MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas elected new officers and regional directors and appointed new at large directors for 2013 during its Annual Meeting at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo in Orlando, Fla.
During the meeting, which took place on Nov. 12, the following officers were elected:
· Steve Baum of Boat Owners Warehouse (Ft. Lauderdale), Chairman;
· Randy Wattenbarger of Cleveland Boat Center (Cleveland, Tenn.), Vice Chairman; and
· Joe Lewis of Mt. Dora Boating Center (Mt. Dora, Fla.), Secretary/Treasurer
· David Foulkrod of Ron Hoover RV & Marine (Rockport, Texas) will now serve as Immediate Past Chairman
Members also voted during the meeting to elect to three-year terms as Regional Directors:
· Rob Soucy of Port Harbor Marine (South Portland, Maine) as Region 1 Director (Maine, Mass., N.H., Vt.);
· Jeff Strong of Strong’s Marine (Mattituck, N.Y.) as Region 2 Director (Conn., N.Y., N.J., R.I.);
· Darren Plymale of Galati Yacht Sales (Anna Maria, Fla.) as Region 5 Director (Ala., Fla., Ga., Miss.);
· Nancy Smith of Colorado Boat Center (Loveland, Colo.) as Region 8 Director (Colo., Iowa, Kan., Mo., Mont., Neb., N.M., Wyo.); and
· Carly Poole of Buckeye Marine Center (Bobcaygeon, Ontario) as Region 11 Director (Canada).
“We appreciate the incredible contributions of our 2012 officers and board members,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “Under their guidance, the MRAA put in place a long-term strategic plan and took some giant leaps forward on many of the initiatives within that plan. As 2013 gets underway, we look forward to what we can accomplish with the fresh energy and ideas of our new officers and board members.”
Incoming Chairman Steve Baum also appointed four at-large directors to one-year terms, including:
· Don MacKenzie of Boats Inc. (Niantic, Conn.);
· Brett McGill of MarineMax Inc. (Clearwater, Fla.);
· Larry Tague of Lake Viking Marine (Gallatin, Mo.); and
· Ryan Hebert of Texas Marine (Beaumont, Texas).
“We’ve achieved a great deal over the course of the last year, and we’re excited to have an influx of new perspectives on our board,” says Baum. “We expect that by combining some new thinking and new approaches with the experience of our current board members, we can continue the momentum of the past year while uncovering new opportunities.”
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
MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, Dominion Marine Media and the Maine Marine Trades Association are pleased to announce their partnership in bringing a Marine Retail University event to Saco, Maine, this December. The Norman-Spencer Marine Retail University is a four-stop educational event that offers dealer educational opportunities based on trends and opportunities in local and regional markets. Two MRUs have been held to date, one in San Antonio in October and one in Orlando earlier this month. The event series will stop in Lansing, Michigan, on December 5-6 before its final stop of 2012 takes it to Saco, Maine, on December 12. “The MRU concept has found great success in just its first year,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “We’re thrilled to bringing the concept to Maine to help the area’s dealers learn more about what’s happening in their market and how to take advantage of the opportunities.” Norman-Spencer Marine Retail University events are set up to provide five or six full educational sessions in a single-day format so that dealers can get in, focus on opportunities to make their business stronger and get back to their dealerships the next day. The morning sessions share data and trends from the likes of Statistical Surveys, GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance, and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, and the afternoon sessions demonstrate how dealers can take that knowledge and capitalize on it through separate sales, marketing and F&I educational sessions. “This formula has worked very well for the two MRUs we’ve conducted to date,” explains Courtney Chalmers, Director of Marketing for Dominion Marine Media. “These one-of-a-kind events provide an excellent opportunity for dealers to create advantages for themselves as they move into the 2013 selling season.” Registration for the Norman-Spencer Marine Retail University is just $99, and both MRAA and Maine Marine Trades Association members receive a $25 discount (total of $50 off if they are members of both) to make the MRU events not just efficient, but cost-effective as well. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer our members access to the outstanding educational content that the MRU provides,” says Susan Swanton, Executive Director of the Maine MTA. “It’s just one more way that we can add value to their membership and contribute to their long-term success.” About Marine Retail University The Norman-Spencer Marine Retail University is a series of regional dealer educational conferences. Launched in 2012 as a partnership between the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Dominion Marine Media, these regional events seek to provide attendees with in-depth market knowledge and the tactics to capitalize on those insights. The partners work closely with regional and state associations to deliver additional value to their members. Norman-Spencer Marine Insurance Services supports MRU as the title sponsor of the event series. To bring an MRU event to your association, to support an MRU event or for more information, please contact Matt Gruhn at 763-315-8043 or matt@mraa.com. MINNEAPOLIS — Premier Marine, Inc., a leading U.S. boat manufacturer, has signed on as a Platinum Member of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, the highest level of support for the association. “Given Premier’s support of the dealer community during the past decade, we are honored to have earned the company’s partnership,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “The Menne family’s long record of leadership and involvement in the Minnesota marine market, as well as their annual support of dealer-focused programs like the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo and the Top 100 Dealers Program makes their participation in MRAA particularly meaningful for me.” Premier Marine, headquartered in Wyoming, Minn., manufactures the Premier, Leisure, Weeres and Palm Beach brands of pontoon boats. The company, which was founded in 1992, is an independent boat builder, owned and operated by the Menne family and known for its dedication to quality craftsmanship, practical design, new product development and continuous safety innovation. “We believe boating is about family, and at Premier Marine, our dealer network is part of our family,” says Bob Menne, Premier Marine President. “When you care about the people with whom you do business, then it makes sense to invest in their success. Our partnership with the MRAA allows us to contribute to a better future for marine dealers and ultimately Premier Marine.” 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
MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has named Dominion Marine Media (DMM), the division of Dominion Enterprises that operates YachtWorld, Boat Trader and boats.com, as its 2012 Supplier of the Year. “We’ve been extremely impressed with the steps Dominion Marine Media has taken to support the dealer body,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “From its financial support of events like the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo and Boating Industry magazine’s Top 100 Dealers Program to its co-production of the Marine Retail University, Dominion Marine Media has proven it is a very dealer-centric organization that continues to make outstanding contributions to the industry. It is always willing to share data points that make dealers smarter.” DMM received the recognition from the MRAA for being the manufacturer or supplier that did the most to support the dealer body in 2012. DMM has focused its efforts on providing relevant and essential industry information for dealer and broker education. These initiatives include the Marine Retail Universities, Boat Trader Market Index reports, Yacht Brokerage Universities, and YachtWorld Market Index reports. In addition, DMM launched a number of well-attended webinars, social media seminars and training programs throughout the year. DMM joins past winners going back to 1980, including Sea Ray Boats, Grady-White Boats, Yamaha Motor Corp., Cobalt Boats, The Spader Companies, Volvo Penta, Norman-Spencer and Bellavia, Gentile & Associates, among others. “It is a real honor to be selected as Supplier of the Year by the MRAA and to be among such prestigious companies that have earned this distinction,” said Courtney Chalmers, director of marketing for Dominion Marine Media. “We value our partnership with the dealer and broker communities and will continue to provide education and information resources to advance their success.” The 2012 MRAA “Supplier of the Year” award was presented to DMM at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, held Nov. 11-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. 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
WASHINGTON — Pursuant to an order from a U.S. District Court and as required by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today recommended new recreational water quality criteria for states that will help protect peoples’ health during visits to beaches and waters year round. The science-based criteria provide information to help states improve public health protection by addressing a broader range of illness symptoms, better accounting for pollution after heavy rainfall, providing more protective recommendations for coastal waters, encouraging early alerts to beachgoers and promoting rapid water testing. The criteria released today do not impose any new requirements; instead, they are a tool that states can choose to use in setting their own standards. The criteria provide states and communities with the most up to date science and information that they can use to determine whether water quality is safe for the public and when to issue an advisory or a beach closure. EPA has provided a variety of other tools to help states evaluate and manage recreational waters. The new criteria are based on several recent health studies and use a broader definition of illness to recognize that symptoms may occur without a fever, including a number of stomach ailments. EPA also narrowed from 90 days to 30 days the time period over which the results of monitoring samples may be averaged. This produces a more accurate picture of the water quality for that given time, allowing for improved notification time about water quality to the public. This shortened time period especially accounts for heavy rainfall that can wash pollution into rivers, lakes or the ocean or cause sewer overflows. The strengthened recommendations include: More information: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/health/recreation/index.cfm We’re sharing an article from the Washington Post about the fiscal cliff talks at the White House that concluded a few minutes ago. The positive news coming out of the meeting has sent the major financial markets up today (at least for awhile). As expected, it looks like both sides are willing to compromise and may pass something by year’s end and postpone other tax and spending cuts until next year. All economists agree that the economy would fall into recession, if D.C. fails to find a solution. Click here to read the article. Larry Innis MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has partnered with Engaged! to design social media benefits and resources exclusively for MRAA members. “Social media has become an essential strategy for marine retailers to connect with prospects and customers,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Director of Membership & Marketing. “The social media packages being offered by Engaged! will allow our members access to their team of experts at an incredible value, whether they’re looking for ways to improve their dealership’s internal efforts or seeking an outside management solution.” Engaged! is an MRAA Premium Partner, one of the highest level of support for the association, with a central focus on providing social media services for the boating business. “While Engaged! serves companies throughout the marine industry, my experience working for Prince William Marina has given me a special passion for serving the marine dealer community,” says Josh Chiles, CEO of Engaged!. “I am thrilled to be able to help MRAA members realize a return on their investment in social media.” Through this members-only offer, Engaged! is providing two social media packages: a 1-Hour Social Media Review in which Chiles will evaluate the dealership’s current efforts and provide insight into how to improve their results; and the Anchors Aweigh Social Media Management Package, in which Engaged! will create and post social media content designed to meet the dealership’s goals. The 1-Hour Social Media Review is offered to members for a one-time payment of $239, a 20-percent discount. Anchors Aweigh is available exclusively to MRAA Members for the special price of $329 per month. In addition to these benefits, Engaged! and MRAA are developing social media resources to help members maximize their results, including the soon-to-be launched MRAA Guide: 30 Days of Social Media Content, written by Josh Chiles. For more information, visit 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 About Engaged! Engaged! is an Innovative Marketing company that has a specialty in the marine industry. Engaged! provides social media marketing, website design, search engine optimization and mobile application solutions to marine industry businesses across North America. Engaged! is also an official Brunswick Dealer Advantage provider and now an MRAA Premium Partner. Engaged! is on a mission to help the marine industry successfully use social media and digital technologies to grow and strength their business. For more information, visit: www.StartEngaging.com. MINNEAPOLIS — Marine Products Corp., a leading U.S. boat manufacturer and the parent company of Chaparral and Robalo, has been named a Partner Member of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “We are honored to have earned Chapparal and Robalo’s partnership, ” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “During the recession, their company demonstrated its commitment to their dealer networks, providing dealers with outstanding support during the most challenging of times. We are thrilled that they also have chosen to promote marine retail success through support of the MRAA.” Through its largest subsidiary, Chaparral Boats, Marine Products is one of the leading manufacturers of sterndrive powerboats in the United States. Marine Products also competes in the sport fishing boat marketplace with Robalo offshore sport fishing boats. “We invest in supporting our dealers because we understand how important a strong and balanced dealer-manufacturer relationship is to both parties’ success,” says Jim Lane, President of Chaparral Boats, Inc. and Robalo Boats, LLC. “Our partnership with the MRAA is another way we can encourage the success of the marine dealer body and ultimately, the entire boating business.” 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
MINNEAPOLIS — Crownline Boats, a leading U.S. manufacturer of sports boats, has been named a Partner Member of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “We are thrilled to have gained Crownline’s partnership, ” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “Through the support of such well-known boat brands, we can make a real difference for marine retailers, offering them resources, tools and benefits to drive their success.” Crownline Boats, founded in 1991, manufactures bowriders, cuddies and cruisers. From its corporate headquarters in West Frankfort, Ill., the company produces innovative, high quality craft that feature best-in-class warranty coverage. “At Crownline Boats, we believe the path to success is best traveled through partnership with the dealers that represent our brand in the field,” says Nathan Heisner, Director of Sales for Crownline Boats. “By supporting the MRAA, we can give back to the dealer community, helping them meet and exceed their business goals. ” 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
MINNEAPOLIS – For the first time in 2012, attendees of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo will have access to the MRAA Rewards Pavilion, a special area of the exhibit hall devoted to the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and its benefit providers. “During the past year, MRAA has tripled the number of benefits we offer our members,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Director of Membership. “Surveys suggest our members are not as aware of our benefits and what they offer as they should be. By bringing our benefit providers together in one area of the expo floor, we’re making it easy for MDCE attendees to explore the incredible value offered by MRAA membership.” The 2012 MDCE, produced in partnership between MRAA and Boating Industry, will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 11-14. The companies participating in the MRAA Rewards Pavilion include: ADP Lightspeed; Customer Service Intelligence, Inc.; Lighthouse Media Solutions; MarineLab Warranty Processing; Norman-Spencer Marine Insurance Services; Priority One Financial Services; Spader Business Management; Statistical Surveys, Inc.; TSYS Merchant Solutions; Discover Boating; and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. Together, the savings, revenue and performance-enhancement to be gained through MRAA membership are guaranteed to deliver a return on investment. “With the average annual savings of members who participate in the MRAA Shipping & Freight Program totaling $304, we have every confidence that those who take advantage of all that MRAA membership has to offer will find it delivers an impressive ROI,” Walz concluded.
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
I can help you navigate the site, find resources, and answer dealership questions. Feel free to type your question below or select one of the options to get started!Marine Retail University scheduled for Maine this December
Premier Marine named MRAA Platinum Partner
Dominion Marine Media named MRAA Supplier of the Year
EPA Recommends New Recreational Water Quality Criteria to Better Protect Public Health
WP: ‘Fiscal cliff talks begin’
MRAA Legislative AffairsMRAA and Engaged! launch social media benefits for members
Chaparral and Robalo named MRAA Partner Members
Crownline signs on as MRAA Partner Member
MRAA Rewards Pavilion to launch at MDCE
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