NMDA renews its support of MDCE

ORLANDO, Fla. – The National Marine Distributors Association (NMDA) has signed on to provide Educational Funding Support for the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo for the second year in a row.

“It’s no coincidence that the MDCE educational content received the highest ratings in the history of the event in 2012, which was the first year NMDA pledged its support,” says Liz Walz, Director of Membership & Education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which co-produces the event annually with Boating Industry magazine. “Thanks to another year of support from NMDA, we made substantial additional investments in MDCE’s education, which will allow dealers to take away more from this conference to improve and grow their businesses than ever before.”

In 2012, the NMDA contribution allowed MDCE organizers to take the educational content to a new level, resulting in record levels of attendee satisfaction and loyalty. Heading into the 2013 event, NMDA’s support helped organizers offer nearly 30 educational sessions from the most powerful speaker line-up yet.

“The National Marine Distributors Association believes in the power of education to drive industry growth and improvement,” says Nancy Cueroni, NMDA Executive Director. “Our members are committed to supporting the success of the marine dealer community, and the NMDA’s sponsorship of the MDCE Educational Program is one of many ways we demonstrate that commitment.”

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 features an in-depth line-up 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 the MRAA and Boating Industry, and it offers pre-conference workshops, a keynote presentation, three tracks of educational content, and nearly 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 17-20 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.mraa.com/event/MDCE.

About the National Marine Distributors Association

NMDA is the leading trade association for U.S. and Canadian marine products distributors. Members include major distributors, many leading product manufacturers and manufacturer’s representatives. For more information, visit www.nmdaonline.com or call 860-767-7898.

Marine Sales Welcomes Kentuckiana Yacht Sales to its Family

Marine Sales is proud to announce that it has acquired a new 10,000 square-foot showroom dealership in western Kentucky.

The dealership, Kentuckiana Yacht Sales, is located at 5888 Hwy 641 North in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, 3 miles south of Kentucky Lake Dam.

“We are excited to be expanding our sales operations into the Kentucky Lake area,” says Ron Martin, Marine Sales of Pickwick General Manager. “With this new location, we have the opportunity to utilize our skills to create a premier boat sales facility servicing the Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley Communities.”

Marine Sales projects huge improvements once its two locations combine its inventory, management, marine technicians, marketing, and infrastructure. Marine Sales management team will also be strengthened with the addition Ken Toby who will run the operations in Kentucky.

“The Western Kentucky Lake Region for years has been a target area of expansion for our company.” stated Mike Tutor, Dealer Principal of Marine Sales, LLC. “The Land Between the Lakes community represents an area that has a deep appreciation for lake recreation and boating. We believe this acquisition, along with its great team and loyal customer following, combined with the integration of our other product offerings, will help us expand and improve upon our ability to deliver the highest caliber of service Marine Sales is known for in this great boating community.”

An official grand opening for Marine Sales Kentucky location will be held in the spring 2014, after the dealership completes its full training and certification processes.

“Like at the Pickwick location, we want the Kentucky location to be dedicated to creating lasting family memories that start with an honest enjoyable sales experience.” says Ken Toby, newly assigned General Manager of Kentucky. “As we transition into the new ownership, our main focus will be to learn and live by best practices and standards set by Marine Sales of Pickwick. We will hold ourselves accountable to promote extra-ordinary customer service and integrity, as well as work hard to match customers with the best products to suit their boating lifestyle.“

EPA Finalizes 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)

In August the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the 2013 annual percentage standards for the RFS program for biofuel, biomass based diesel, biofuels and renewable fuels. These standards will apply to all gasoline and diesel produced or imported in 2013. The EPA also provided more lead time to obligated parties to demonstrate compliance with the 2013 standards by extending the compliance deadline from February 2014 to June 30, 2014. The EPA recognized there are constraints in the market’s ability to consume renewable fuels at the volumes specified in the Clean Air Act in future years. The EPA anticipates making adjustments to the 2014 volume requirements to address market conditions.

The EPA recognized ethanol will likely continue to predominate the renewable fuel pool in the near future, and that for 2014 the ability of the market to consume ethanol in higher blends such as E15 is highly constrained as a result of infrastructure and market-related factors. The EPA said it does not foresee the market consuming enough ethanol sold in blends greater than E10 to meet the volumes of total renewable fuel required by federal law in 2014.

The EPA expects to adjust the 2014 volume requirements by estimating the available supply of biofuels and assess the ethanol blendwall and propose new volume requirements. However, the EPA has denied requests for reconsideration of the 2013 diesel standard. According to federal law, 16.55 billion gallons of ethanol blend gasoline with a 9.74% standard need to be consumed in 2013 to meet the renewable fuels standard.

MRAA strongly supports repeal of the renewable fuels standard and continued testing of the mechanical effects of higher ethanol blends on marine engines.

Ethanol Update

MRAA attended a meeting last week organized by the Ethanol Coalition. The overall feeling was that Congress itself has done little legislative work. However, the coalition felt Congress is still on schedule for hearings and perhaps reform/repeal legislation in October, which is the original goal.

A press gathering was held in San Francisco in August with the Ad agency managing the coalition getting good camera footage. The press briefing was well attended with the Recreational Boaters Association of California representing boating at the press event. In addition, one ranch/farming group met with California Member District offices during the recess. Rep Waxman (D-California) is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is key to Democratic support. The report is that some Members are supportive and others had no expressed interest.

A “Dear Colleague” letter is being organized in the House. The Coalition is hoping for more than 154 signatures, which were on last year’s letter.

The Ad agency said the two big issues they have heard are engine damage and voided warranties.

The Coalition believes it is time to target the Energy and Commerce Committee with letters asking for support of repeal/reform of the RFS (renewable fuel standard).

The Coalition agreed to look into meeting more often, perhaps beginning with a face-to-face meeting in Washington D.C. for the week starting 9/9/2013.

The MRAA is working hard in opposition of an increase in Ethanol Blend Level.

Update on Second Home Mortgage Interest Deduction

Members of the House and Senate tax-writing committees are putting together legislative drafts that may determine the fate of one of our most prized tax benefits, the second home mortgage interest deduction. In addition other key tax deductions, such as, property tax write offs and capital gains exclusions are on the table for elimination too.

Committee chairs have promised tax reform and have been evaluating deductions, credits, and loopholes in terms of revenue cuts and economic benefits, which includes both primary and secondary home mortgage interest deductions.

On the Senate-side of Congress, Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Montana) asked other Senators in both parties to submit recommendations on which tax preferences should be preserved starting from an assumption that all current benefits (deductions) would be eliminated. His approach is the most serious effort to simplify federal tax law since the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

To keep the negotiations under a political cover, the Senate Finance Committee has placed all recommendations under a 50-year top secret classification and has restricted access to just 10-staff.

On the House-side, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Michigan) instructed committee staff to move ahead with drafts during the recess. which would allow the committee to consider a tax reform bill in October.

So what is really on the chopping block?

The House bill being drafted seeks to reduce individual and corporate marginal tax rates. It would clear out deductions enough to lower the maximum individual tax rate to 25% down from the current 39.6% The alternate minimum tax would be eliminated and corporate tax rates would be reduced.

The problem is that lowering the tax rates would cost trillions of dollars in lost revenues over the coming decade and would only be partially paid for by eliminating or cutting tax deductions. The deficit could possibly soar. In addition, the mortgage interest and property tax deductions are so engrained in our economy that eliminating them or significantly reducing them would shock the national economy, especially the boating economy. Think tanks in DC are predicting we would loose about one million jobs just due to elimination of the mortgage and property tax deductions.

These findings lead some DC Hill insiders to predict that neither the House nor Senate can afford to make the decision to support this kind of tax reform. As a result even though staff are putting together a major tax reform package and Committee chairs have indicated a willingness to consider a bill, the politics are far too great for either Chamber to pass anything.

I hope this brings you up to date on what is happening on the tax reform issue and the threat to the second home mortgage interest deduction.

I think the time is right for our industry to contact Members of Congress in support of the second home mortgage interest deduction.

The MRAA has always sought to protect the interest deduction for boats qualifying as second home. We will continue to watch this issue closely.

Applications sought for Kevin Lodder Scholarship


MINNEAPOLIS — The MRAA Educational Foundation is seeking applicants for the 2013 Kevin Lodder Scholarship. The Kevin Lodder Scholarship Fund, which was founded in memory of Kevin Lodder of Lodder’s Marine in Fairfield, Ohio, provides a full scholarship to attend a week-long Spader Business Management Total Management 1 Workshop to an employee of a Marine Retailers Association of the Americas retail member.

The Total Management Workshop details skills that will increase profits, stability and growth for the dealership. Attendees will leave the workshop with a clear set of principles, processes and tools to take their company to new levels of performance and profitability.

They will leave knowing:

· How to make faster, better decisions based on proven principles and ratios for business management;

· How to achieve a highly profitable and adaptable business by effectively structuring a right-sized operation;

· How to achieve excellent margins and competitive pricing;

· How to create simplified score-keeping with a profit plan that connects the financial goals of the company, each department, and individual employees;

· How to achieve rational inventory planning, higher margins, lower risk, more robust adaptability;

· How to improve employee and customer communication, improve attitudes, and reduce conflict by mastering the four basic human styles.

“The workshop provides simple and straight forward concepts to help analyze the performance of your dealership,” says Travis Hayes, Hayes Marine, the 2012 recipient of the Kevin Lodder Scholarship. “Coupled with Spader’s decades of data and metrics, we could break down our business to the smallest department and then allocate costs and labor to find our true profit centers in the business. It didn’t stop there: Spader provided examples of how to correct the problem areas, tools to complete our own analysis and to help our employees understand where Hayes Marine needed to focus, and strategies to help hold our employees accountable.”

Any employee of an MRAA dealership member is eligible to apply for the Kevin Lodder Scholarship, which is valued at nearly $3,800. The scholarship includes the registration fee for the workshop ($2,995) and a travel allowance of $800. The 2013 recipient will be announced at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, Orlando, Fla., Nov. 17–20, 2013.

For more information and to apply, visit the Kevin Lodder Scholarship web page: www.mraa.com/?page=Kevin_Lodder_Scholar. The deadline for applications is Sept. 25, 2013. Please contact Liz Walz with any questions at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com.

About MRAA Educational Foundation

As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information, visit About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, 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. The 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

My-Villages Named Partner Member


MINNEAPOLIS — My-Villages, a web and mobile technology company and developer of The Boat Village, has been named a Partner Member of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas.

“My-Villages and the MRAA have a lot in common,” says My-Villages Founder and CEO Kevin Hutchinson. “We both have a passion for providing resources, tools and education that allow marine businesses to develop stronger relationships with their customers and offer a better boat ownership experience.”

My-Villages is the developer of The Boat Village – a new web and mobile-based technology that allows boat owners and marine industry professionals to improve how they connect, communicate and collaborate. Any boat owner or marine business can create a free account and profile on The Boat Village, and users of the premium and professional service, for boat owners and service providers, respectively, have access to automated maintenance reminders and collaboration tools designed to make record keeping, service coordination and communication as hassle-free as possible. Ultimately, the company aims to improve how boats are operated and maintained, thus improving the boat ownership experience.

“MRAA greatly appreciates the support of My-Villages,” says Matt Gruhn, President of the MRAA. “We celebrate opportunities for improved communication and collaboration between boaters and the marine industry, especially when it leads to a better customer experience.”

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, 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. The 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 My-Villages

Founded in 2011, My-Villages is dedicated to helping consumers better manage and operate the things they own. The company improves communication and coordination between product owners, manufacturers and industry service professionals, using mobile technology to simplify life for consumers and help businesses engage customers more effectively. For more information, visit www.theboatvillage.com.

MDCE Dealer Registrations up 31 percent

MINNEAPOLIS – Dealer registrations for the 2013 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo are up 31.7 percent over the same time last year, which represents a new record for the event.

More than 270 dealers have registered so far for the MDCE — up from 205 last year on this date — with nearly three weeks to go until the early-bird registration rate expires, and more than two-and-a-half months until the event begins. The early-bird rate saves registrants $50 off of the regular registration rate, and the event typically sees an increase in registrations in the two weeks leading up to the deadline.

See who is registered here: www.mraa.com/events/RSVPlist.aspx?id=208006

“We’re thrilled to see such an incredible response to this year’s MDCE,” says Liz Walz, Director of Membership & Education. “We’ve invested more than ever before in the educational program, as well as the resources and tools we’re providing attendees, and it’s rewarding to see that dealers are responding positively to the educational experience we have created for them.”

The MDCE offers nearly 30 educational sessions, broken down into three tracks, a series of pre-conference workshops and several special presentations, to help dealers gather ideas and best practices for growing and improving their businesses. The workshops are a new introduction for the 2013 MDCE, and the total number of educational sessions is up from just 20 in 2012.

Learn more at the MDCE Video Channel: www.mraa.com/?page=MDCE_Video_Channel

“We’ve been saying all year that if you’ve ever thought about coming to the MDCE to see what it’s all about, this is definitely the year to do it,” says Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief of Boating Industry. “From the opening keynote all the way through the event, there is no doubt that this is the best MDCE educational agenda every assembled.”

Last year, the MDCE attracted more than 1,000 industry professionals, and this year, more than 400 have already registered. The excitement over this year’s event has been created by the additional sessions, in addition to the signing of world-renowned sales and leadership expert Jeffrey Gitomer as the keynote speaker. The addition of authors and speakers like John Spence and David Avrin, as well as a number of industry-specific experts, has bolstered the educational line-up like never before.

For those dealers that want to dig even deeper into the factors that will most impact their businesses in the year ahead, the newly added MDCE Pre-Conference Workshops, to be held Monday, Nov. 18th, will enable them to construct a plan in areas like dealership management, boat show sales, service menus, search engine marketing, and the customer experience. Over the following days, individual sessions in the MDCE’s three educational tracks will help attendees enhance their plans for 2014.

The MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 17-20, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007, and in addition to the record number of pre-September dealer registrations, this year’s event also attracted more than 250 registrants prior to May 1, another record for the event. The most registrants MDCE had ever accumulated prior to May 1 was 92 in 2012.

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 features an in-depth line-up 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 the MRAA and Boating Industry, and it offers pre-conference workshops, a keynote presentation, three tracks of educational content, and more than 20 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 17-20 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Learn more at www.mraa.com/event/MDCE.

Sonja Moseley named MRAA Director of Certification & Benefits

MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that it has named Sonja Moseley as its Director of Certification & Benefits.

Sonja, who recently earned a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Studies, joins the MRAA having most recently served as the Executive Director for the Arizona Parks & Recreation Association. At the APRA, she led a team that stabilized and strengthened the association, creating systems and processes that resulted in its growth. She was responsible for the association’s professional development programs, certifications, and marketing, as well as its annual conference and trade show.

“We are extremely excited to have Sonja join our growing team,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “She will be the critical link in ensuring the success of the dealer certification program, and her understanding of association business, as well as her knowledge specific to continuing education and certification programs, make her the perfect person for this position.”

In her role as Director of Certification & Benefits, Sonja will oversee MRAA’s management and administration of the Marine Five Star Dealership Certification Program, as well as the benefits of both the MRAA and the MFSDC program. She will serve as the main contact for certified dealers, as well as those dealers and manufacturers who are interested in pursuing and supporting the certification program.

In June, the MRAA assumed the management, administration and promotional responsibilities for the MFSDC program, and since that time, MRAA staff has worked closely with Five Star Solutions to open up an industry dialog to discuss ways to make the program more accessible to dealers and more valuable to the industry. Sonja will take the reins of this program to help finalize a direction and growth strategy before it is relaunched, and then she’ll work to market it both to the industry and to consumers.

“It is with great enthusiasm that I am joining the MRAA team,” Sonja says. “I am looking forward to bringing the MFSDC program to the next level and contributing to the continued growth of this outstanding association.”

Sonja is an avid outdoors woman, having grown up boating on the lakes of northern Minnesota. She is also a PADI Divemaster and recently enjoyed a sailing adventure in the French Polynesian Islands. Her official start date is Sept. 16th.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the 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. The 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

Marine Retail University on track for expansion


MINNEAPOLIS — Almost a year after kicking off the first in a series of seven regional Norman-Spencer Marine Retail University educational and networking events, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Dominion Marine Media are preparing an expanded line-up for year two.

On the heels of overwhelmingly positive feedback from the more than 320 participants and through the support of title sponsor Norman-Spencer Marine Insurance Services, event producers are planning to grow the series to at least nine events throughout North America during the upcoming season.

“A big part of MRAA’s mission is to provide companies that interact with the boater in their community opportunities for improvement and growth,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Director of Membership & Education. “Through the Marine Retail University series, MRAA and Dominion can identify regional trends, share expert advice and provide industry best practices to marine businesses in their backyard, which allows us to serve those companies at a much deeper level than ever before, at an incredibly affordable price and in an very efficient manner. That combination has proven powerful for attendees.”

Working alongside local, state and regional marine trade associations, the MRAA and Dominion Marine Media have already scheduled four of the nine events:

· Northwest Marine Trades Association, Seattle, Wash., Sept. 25, 2013

· Boat Trades Association of Texas, Grapevine, Texas, Oct. 13-14, 2013

· Boating Industries Association of Central New York, Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2014

· Massachusetts Marine Trades Association, Boston, Mass., Jan. 29, 2014

The MRU educational line-up will feature presentations on sales, service, finance, customer retention and marketing. A key feature of these regional events is their ability to offer data and information that dealers can use to capitalize on local trends.

“We are excited to be able to extend educational opportunities to even more dealers across North America in the coming season,” says Courtney Chalmers, Director of Marketing for Dominion Marine Media. “It’s our goal to once again deliver an educational line-up that will create long-term success for our participants; and, because the information is tailored to the attendee’s surrounding marketplace, we are confident the MRU will offer exactly that.”

Registration rates begin at $149, but discounts for members of the MRAA and hosting MTAs can bring down rates to as low as $49 per person. Learn more about upcoming events and sponsorship information here: Marine Retail University.

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, 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. The 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 Dominion Marine Media
Dominion Marine Media is the recreational marine industry division of Dominion Enterprises – a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, marine, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, travel, and employment industries. Dominion Enterprises’ businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, website design and hosting, and data management services. The company has more than 60 market-leading websites reaching more than 20.9 million unique visitors monthly. Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., the company has 3,300 employees in more than 186 offices nationwide.