/interesting facts you’d to share? I like to tuck my bow in on any island on Green Bay so I can disconnect myself from the world. It’s great just to hear the waves and smell the breeze. Wisconsin’s Spotted Cow, a pair of shades and some guac and chips make it a bonus! 

Organizers Launch MDCE 2015 Survey

Organizers of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo have begun planning for the 2015 educational agenda, including some new features that will allow attendees to further customize the event to meet their unique interests and needs.

Each year, the process of building the MDCE educational lineup begins with a thorough review of the session evaluations from the prior year, as well as post-event CSI surveys and feedback from attendees and the dealer-led MRAA Education Committee.

Then, organizers create an event survey designed to identify the topics most relevant to and desired by the dealer community. Those results are paired with speaker research and input from MDCE’s annual Call for Presentations to develop a fresh and impactful educational lineup.

“Each and every educational session and experience at MDCE is crafted to deliver real results for our attendees,” says Liz Walz, vice president of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “The survey ensures that MDCE evolves alongside our attendees, addressing their changing needs.”

With educational tracks devoted to sales, marketing, leadership and service, MDCE serves the entire marine retail community, from dealerships and ship’s stores to boatyards and marinas. All are encouraged to take just three minutes to complete the Pre-MDCE 2015 Attendee Survey this week.

“No two marine retailers are alike,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “That’s why participation in the survey is so important to us. Our goal is to move the needle in a meaningful way for every single MDCE attendee.”

Here is a link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FL52ZPQ.

The 2015 MDCE will offer two full days of Educational Tracks, in addition to a half-day of Pre-Conference Workshops and two keynotes. The conference has traditionally included three Educational Tracks, but last year it expanded to four. A Closing Keynote address also was added in 2014 and will likewise conclude the 2015 event.

The 2015 MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. In 2014, MDCE attracted more than 580 dealers, 40 percent of which attended for the first time. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing keynote presentations, and the all-new Learning Labs. It will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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Dealers: Get Your Prescription for Profits at MDCE 2015

When it comes to diagnosing the overall health and well being of a dealership, there’s no better doctor than the dealership principal; and there’s no more potent salve to improve a marine retailer’s business operations than continuing education. The 2015 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is being designed to help dealers get fit and stay energized by providing them with the strategies, resources and tools necessary to help them run healthier, more profitable businesses in the coming year and beyond.

The theme of this year’s MDCE, “Profit Rx,” was established to demonstrate that this year’s event will share ways that dealers can drill down into critical areas of their business to help them strengthen and revitalize their respective retail operations. MDCE 2015 will feature experts in leadership, sales, marketing, service, finance and insurance, and parts and accessories whose intent it is to help dealers unpack the secrets to running a healthy business, based on the topics dealers feel are most critical.

MDCE 2015 takes place Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

“MDCE is an event built by dealers, for dealers, and that’s a tradition we plan to continue in 2015 and beyond,” explains Liz Walz, vice president of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “This year, we’re asking dealers to put forth their own ideas and suggestions regarding the areas they feel they need the most help in their businesses, and we will custom-tailor MDCE 2015 content around their preferences.”

Following conclusion of the Closing Keynote address during the 2014 event, MDCE staff solicited dealers to submit the topics they’d most like to see addressed in the Educational Tracks and Pre-Conference Workshops at the 2015 event. Hundreds of suggestions were collected.

The actual number and content of Educational Tracks and Pre-Conference Workshops is still being determined, but for the first time ever, MDCE 2015 will feature Learning Labs, where attendees can participate in “health screenings” to explore how well various areas of their business are performing and identify strategies for continuous improvement.

“The idea behind ‘Profit Rx’ is to give dealers an opportunity to share with MDCE organizers what they feel are the topics and ideas that will be most beneficial to cover for their businesses, and have us structure the conference around those specific wants and needs,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “We’re asking dealers to help write their own prescriptions for continued success.”

The 2015 MDCE will offer two full days of Educational Tracks, in addition to a half-day of Pre-Conference Workshops and two keynotes. The conference has traditionally included three Educational Tracks, but last year it expanded to four: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also was added in 2014 and will likewise conclude the 2015 event.

The 2015 MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. In 2014, MDCE attracted more than 580 dealers, 40 percent of which attended for the very first time. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing keynote presentations, and the all-new Learning Labs. It will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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How Can I Use the MRAA Career Center to Find Qualified Help at My Certified Dealership?

Good help is hard to find. As a Certified Dealer, you want to ensure you hire the best, most skilled and technologically advanced people to work inside your dealership. But where do you find them? You can use the more traditional methods of advertising open positions on popular job-seeking websites, but these aren’t specifically aimed at the marine industry. The good news is that now, there is a dedicated place. It’s called the MRAA Rewards Career Center, and it exists to connect marine retail businesses in need of help locating qualified employees with job seekers looking for positions in the marine industry.

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, in partnership with the American Boat & Yacht Council, announced the career center launch during the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo last November.

Found at MRAA.com/CareerCenter, this new resource provides Certified Dealerships with the opportunity post job openings and find a number of tools to help them do a better job of hiring and managing employees. Simultaneously, it allows job seekers to look through open positions and post resumes to the resume bank, directly seeking out your dealership.

The MRAA Rewards Career Center currently includes a link for employers to post jobs and view resumes; connect with marine schools that are educating future industry employees; and a database of job descriptions that MRAA member-Certified Dealers can tap into and use for their own operations. It also includes links that enable job seekers to view job postings and find resources that will help them do a better job of presenting themselves to potential employers.

MRAA has plans to eventually build out the tools and resources available through the career center to offer employers more opportunities to find success with hiring and managing employees. The job listings and resume bank will remain the focal point of the career center as MRAA ramps up and around those tools.

Eventually, the career center will offer HR-related training opportunities, insight into career paths and salary expectations, as well as to partner with other workforce development options to give our industry more options for qualified employees.

The career center is an excellent means for your Certified Dealership to find the qualified sales, office, service, and marina staff it needs to be among the marine retailing elite.

Member Spotlight: Steve Baum

Steve Baum got his start in the marine industry in 1981, as a barnacle scraper at Fort Lauderdale’s Cable Marine. From barnacle boy, Steve worked his way up the ranks, eventually becoming president and CEO of Boat Owners Warehouse, a Cable company. He’s also served on the MRAA Board of Directors for a whopping 17 years, spending the last two as chairman. We recently had the opportunity to talk to Steve about how the boat biz, pizza and his New Years resolution.

Q: How did you get started in the marine industry?

Baum: I got my start in the marine industry in 1981. I’d just finished high school in Cleveland, Ohio in June 1980, and on a whim I decided to move to Fort Lauderdale in December of that year. It was a fairly easy decision; it was winter in Cleveland; and it was Spring Break for six weeks a year in Fort Lauderdale. I arrived on a Friday, and had a good time that first weekend on the beach. Monday morning I went looking for a job, and the first place I visited was Cable Marine, a full-service boatyard. They hired me on the spot, as a barnacle scraper and bottom painter. When I started in the industry, I literally didn’t know port from starboard. I spent the next six years working on boat bottoms and at the same time learning all about them and how to fix them. I also was attending college classes at night to learn about business. Elmer Strauss, George Cable and Joe LaFauci founded Cable Marine in 1978, and once they found out I was going to school at night they offered to pay for the classes, which was a huge help. Once I finished school, they promoted me to manage the parts department at the boatyard, which I did for a couple of years. Elmer, George and Joe also had started a separate company called DS Hull Company Inc. in 1979 as a distributor of large ticket items for boats; things like stabilizers, water makers and refrigeration units. In 1985, they started Boat Owners Warehouse, a retail boat supply store. In 1989, they asked if I would like to move from Cable Marine over to DS Hull Co Inc./Boat Owners Warehouse as the general manager, an opportunity I jumped at. I’ve spent the last 25 years building and refining our wholesale/retail model for aftermarket distribution and sales of marine parts and accessories. In 1995, Elmer, George and Joe approached me about becoming a shareholder in DS Hull Company and becoming partners with some of their children who were working in the business, as part of their estate planning and transitioning to the next generation. And that brings me to today. I’m now partners with Terri Strauss (Elmer’s daughter) and Paul LaFauci (Joe’s son), and the three of us operate three Boat Owners Warehouse stores located throughout South Florida; D.S. Hull Company Inc., a full-line marine distributor for 350 manufacturers; and Yacht Equipment & Parts Inc., a servicing dealer for warranty, repairs and installation on all the big equipment that we sell. I currently serve as president/CEO of the three companies.

Q: You’re currently serving as MRAA’s immediate past chairman. What’s it been like serving on the MRAA Board of Directors?

Baum: I’ve enjoyed every minute serving as chairman of MRAA these last two years. I got involved with the board 17 years ago when there was a Marine Accessories Committee formed as a joint venture between NMMA, MRAA, NMDA and the NMRA. That committee has since been dissolved, but I really liked working with all the other dealers and learning from them. There’s such a vast and deep array of marine retailing knowledge associated with the members of the board that you can’t help but learn every time you’re around them. I’ve served on the board for 16 years and have two more to go as immediate past chairman, then it will be someone else’s turn. I’ll miss the meetings, but I’ll still see everyone at MDCE each year. I’ve been involved with the board through some great times, as well as some very trying times, but I will say this: I feel like I’ve left the association in the best position that it’s ever been. I give all of the credit for this to Matt, Liz and the amazing staff that they’ve built. I was just glad to be there with the rest of the board to help guide them. I’d say that at the top of the list of accomplishments for MRAA is the development of the YLAC. This initiative was started prior to my chairmanship, but I think it represents the future of the association, as well as the entire industry, and I look forward to watching it grow. We have some amazing talent that’s come out of that committee, as well as some amazing people.

Q: With younger boating industry professionals beginning to step up, what kind of advice can you offer them?

Baum: My advice to anyone coming into the industry today would be to make sure you love what you do, because if you do it right, you’ll be doing it for a very long time. I’ve loved every day that I’ve worked in this industry, and I look forward to learning something new from it every day. Even as an 18-year-old barnacle scraper/bottom painter, I loved coming to work, working outside in the fresh air on other peoples’ toys… it was amazing. And back then, I needed to learn everything about this industry, so there were new challenges every day. Some of our customers have some really cool toys, and we’ve done work on some of the most amazing boats in the world. The advances in technology that have occurred in our industry over the last 34 years are incredible. I started in this industry nearly three and a half decades ago, and it really seems like only yesterday.


Q: Time to get real. What are five things most people don’t know about you?

Baum: (1) My favorite color is orange; not sure what that says about me. (2) My favorite food is pizza – from Geraci’s in University Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Even after 34 years in Florida I haven’t found any better. I worked there for about a year when I was 14. (3) I’m still a Cleveland Browns fan, although I think the last time they were in the playoffs I still lived there. (4) I love to scuba dive, even though I don’t do it as much as I would like. (5) I wear shorts to work most days, one of the many advantages of working in the marine industry. I couldn’t wear a suit and tie every day, although I do put on long pants when I meet with bankers.

Q: What’s your number-one business resolution for 2015?

Baum: My business resolution for 2015 is the same as it is every year: Stay focused on yourself, not the other guy. Keep it simple. Our customer is the only reason we exist. The thing that makes us unique is the experience that we offer our customers.