MRAA names Michael Geatz Marketing Coordinator

MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that it has hired Michael Geatz as the organization’s marketing coordinator.

As a senior at Hamline University (St. Paul, Minn.), Geatz will graduate in mid May. While at Hamline, he took a diverse array of course, including web design, marketing, persuasion, statistics, and new media courses among others. Between now and graduation Michael will be familiarizing himself with the organization, using his current understanding of marketing for the marine industry as a tool.

“We are extremely excited to be adding Michael to our growing team at MRAA,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “Michael brings a new passion to the association, and as we continue to focus on creating more opportunities for our members, he is the perfect fit for us to help take over many of the marketing functions we have taken on in recent months.”

In addition to his growing marketing expertise, Geatz also brings industry experience to the MRAA. Last summer he interned as Marketing Coordinator at an MRAA member’s dealership (Wayzata Marine, Wayzata, Minn.). At Wayzata Marine, he helped to launch the company’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages and performed many of the same marketing tasks that he’ll be assigned at MRAA, Gruhn explains.

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to continue growing with the marine industry,” says Geatz. “My internship provided me with a working knowledge of marine-specific marketing practices and an accelerated interest in this industry. I feel confident that my experience with social media strategy, email marketing, online advertising, events, and content management will help MRAA continue to develop innovative resources for marine retailers.”

As Marketing Coordinator, Geatz will assume responsibility for coordinating and executing tasks associated with the implementing the MRAA’s strategic marketing plans and supporting activities. He will write press releases, create MRAA’s newsletters, website content, and digital media. Geatz officially joined MRAA on March 20, 2013.

 

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is the only North American association dedicated to furthering the interests of boat and engine dealers and other marine-related retailers throughout North America. Under the umbrella of MRAA Rewards, the MRAA offers a host of cost-saving, revenue-generating, business-improvement, and professional-development benefits exclusively for its members. MRAA is the united voice of marine retailers. For more information, visit www.MRAA.com.

Webinar: Discover Boating’s 2013 Marketing Plan

The industry’s Discover Boating marketing campaign is gearing up for launch. We invite you to join this all-industry webinar on April 3 outlining details for Discover Boating’s Welcome to the Water marketing campaign. This 45-minute webinar will provide a look at the integrated marketing mix on tap for the busy boating months ahead, including digital advertising, social media and public relations. Sign up to take part and learn more about how you and your staff can get involved in the industry-wide movement to welcome more people to the water.

Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm EST / 11 am PST
Reserve your spot here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/271354329

This web presentation will outline plans for:
– New advertising: digital and cinema
– Upgrades to the look and feel of DiscoverBoating.com
– Industry-wide boating event: Welcome to the Water on National Marina Day on Saturday, June 8
– Promotional materials and web tools available to you at no charge
– Public relations: What’s on tap to put the boating lifestyle in the media spotlight this summer
– Marketing support for Marine Five Star Dealer Certification

How can you join in the Welcome to the Water movement? This webinar will offer Discover Boating web resources, tools and applications you can use and highlight promotional materials available to the industry to help welcome your current and future customers to the water.

The webinar is open to all industry stakeholders in the U.S. and Canada. Space is limited.

Congressman Ryan among ABC speakers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 2013 American Boating Congress (ABC) announced today its lineup of speakers, featuring an influential group of policy specialists and industry authorities, as well as legislative and regulatory officials including Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV).

The broad spectrum of industry advocates, policy experts and legislative decision-makers who will present at the event only adds to the reasons dealers should consider attending this year. The insight they share regarding the current political and economic climate and how we can work together towards continued growth in recreational boating will help dealers make better decisions in their business.

In addition, ABC attendees gain an important opportunity to lend their voice to discussions on the Hill involving legislative and regulatory issues that can greatly impact dealers and other recreational boating businesses. 

On May 9, ABC will present its general session, featuring the following speakers:

Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI): Currently serving his 8th term as a Member of Congress, Rep. Ryan is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, where he works to bring fiscal discipline and accountability to the federal government. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, Social Security, health care and trade laws.

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV): Sen. Manchin joined Congress in 2010, having previously served as Secretary of State from 2000 to 2004. In 2005 he began his six years as Governor for the state of West Virginia. Legislatively, job creation is Sen. Manchin’s top priority, working to produce American jobs and encouraging the government to act as a partner to help create opportunity.

Deerin Babb-Brott, Director, National Ocean Council Office: A White House initiative, the National Ocean Council provides sustained, high-level, and coordinated attention to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues and focuses on actions to advance the National Ocean Policy. Deerin Babb-Brott brings more than twenty years of experience developing innovative and successful solutions to management challenges in the coastal and marine environment, with expertise in government affairs and marine policy.

Rear Admiral Dean Lee, United States Coast Guard: Rear Admiral William “Dean” Lee reported to Coast Guard Headquarters to be the Deputy for Operations Policy and Capabilities (DCO-D) in May of 2012, following his assignment as the Fifth District Commander in Portsmouth, VA. As DCO-D, he oversees integration of operations, capability, strategy, and resource policy. Rear Admiral Lee has spent 13 years in six different Command assignments, including Fifth District and spent a career specializing in Boat Operations and Search and Rescue.

Kenneth Walsh, White House Correspondent, U.S. News and World Report: Ken Walsh, having covered the White House full-time for U.S. News and World Report since 1986, is one of the most experienced and longest-serving reporters ever to cover the presidency. With an extensive contact list of Washington insiders, Walsh has both historical and contemporary perspective on events. Historian Douglas Brinkley has written of Walsh, “No journalist today covers U.S. presidential politics with the same bedrock self-assurance, analytical thought and literary aplomb as Ken Walsh.”

Frank Peterson, President, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation: The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing participation in fishing, boating and aquatic stewardship. Peterson joined the RBFF team in 2007 to serve as President and CEO, with more than 20 years of industry experience and advocacy.

The 2013 ABC, co-hosted by 31 industry organizations, is the premier legislative conference for the recreational boating industry. Register now to secure a place at this important event.

MRAA to manage Wisconsin Marine Association

MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and the Wisconsin Marine Association announced today that the MRAA has been selected to take over the management of the WMA.

The WMA, now based in Minneapolis, is a four-year-old marine trades association that serves the state of Wisconsin. It was managed primarily as a marina association over most of its existence, but recently changed its focus to serve more of the broader marine industry, including dealers, manufacturers and suppliers. The association has maintained some part-time assistance over the years, but for the most part had been managed by volunteer members.

The MRAA took a similar step last year by taking on the management of the North Central Marine Association. Since that time, activity within the association has been rising, having held a golf tournament, a member meeting, and most recently, by hosting a Marine Retail University that drew more than 70 people.

“We are honored to be selected to manage the WMA,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA and newly named Director of WMA. “We are proud to say that our management of the NCMA, which began in mid-2012, has been a success, and with the businesses of Wisconsin and Minnesota sharing so many traits, this is a logical step for MRAA. We’re just happy to be able to help the Wisconsin association strengthen its footprint in the market.”

The MRAA will manage the WMA’s administrative functions and bookkeeping responsibilities in addition to taking on full responsibility for the WMA’s marketing and legislative efforts and membership growth. MRAA will also organize and execute WMA events.

“This is a great opportunity for WMA to take the next step in its evolution,” says Jon Kukuk, chairman of the WMA board and president of Nestegg Marine, Marinette, Wis. “We’ve watched closely as the MRAA and NCMA relationship developed, and we believe that this is a perfect partnership for us to strengthen the WMA.”

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2012, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is the only North American association dedicated to furthering the interests of boat and engine dealers and other marine-related retailers throughout North America. Under the umbrella of MRAA Rewards, the MRAA offers a host of cost-saving, revenue-generating, business-improvement, and professional-development benefits exclusively for its members. MRAA is the united voice of marine retailers. For more information, visit

MRAA unveils Online Store

MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has unveiled an all-new MRAA Online Store at MRAA.com to give dealers and other marine industry businesses first-hand access to competitively priced logo’d items and apparel.

The initial inventory for MRAA’s Online Store features a sampling of options. However, through this vendor partnership, MRAA can create custom orders for just about any other logo’d product a business desires.

“The MRAA Online Store makes it extremely easy for a company to buy anything from shirts for its staff to wear at a boat show to logo’d bags for a giveaway in their showroom,” explains MRAA President Matt Gruhn. “While there are a lot of vendors in this space that come and go, because of our strong relationship with our partner, MRAA will stand behind these purchases, giving customers added comfort.”

Any marine business can buy products from the MRAA Online Store at a competitive rate; however, MRAA Members receive discounts on both the products and the set-up fees for their logos. MRAA will also make its own logo and select other logos available at no set-up charge to its members.

“This is just one more way that MRAA can help its members save time and money,” Gruhn explains. “They can save time by fulfilling their orders right here on the same site that they turn to for countless other resources, and they can save money through our preferred pricing.”

The MRAA Online Store currently features seven products that many small businesses use on a regular basis. While additional items are expected to be added in the near future, if a site visitor has a special request, it can be fulfilled through a simple call to MRAA.

The MRAA Online Store can be accessed through the nav bar on the left hand side of this page. Or since you’re already reading about it here, just click here.

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is the only North American association dedicated to furthering the interests of boat and engine dealers and other marine-related retailers throughout North America. Under the umbrella of MRAA Rewards, the MRAA offers a host of cost-saving, revenue-generating, business-improvement, and professional-development benefits exclusively for its members. MRAA is the united voice of marine retailers. For more information, visit

American Boating Congress draws 29 industry organizations as co-hosts

Partnerships showcase an industry-wide commitment to a louder voice on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In 2012, the American Boating Congress was co-hosted by 13 industry organizations, who, for the first time, worked together to ensure that ABC provided a dynamic and engaging program, that met the needs of the recreational boating industry as a whole. This year, driven by 2012’s success, 29 industry partners have agreed to co-host ABC, joining the rallying-cry to strengthen the industry’s collective advocacy impact. ABC will be held in Washington, DC on May 8-9.

This year’s co-hosts are an integral part of planning ABC by contributing time and in-program development and by encouraging their members to attend and participate in ABC.

In addition to the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, those co-sponsors currently include include the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association, Association of Marina Industries, BoatU.S. Boating Industry Magazine, Boy Scouts/Sea Scouts, Boating Trades Association of Metropolitan Houston, Center for Coastal Conservation, CT Marine Trades Association, Florida Yacht Brokers Association, Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, Marina Recreation Association, Michigan Boating Industries Association, Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Inc., Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, National Boating Federation, National Marine Bankers Association, National Marine Distributors Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Northwest Marine Trade Association, National Marine Trade Council, North Central Marine Association, RI Marine Trades Association, South Carolina Marine Association, States Organization for Boating Access, Soundings Trade Only, U.S. Superyacht Association, Wisconsin Marine Association, Water Sports Industry Association.

As co-hosts, these organizations have committed themselves to growing the industry through public policy advocacy. Assembling from a wide variety of industry segments, these groups provide ongoing counsel and insight into what issues are of the most pressing interest to stakeholders and advocates, ensuring that ABC’s agenda will be packed with timely and relevant policy matters. Co-hosts will be attending ABC with representatives from their respective organizations, contributing to a dynamic dialogue during the event.

NMMA President, Thom Dammrich says “NMMA is thrilled to see the growing number of organizations partnering for this important event. ABC is a real opportunity for growth through advocacy. By joining forces we can use ABC to reach a much broader Congressional representation, educating them about the significant impact that recreational boating has on the U.S. economy and other important issues such as protecting our nation’s waterways.”

ABC is the premier legislative conference for the recreational boating industry. While the complete agenda is currently in development, ABC will once again feature prominent policymakers to discuss industry specific issues. Registration is now open!

For questions or media inquiries please contact Lauren Dunn at 202-737-9752 or ldunn@nmma.org. For more information about ABC sponsorship opportunities, please contact John Marcinek at 312-946-6258 or jmarcinek@nmma.org.

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About the American Boating Congress: ABC is the industry’s premiere legislative conference, bringing industry leaders together to help influence public policy and present a unified front on issues that impact the recreational boating industry. ABC offers attendees a unique opportunity to discuss and learn about state and federal legislation, get first-hand insight from policymakers and network with other industry leaders. To learn more about ABC please visit http://www.nmma.org/government/abc.

ADP Lightspeed Releases Service Connect

Salt Lake City, UT – March 1, 2013 – In the latest release of LightspeedNXT (ver 3.9.7) and LightspeedEVO (ver 5.6) hosted users of ADP Lightspeed will have access to Service Connect, an integrated smart-help menu designed to provide answers to user’s questions without leaving their workflow. This simple, time-saving feature knows what screen the user is working from and will suggest topics to answer questions. Service Connect picks up right where the user left off providing helpful hints, tips, and even offering LIVE web chat with Lightspeed customer support. LIVE chat offers a direct, online connection to Lightspeed’s support staff so customers have a choice of picking up the phone or having a web conversation with a Lightspeed expert.

“Service Connect will help our users tremendously”, said Dan Jacobson, Director of Client Services at ADP Lightspeed. “Often times our phone lines get filled with customers who need answers to simple questions that Service Connect will now resolve. With one click of the “SC” button in the upper right corner of the program, customers can find answers faster than ever before. We’re excited to offer a new level of service to hosted Lightspeed dealers.”

Greg Smith, General Manager of ADP Lightspeed expressed similar excitement regarding the impact Service Connect will have on Lightspeed hosted users. “At Lightspeed we strive to train our customers on how to use our programs, but when using a feature for the first time on their own they may not remember exactly what to do.” Smith continues, “That’s where Service Connect will add value to the dealership by saving them time. No longer will a customer have to call Support to get answers to everyday, user questions. With Service Connect they can quickly find the answer or open a LIVE chat and talk to a member of Lightspeed’s customer support team.”

As a user begins typing a question or topic into the Service Connect search bar, a list of relative help topics will appear, beginning with topics that relate to their current screen in Lightspeed. If a user still has questions they can submit an e-case where a member of Lightspeed’s support team will call them at a time that is convenient for the user.

About ADP Lightspeed

ADP Lightspeed, based in Salt Lake City Utah, is a part of ADP Dealer Services, ADP Dealer Services provides integrated computing solutions to over 25,000 auto, truck, motorcycle, Powersports, recreational vehicle, and heavy equipment dealers throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. ADP Dealer Services is a subsidiary of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. For more information visit www.adplightspeed.com

About ADP

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP), with more than $10 billion in revenues and approximately 600,000 clients, is one of the world’s largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. Leveraging over 60 years of experience, ADP offers a wide range of human resource, payroll, tax and benefits administration solutions from a single source. ADP’s easy-to-use solutions for employers provide superior value to companies of all types and sizes. ADP is also a leading provider of integrated computing solutions to auto, truck, motorcycle, marine, recreational vehicle, and heavy equipment dealers throughout the world. For more information about ADP or to contact a local ADP sales office, reach us at 1.800.225.5237 or visit the company’s website at www.ADP .com.

MDCE 2013 issues call for presentations

ORLANDO – Organizers of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo are currently seeking proposals for educational seminars from potential speakers for the 2013 event, which will be held Nov. 17-20, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 20.

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, F&I 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 2013 and the presentation skills to entertain and engage our audience, we want to hear from you. To submit a presentation proposal, please visit www.mraa.com/?page=MDCE_Presentations and fill out the form. Have a question? Don’t hesitate to call or email Liz Walz at liz@mraa.com or 315-692-4533.

The 2012 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo attracted more than 500 dealership employees. Add in exhibitors, sponsors and their staff, and the total attendance at the event was over 1,000 people.

One of the main draws of the event for dealers are its tracks of educational content. The 2013 Marine Dealer Conference and Expo will take its educational offerings to a whole new level, providing the insight dealership professionals need to drive their companies to peak performance. To download an overview of the 2012 educational agenda or learn more about the 2013 event, visit www.mraa.com/event/MDCE.

About MDCE
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is an educational event focused on providing tools and information to help marine dealers meet and exceed their business goals. The MDCE, which is co-produced by Boating Industry magazine and the www.mraa.com/event/MDCE.

MDCE launches 2013 survey

Organizers of the 2013 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo have begun creating plans for an all-new educational agenda, including some exciting changes, that will exceed the value of any prior MDCE educational conference.

Each year, planning for the MDCE educational agenda begins with a thorough review of the previous year event’s on-site educational session surveys, as well as post-event CSI surveys and feedback from attendees and the dealer-led MRAA Conference Committee. Those results are used to help craft an event survey that seeks to outline the topics that are most relevant to and desired by the dealer community. Organizers then pair those results with input from its annual Call for Presentations to create the educational line-up.

“We want this survey to help us gain insight from you on how we can deliver the conference of your dreams,” explains Liz Walz, Director of Membership & Marketing for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which co-produces this event with Boating Industry. “We want the 2013 MDCE to be the one that delivers more concrete takeaways than ever before — the one that generates brand new ideas and relationships that boost your results all year long and the one that inspires your team to perform at the highest levels yet.”

Whether you’re a dealer, a service yard, a marina or someone else interested in the success of the marine retail body, we encourage you to complete the survey. The survey should take only a few minutes to complete, but could make an enormous difference for the success you can find at the 2013 MDCE.

“Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on how we can design the best MDCE yet,” says Jonathan Sweet, Editor-in-Chief of Boating Industry. “The way we see it, this is YOUR event, and together we will make it incredible.”

Here is a link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GSXWS8R

Thank you for your help. If you have any questions or comments, we encourage you to e-mail Liz Walz. In the meantime, please mark your calendars for the 2013 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, Nov. 17-20 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

MDCE announces 2013 dates, location

MINNEAPOLIS – Following on the heels of five consecutive years of growth in dealer attendance, the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is preparing to set new records in 2013.

The event, which will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Nov. 17-20, will reinvent its educational lineup, offering dealers a new depth and quality of content.

“Dealers attend MDCE to gain new ideas and insights that will give them a competitive advantage, invigorate their teams for the year ahead and ultimately make their businesses more successful,” explained Marine Retailers Association of the Americas President Matt Gruhn. “With the improvements and new additions we will incorporate this year, we’ll be able to deliver on those expectations and more. If there was ever a year to attend MDCE, this is it.”

The process of building that new agenda began with the Pre-MDCE Dealer Survey, which is currently underway. The next step will begin in early March, when organizers will issue their annual Request for Presentations.

“We’re listening to the needs of our attendees and exhibitors, offering new forms of education and fresh opportunities for dealers and exhibitors to connect, all of which will make MDCE more effective for our participants,” said Boating Industry Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Sweet.

With the continued growth in dealer attendance, exhibitor’s return on investment in MDCE is also increasing. In 2013, the MDCE expo hall will encompass more than 150,000 square feet of space and will improve upon a popular feature of the event in recent years, the modular classrooms that bring dealers and suppliers together for networking opportunities.

In 2012, MDCE attracted more than 500 dealers and representatives from more than 100 exhibitors and sponsors for a total in excess of 1,000 attendees.

This year’s host hotel will be the Rosen Plaza, located adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center. It is at the center of Orlando’s theme parks, only 15 minutes from downtown Orlando, across the street from Pointe Orlando shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and only 15 minutes from Orlando International Airport. As a bonus for 2013, the MDCE expo floor is located in the hall closest to the Rosen Plaza.

For more information about MDCE 2013 and to register, please visit www.mraa.com/event/MDCE or contact Liz Walz at liz@mraa.com or 315-692-4533. To inquire about exhibit opportunities, please contact Kathy Johnson at kathyjohnson@boatingindustry.com or 480-988-3658.