MDCE issues call for presentations

To compete at the highest levels, marine dealerships need to be constantly adapting their operations to fit the fast changing marketplace. The 2012 Marine Dealer Conference and Expo will provide the intelligence dealership professionals need to drive their companies to peak performance in today’s market.

Do you have an idea for an educational seminar that would contribute to MDCE 2012? The conference committee is currently seeking proposals from those interested in presenting at the event, which will be held Nov. 11-14, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. The deadline to submit your proposal is Feb. 24.

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.

Conference organizers seek presentations on advanced, intermediate and fundamental business topics. The information to be presented should be timely, informative and educational, offering concrete take-aways the audience can bring back to their business to accelerate future success.

To submit a presentation proposal, please download an MDCE 2012 proposal form. The completed form should then be emailed to Liz Walz. Have a question? Don’t hesitate to call Liz at 315-692-4533.

For more information about MDCE 2012, please visit www.BoatingIndustry.com/mdce.

Transportation Bill up for vote as early as Thursday

The attached file below is a summary the Transportation Bill the House may be voting on as early as Thursday.  As I mentioned in a previous email, the bill re-authorizes the important Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Act and releases the Harbor Maintenance Fund from the freeze placed on it by the President.

If the Transportation bill passes, it would allow those frozen funds to be used to dredge channels and ports.  The bill is also fiscally responsible, allowing expenditures to not exceed revenues. In the past several years, Congress gasoline excise tax revenues have not been sufficient to pay for the projects authorized by Congress, so funds have been transferred from the General Revenue Account.
 
http://atfiles.org/files/pdf/house-transportation-preview.pdf
 
MRAA will be distributing a Dealer Alert later today asking dealers to support the Transportation bill.
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

Rep. Miller Praises Release of Study on Combating the Threat of Asian Carp

The issue of Asian Carp is big along the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Illinois River, with numerous efforts being made to keep the carp from entering the Great Lakes through the Chicago River. The Corps of Engineers has been building various kinds of barriers to prevent that from happening. The following is an article on the subject and on a statement from U.S. Representative Candice Miller (Mich.), a big supporter of boating (her parents own a marina).
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

Rep. Miller Praises Release of Study on Combating the Threat of Asian Carp

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10), co-chair of the bipartisan U.S. House Great Lakes Task Force, today made the following comments regarding the release of the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative’s study on options for separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins in the Chicago Area Waterway System. This study outlines options for separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to prevent the spread of Asian carp and other invasive species is not only possible, but a natural step toward much-needed action to improve the waters. Miller said:

“For years, I have been advocating for the health and protection of the Great Lakes in the halls of Congress. I and so many others have raised concerns over the threat of Asian carp and other invasive species pose to the Great Lakes. Today, we are encouraged by the release of this study outlining the full option for separating of the Chicago area locks, as well as other separation and modernization alternatives. We all know there will be a negative impact that will have to be addressed within the Chicago area with closing the locks – however, that impact pales in comparison to the damage that will be done if the Asian carp becomes established in the Great Lakes.

“It is my hope that this study will be a useful tool in calling on Congress and the Administration to support the separation of the waterways and ensure a permanent solution to preventing the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. This action is necessary and achievable. The Great Lakes are an environmental treasure to both our economy and natural resources, protecting them is of the utmost importance.”

For more information and to view the full report, please visit here: http://www.glc.org/caws/

MRAA announces full support of American Boating Congress


BOCA GRANDE, Fla. – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that it is responding to an industrywide call for greater support of the American Boating Congress and will not only host a full board meeting at this year’s event and attend the event as one large group, but will also actively promote ABC to its members and encourage their participation.

ABC, to be held in Washington, D.C., on April 24-25, 2012, is a comprehensive legislative conference that brings together recreational boating industry leaders to discuss public policy, address members of Congress and present a unified front on issues that impact the recreational boating industry. One of the top-10, highest-ranked joint action proposals that came out of the recent industry summit in Chicago was that ABC should be expanded “to all boating segments, beyond manufacturers and get support and attendance from all areas.

“If all industry players, associations, dealers, came together,” the joint action proposal stated, “Congress would listen.”

“While individual MRAA board members and staff have participated in ABC over the years, this year will be much different,” says Matt Gruhn, president of the MRAA. “To show our support for the industry as well as the results of the Summit, we simply decided that we would support the event and everything it stands for as a united group and demonstrate to Congress, as well as our industry colleagues, that our industry stands together. And I’m proud to report that our board unanimously agreed to support this endeavor.”

As a co-host of ABC, MRAA will work closely with the National Marine Manufacturers Association to build an agenda that discusses state and federal regulatory issues affecting marine retailers. This agenda will provide insight into the status of key federal legislation, updates from experts on pending legislation, and first-hand knowledge as to the trends that will affect the marine industry.

“It’s extremely important to our businesses, to be aware of the issues and to fight for not only our own interests but also for the interests of our customers,” says Dave Foulkrod, chairman of the MRAA. “In our leadership position as the board for this national retailer association, it’s critical that we take a lead role in supporting the efforts of the American Boating Congress.”

MRAA will host a series of board meetings over the two days leading up to ABC, and will engage both its full board of 19 members and its Young Leaders Advisory Council, which includes 15 members, in the support of ABC.


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. For more information, visit www.MRAA.com.

WP: Long-term transportation funding likely to be delayed

The following link will take you to an article I saw in today’s Washington Post on the status of the Transportation Bill. As you may recall, the Transportation Bill has been one of the most important bills for recreational boating for over 30-years.

It is important because the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Trust Fund is a part of the Highway Trust Fund which is re-authorized by the Transportation Bill. This fund provides federal money from the excise tax on gasoline for boating safety law enforcement and education, access, pump outs, etc. 

A full Transportation Bill has not been passed by Congress for three years. Instead Congress has passed eight short-term extensions at a level of funding of three years ago, and the current extension is set to expire on March 31. It looks like we are looking at another short-term authorization. As you can anticipate, differences on raising the gasoline tax and the spending level for highway projects are the two key issues for the delay. 

For the past five to six years, Congress has been transferring General Revenue funds to the Highway Trust Fund because gasoline tax revenues have been below what is needed to pay for the projects authorized by Congress. There is a strong group in Congress who wants to stop those transfers and make the Highway Trust Fund pay its own way, but without a tax increase. For many years the Fund operated with annual surpluses. Boating is caught in the middle of this debate.

Here’s the link to the article: Long-term transportation funding likely to be delayed – The Washington Post
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

U.S.C.G. reports accounting for Sport FIsh and Boating Safety Fund

The following is a link to a brief Federal Register article that was just published. It provides an accounting overview of how the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Recreational Boating Safety spent $5.5 million in 2011 that was provided by the Sport Fish and Boating Safety Trust Fund. The Coast Guard reports this to comply with a requirement in the law when it was last passed by Congress. Click on the link below to see the report.
 
Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 16
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

New Study Finds Take Me Fishing™ Campaign Motivates Decision to Boat & Fish

Campaign continues to achieve high levels of brand awareness and advertising effectiveness

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new study released by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) reveals that RBFF’s Take Me Fishing™ brand and Take Me Fishing advertising continues to achieve high levels of awareness, and that the campaign is positively affecting decisions to participate in boating and fishing. The study, based on an online survey, found that consumers who recall a Take Me Fishing print ad are more than three times more likely to intend to go fishing, take someone fishing, or go boating for the purpose of fishing as consumers who do not recall the ad. In another analysis, the study scored Take Me Fishing print advertising 74.4 out of 100 on its ability to influence readers’ decisions to go fishing in response to the ad’s call to action.

“These are exciting results for RBFF and our stakeholders,” said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “They prove the Take Me Fishing campaign is positively affecting behavior and boosting participation. This coming year, we’re expanding the campaign. And we’re working right now on future ads to keep the campaign fresh, effective and motivating.”

The survey reached 2,000 people among three target groups: those interested in the outdoors, those interested in both fishing and boating and those known to have been exposed to the Take Me Fishing advertising campaign.

KEY FINDINGS:

  • Awareness of the Take Me Fishing logo increased in 2011 across all audiences, and is up to 61 percent among those interested in fishing or boating, an increase of 16 percent over 2010.
  • Brand awareness (measured by recall of the phrase “Take Me Fishing”) increased from 30 percent in 2010 to 48 percent in 2011, a more than 50 percent jump over 2010.
  • Take Me Fishing ads have a powerful effect on intentions to participate:
  • Those who recall a Take Me Fishing ad, compared with those who do not recall the ad, are 3.6 times more likely to go fishing, 3.6 times more likely to take someone else fishing and 3.5 times more likely to go boating for the purpose of fishing.
  • Consumers who recall a Take Me Fishing ad are 3.6 times more likely to go to the TakeMeFishing.org website than those who do not.
  • Awareness of direct mail advertising (via RBFF’s Fishing License Marketing Program) is up six percent in 2011 (15 percent) compared to 2010 (9 percent).

The study was based on a survey conducted by EurekaFacts in September 2011. An executive summary of the report is available online at www.rbff.org/research. To request a copy of the full report, please e-mail rbff@rbff.org.
 
About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources.  RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Anglers’ Legacy.

Tax extenders letter signed by MRAA

The following is a letter that the MRAA signed on to and was recently delivered to every member of Congress. The letter urges extension of the tax provisions that expired at the end of 2011. The letter is signed by more than 1,500 businesses, associations, community development organizations, and non-profit organizations. This letter was nearly identical to the November 9 letter the MRAA also authorized signing. The few changes to the letter reflected the tax extenders had expired and urged quick congressional action in 2012 of a seamless (retroactive) extension.
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs
 

TEXT OF LETTER SENT TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS on January 24, 2012:

Dear Member of Congress:

The undersigned organizations urge Congress to extend as soon as possible in 2012 the tax provisions that expired at the end of 2011.  These tax provisions, which benefit a wide range of taxpayers, including associations, businesses, individuals, community development organizations and non-profit organizations, are important to U.S. jobs and the broader economy.  The lack of timely congressional action to extend these provisions would inject more instability and uncertainty into the economy and further weaken confidence in the employment marketplace.

Moreover, the seamless extension of these expired provisions should not be delayed until policymakers complete work on comprehensive tax reform.  Even though Congress began last year to consider tax reform proposals, a wide-ranging group of taxpayers is making decisions right now related to current law which will have an immediate impact on the economy.  While we are hopeful that the tax reform debate results in policy that is fair, efficient, and encourages economic growth, it is critical that the current tax system provide certainty in the interim.   Additional uncertainty is not a recipe for improving confidence in this economy.

We urge you to pass these important tax provisions early in 2012.

Sincerely,

———————————-
 

Dealer Action Request:

We urge you to share this important letter with your members of Congress and other contacts on Capitol Hill. It is crucial that Congress act on the extenders package early in 2012.

Thank you for your participation in this critical effort.

Larry