MRAA Opposes the Boat Occupancy and Teaching Act

Reacting to a recent boating accident in New York, Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) introduced H.R. 4642, the Boat Occupancy and Teaching Act, May 20. There are no co-sponsors and no action is currently being considered. The bill has been referred to three House committees: Transportation, Ways and Means and Natural Resources.

H.R. 4642 would require the U.S. Coast Guard to establish the maximum passenger capacity (in pounds and number of persons) for recreational boats between 20 feet and 45 feet LOA. The placard displaying this information must be posted within 180 days of the bill’s passage in an area of the boat that’s clearly visible to boarding passengers and also on the flying bridge of the vessel.

In addition, the bill also would allow a state to enter into a contract with a local government or private entity to provide recreational boating safety education and would require a state to spend no less than 5 percent of the federal amounts it receives from the Sport Fish and Boating Fund.

MRAA opposes this bill.

Boating Industry Disappointed in Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Progress

On May 29, the House Committee on Natural Resources marked up H.R. 4742, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, with a vote of 24 (yes) to 17 (no). The bill was ordered for report to the full House of Representatives for a floor vote, which has not yet been scheduled.

This bill re-authorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Act that provides the fundamental framework for our nation’s fisheries management. The last re-authorization was in 2006, and it actually expired in September 2013.

Magnuson-Stevens was written to control commercial fishing by extending the legal boundary of the United States to 200 miles for fisheries management and setting catch limits. The act has not addressed recreational fishing issues, and many in the boating industry, including the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, had told Congress about the need for a national recreational fishing policy. MRAA and industry supporters asked that Magnuson-Stevens be amended to include recreational fishing; however, H.R. 4742 failed to address the concerns of recreational fishing.

The bill did address a concern that the last re-authorization has caused economic hardship to some local communities and that a level of flexibility needs to written into the law. In some areas of the country, fishing communities are struggling. For example, a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated ground fish revenues fell in 2012 in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island to as much as a four-year low. The bill hopes to address this concern by using a more science-based timeframe for fish stock restoration. These allocations for commercial and recreational fisheries are sometimes decades old and do not reflect current social, economic and environmental conditions.

“Because commercial and recreational fisheries are very different activities with dissimilar harvest, Congress must recognize that each require different management approaches,” says MRAA president Matt Gruhn. “MRAA will continue to work for the establishment of a recreational fisheries management policy.”

President Signs WRRDA Into Law

Today, President Obama signed H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Research and Development Act, into law. The WRRDA conference report was originally presented to the President for signature June 3. President Obama had 10 days to sign or veto the act, and on Tuesday, June 10 he officially signed WRRDA into law.

After months of negotiating, a House-Senate conference committee released the final WRRDA language last Tuesday, June 3. The bill passed the House of Representatives May 20 with a vote of 412 to 4 and the Senate May 22 with a vote of 91 to 7.

The sticking point in WRRDA negotiations was an amendment sponsored by Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) and passed in the House that would block the Army Corps of Engineers from implementing the National Ocean Policy by restricting funding for Corps projects connected to the policy. The policy promotes ocean and coastal planning, and the WRRDA conference report had dropped the Flores amendment.

In addition, WRRDA includes language sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to develop a new Corps program focused on ocean and coastal resiliency, where the Corps must work with state governments, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders to study the feasibility of projects aimed at enhancing ocean and coastal ecosystem resilience.

Passage of WRRDA is important to marine retailers and marina operators because it provides funding for important dredging projects, including harbor and channel dredging. For anglers and boaters, water access is one the most important challenges facing our industry today.

Pre-Conference Workshops Return to 2014 MDCE

After a successful launch in 2013, organizers of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo will bring back its Pre-Conference Workshops for the 2014 event, scheduled for Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla. The workshops give marine retailers access to hands-on training with leading experts in areas that have the biggest impact on their future success.

The 2014 MDCE will feature seven Pre-Conference Workshops, scheduled for the morning of Monday, Nov. 17. Attendees have the option to take in either a single, three-hour workshop or up to two, one-and-a-half-hour workshops.

“Attendance at last year’s workshops exceeded our expectations,” says Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “Many rooms were chock full of attendees, and we expect some will sell out this year. The Pre-Conference Workshops offer value MDCE attendees won’t find in the individual educational track sessions. Attendees are led down the path of building new processes, plans and strategies that translate into real results when they are implemented back at the dealership.”

In 2014, workshop topics will include leadership, sales, marketing, social media, succession planning, video production and editing, and the service department. Each workshop will feature takeaways (job descriptions, workbooks/guidebooks, report cards, tip sheets, etc.) to help attendees implement what they learned in the pre-conference sessions without delay upon returning to their respective dealerships.

“The Pre-Conference Workshops are unique in that these are small-group sessions, designed to encourage maximum participation between attendees and speakers in a hands-on, classroom-type setting,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “Because attendees leave each workshop with tangible worksheets and the like, it’s easy for them to incorporate what they learned into the fabric of their daily operations. The Pre-Conference Workshops are an excellent value for anyone looking to make the most out of his or her MDCE experience.”

Pre-Conference Workshop seating is limited and is available on a first come, first serve basis. A separate registration and additional fee is required to attend these workshops. MRAA members may attend each three-hour session for $135; the non-MRAA member price is $175. One-and-a-half-hour sessions are $99 for MRAA members and $129 for non-MRAA members.

The 2014 MDCE will offer 30 core educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including the workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014 the educational programming has expanded for a total of four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added for the first time this year.

The MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. In 2013, MDCE featured double-digit growth in dealer attendance, and MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees.

To learn more about the upcoming MDCE or to register for the event , 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 pre-conference workshops, opening and closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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MDCE Adds Closing Keynote address to 2014 Conference Lineup

The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo has added a Closing Keynote address to its official 2014 educational lineup in order to send attendees back to their dealerships with new strategies and inspiration. MDCE 2014 is scheduled to take place Nov. 16-19, Orlando, Fla.

Business performance expert Ryan Estis has been chosen to close out the upcoming MDCE. He is world renowned for helping companies, leaders and salespeople embrace change, accelerate growth and achieve breakthrough performance in the new economy.

“To properly close the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, we knew we would need a high-energy speaker like Ryan,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “He’ll be able to break through the weariness that follows three days of intense education, grab the audience’s attention with some incredibly useful tools and information, and then inspire them to go back to their dealerships and put what they’ve just learned to work.”

During his Closing Keynote address entitled “Lead Your Business to Breakthrough Performance,” Estis will help prepare MDCE attendees to compete for and win more business in the market. Attendees will learn about: The evolution of customer buying behavior; where to spend the most time to get the biggest impact; creating a sales culture of accountability and performance; coaching your team to maximum productivity; using technology to engage customers and shorten the sales cycle; and how to develop a plan to take immediate action. Attendees will also walk away with a 23-page e-book called “Leading Breakthrough Sales Performance: How the World’s Best Brands are Turning Customer Transformation into an Opportunity for Growth.”

Estis was recently recognized by Meetings & Conventions magazine as one of the “best keynote speakers seen or heard” alongside Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Colin Powell and Coach Mike Ditka. He works with a number of category leading brands and companies, including AT&T, Mayo Clinic, Adobe, Mastercard and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

A former chief strategy officer at McCann-Erickson Advertising, Estis is particularly skilled in the areas of sales effectiveness, leadership and the future of work. Today, he serves as the chief experience officer in his own training and development organization, Ryan Estis & Associates, based in Minneapolis.

“We are fortunate to have a speaker of Ryan’s caliber on the docket to deliver the first-ever closing keynote at the 2014 MDCE,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “It wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of the dealers who make up Boating Industry’s Top 100 Hall of Fame. They volunteered to sponsor this closing keynote, and we are incredibly grateful for their contribution to the success of the MDCE and the dealer community at large.”

The Boating Industry Top 100 Hall of Fame consists of MarineMax, Inc.; Galati Yacht Sales; Prince William Marine; and Legendary Marine. Dealers are awarded a spot in the Hall of Fame after being named the No. 1 Dealer in North America by Boating Industry for two consecutive years.

The 2014 MDCE will offer 30 core educational sessions, the most the event has ever offered, including Estis’ keynote presentation. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014 the educational programming has expanded to a total of four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus.

The MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. In 2013, MDCE featured double-digit growth in dealer attendance, and MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees.

To learn more about the upcoming MDCE or to register for the event, 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 pre-conference workshops, opening and closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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Chester Elton Named MDCE Opening Keynote Speaker

World-renowned leadership guru and New York Times best-selling author Chester Elton has been named Opening Keynote presenter at the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo in November.

Co-author of several successful leadership books including “All In,” “The Carrot Principle,” and “The Orange Revolution,” Elton is considered an expert in the field of company culture and employee engagement. His research shows that the most successful businesses deliver extraordinary results by developing a team culture in which employees believe what they do matters.

“Leadership was the number-one topic dealers asked for in our pre-MDCE surveys, and there’s no better way to demonstrate leadership skills than by establishing a strong, positive dealership culture,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “The research Chester will share during his Opening Keynote address demonstrates how big an impact such a culture can have on a business’ bottom line.”

Elton’s collection of books, which are both New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, have been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide. His work has been called a “must read for managers” by Larry King of CNN, and he earned the clever moniker “Apostle of Appreciation” by Canada’s largest newspaper, the Globe and Mail.

During Elton’s high-energy keynote presentation entitled “All In: How the Best Managers Create a Culture that Drives Big Results,” attendees will learn real-world strategies to engage, enable and energize their employees, strategies that are proven to boost revenue and profitability for businesses of any size — from mom-and-pop shops to corporate entities. Key take-aways include: Three characteristics of the world’s most profitable team cultures; seven steps today’s most successful managers use to generate employee buy-in; and how any manager can build a culture in which employees give an extra push of effort.

Elton’s message will provide keynote attendees with ways to excite and motivate their employees, which will boost employee morale and translate into a more productive workplace. His methods have been put to good use in his role as leadership consultant to firms such as American Express, Avis Budget Group and Cigna.

“Securing Chester Elton was a big win for MDCE this year,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “It’s through the generous support of exhibitors and sponsors like Smoker Craft, which has sponsored the MDCE Opening Keynote address for several years running, that we are able to enrich the attendee experience by bringing speakers of this quality and prestige to the conference.”

The 2014 MDCE will offer 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including Elton’s keynote presentation. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014 the educational programming has expanded for a total of four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added for the first time this year.

The MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. In 2013, MDCE featured double-digit growth in dealer attendance, and MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees.

To learn more about the upcoming MDCE or to register for the event , 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 pre-conference workshops, opening and closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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RBLC launches Youth Boating & Fishing Program Database

MINNEAPOLIS — The Recreational Boating Leadership Council is asking for the marine industry’s help in developing a searchable national database of Youth Boating & Fishing Programs housed on the Discover Boating website at www.discoverboating.com/youth.

“The data suggests that adults are much more likely to become avid boaters if they participated in boating as a child,” explains RBLC Youth Committee Co-Chairperson George Harris. “One way we can spur an increase in the number of children who experience boating is to raise the public’s awareness of the programs that are already in place. This is a first step toward that goal.”

All stakeholders within the recreational boating community are encouraged to share information about programs that offer kids fishing and boating opportunities, from an annual fishing tournament to a summer camp boating program or wakeboarding club.

Contributing to this industry effort only takes a moment or two using the quick and easy online form available at: www.discoverboating.com/youth/dataentry. This form collects information to help the public find a program in their area. As an alternative, stakeholders can email information about programs to george@nmta.net.

Being housed on DiscoverBoating.com, which reaches more than 2 million unique visitors per year, puts the youth database on center stage. What’s more, Discover Boating will promote the new database through its social media and public relations channels, including its Facebook with more than 690,000 fans, Twitter with more than 20,000 followers, and the inclusion within a mom blogger campaign launching this summer.

Youth is one of the priority action items identified by the Recreational Boating Leadership Council, a steering committee developed to oversee and coordinate the efforts coming out of the Industry Growth Summit. The Youth Committee is co-chaired by George Harris, Northwest Marine Trade Association, and Keith Christopher, Boy Scouts of America. Its members include Lewis Webb, National Marine Manufacturers Association; Stu Gilfillen, US Sailing; Ken Alvey, Lake Erie Marine Trades Association; Liz Walz, Marine Retailers Association of the Americas; Jonathan Burns, Yamaha Motor Corp.; Jack Gierhart, U.S. Sailing; Melissa Danko, Marine Trades Association of New Jersey; Randy Short, Almar Marinas; and Amy Collins, Boating Industry magazine.

About the Recreational Boating Leadership Council

The Recreational Boating Leadership Council is a group of leaders from across all segments of the marine industry working together to address growth challenges facing the marine industry. To achieve long-term growth, the council is focused on six priority action areas: attracting younger and more diverse participants to boating, supporting industry marketing efforts, creating stronger boating advocacy, exploring issues related to the affordability of boating and creating opportunities for growing boating through educational and outreach. For more information, visit www.rblc.org.

MRAA Adds New Benefit for Partner Members

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has added a new benefit for Partner, Premier Partner and Platinum Partner members of the association.

Those Partner Members that exhibit at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo will now receive complimentary MDCE registrations for their team members on top of the two that are included with any standard booth order.

Standard MRAA Partner members will receive one additional free conference registration (a $499 value); MRAA Premier Partner members will receive one and a half additional free conference registrations (a $748.50 value); and MRAA Platinum Partner members will receive two additional free conference registrations (a $998 value).

MRAA elected to add this new benefit as a special thank you to those manufacturers and suppliers that have demonstrated tremendous commitment to the dealer community.

“MDCE is the place for industry-leading dealers, manufacturers and suppliers to come together to learn, strengthen existing relationships, and explore new partnerships,” says Liz Walz, MRAA director of education. “This new MRAA member-only benefit is designed to show our gratitude to those manufacturers and suppliers that are supporting retailers’ growth and improvement at the highest levels. We want to help them take full advantage of the opportunities MDCE represents.”

This exculsive MRAA benefit will be provided to members as part of their MDCE Exhibit Package. Please contact Kathy Johnson at 480-988-3658 or kathy.johnson@boatingindustry.com with questions regarding exhibitor registrations, or for general information about exhibiting at MDCE.

To learn more about MDCE or to register for the event, visit MRAA.com/MDCE. For information about becoming an MRAA member, 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, and it features pre-conference workshops, opening and closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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2014 Best Practices Navigator Goes Digital

An updated version of the MICD Program’s Best Practices Navigator is now available digitally in the MICD Portal. Access the new Navigator online by clicking here.

The Navigator is a comprehensive document unavailable anywhere else in the industry and exclusive to Marine Industry Certified Dealerships. It contains hundreds of dealership best practices collected from the most successful dealerships across North America, focusing on all aspects of running a top-notch marine dealership: Sales and service processes, customer service, employee satisfaction and retention, facility upkeep, and much more.

The Navigator is one of the most valuable tools a dealership has in its stable. Best practices contained within are easily implemented at the retail level and can have an immediate positive impact on your business. Make sure you use this MICD-only resource to its full advantage!

You can access the Best Practices Navigator through the MICD Portal.

Website Success Story: FastBoats Marine Group

A website is the public face of your business. Often it is the first thing people see when they do research on your company. If someone wants to know who you are and what you’re about, they reach for their computer, smartphone or tablet — making a strong web presence more important in today’s business climate than ever before.

As the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” and one company that does not disappoint with its web content is FastBoats Marine Group of Pompano Beach, Fla., fastboats.com.

Managing partner Kim Sweers, who owns the business along with her husband, Randy, and is a 20-year veteran of the marine industry, says a lot of attention is paid to maintaining the site and keeping it fresh and up to date. The site’s landing page is changed monthly, and the dealership’s business manager makes it a priority once a month to evaluate the site in its entirety, ensuring all links are active and content is relevant and valid. Kim also says that every three years, the site is completely redesigned with a new, revamped look.

Aside from its rich and engaging content, which includes current inventory, photo and video gallery, and an entire “Community Involvement” section that highlights all the charity work FastBoats and the Sweers do throughout South Florida and beyond, the site boasts some unique features. For example, a “Concierge” tab encourages customers to alert FastBoats staff via e-mail if they’re planning to use their boat so that, upon request, the dealership can top it off with fuel, stock the fridge with provisions, detail the boat, or perform any necessary service work before the customer plans to head out of the slip.

“No one wants to come into town and not have their boat ready,” Kim explains. And it’s never hard to reach anybody at FastBoats. Not only does the company include sales and after-hours phone numbers on each and every web page, but an extensive “Team FastBoats” page lists the name, contact information and photo of all staff members, making it easy for visitors to find the individual they want/need and contact that person directly. This type of personal interaction is key to making a connection with current and potential customers.

Equally as important is the overall impression a website makes on its visitors. Traditionally thought of as just a high-performance boat dealership, FastBoats is oh-so much more than that, and Kim Sweers says the design and content of the company’s website has convinced people of this fact.

“Our site has helped change peoples’ perception of us,” says Kim. She explains that from the website’s content, visitors can see that while go-fast boats are how the dealership made its name, FastBoats is involved in all aspects of boating besides the high-performance market, everything from fishing to knot-tying.

The FastBoats website is well designed, easy to navigate and includes engaging content that defines what the dealership is and how dealership personnel interact with customers. It’s a great example of how to put your best foot forward on the internet and make a lasting impression.

Check out the FastBoats website for yourself by clicking here.