MRAA launches new site, entirely new way of conducting business


BOCA GRANDE, Fla. – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that it has embarked on, through the introduction of a new website, an entirely new way of conducting business. The new website, found at www.MRAA.com, not only boasts an array of new features for the association’s members, but it also integrates numerous critical business functions into one digital platform.

The new site incorporates a database management system, customer relations management and e-newsletter tools, e-commerce opportunities, event registration functionality, news feeds and members-only content, in addition to full community functionality and an easy-to-use content management system.

“To put it simply, this new website provides us the platform to reinvent the way we do business,” says Matt Gruhn, President of the MRAA. “It may seem a little overblown to make so much of what appears to simply be a new website, but this is much, much more than a simple redesign, or a couple new features. This allows us to interact with our members in ways we’ve never explored, and it provides much greater value to both our retailer and supplier membership experiences.”

While the new site design, which was created by Lighthouse Media Solutions (formerly known as Allen Roche Marine), is the most visible component of the change, integrated into the site are many features never seen before on the MRAA website. The community functionality may be the most significant among those new features. Through it, members will be able to maintain a profile and interact with all other members of the association through direct messaging, blogging, article ratings and commenting, and chat functionality, as well as news feeds, event calendars and messaging that are all specific to the member’s regional, state or local marine trades associations and other groups on the site.

“All of this new functionality is great for us as we move forward, but the thing that has us the most excited is the clear value this upgrade will have for the member experience we offer,” Gruhn says. “It used to take up to nine total steps to become a member of this association; today, we’ve reduced that to two. Fill out a form, click submit, and you have instant access to all of the members-only benefits, the privileged access to the MRAA online community and all of the members-only content. Plus there are many more such benefits to be announced in the coming days and weeks.”

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.

Supreme Court to hear arguments against Affordable Care Act

I attended a briefing this afternoon on the upcoming case the Supreme Court will hold, which may repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act.
 
Many small businesses and marine retailers are very concerned about the cost (affordability) of the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare). From March 26 to 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The arguments are scheduled for 5.5 hours over the three days, which is the longest time given to hear arguments in well over 100 years. It is expected these three days of argument will attract substantial media attention. However, very little has been reported on the case so far. As such, I want to present this brief of what is happening and what can be expected over the next couple of months.
 
As a reminder, the case is Florida, et al v. Department of Health and Human Services, et al. The case was brought by the attorneys general of 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in March 2010, dozens of legal cases have been filed against the law. Most cases have been dismissed on procedural grounds.

Of the small number of cases that have gotten past procedural hurdles, four cases have reached the Courts of Appeals. Of those cases, three courts have rejected challenges to the law (the Sixth Circuit and the DC Circuit upheld the law entirely, and the Fourth Circuit found the challenge to be premature under the Anti-Injunction Act). In the Eleventh Circuit, in a case brought by the attorneys general of 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the court found the individual responsibility provision to be unconstitutional.  However, the court left the rest of the law in place and specifically found the Medicaid expansion to be constitutional.

The federal government has appealed the decision striking down the individual responsibility provision. The 26 states and the NFIB have appealed the parts of the decision that left the law in place. Neither party is arguing the case against the individual responsibility provision is premature; however, the Supreme Court has decided on its own to consider that question.
 
The Court has divided the case into four separate questions:

  • Is the challenge to the individual responsibility provision premature under the Anti-Injunction Act, which prohibits challenging a tax prior to that tax being imposed?
  • Is the individual responsibility provision constitutional?
  • If the individual responsibility provision is unconstitutional, what other parts of the law, if any, must also be struck down?
  • Is the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid constitutional?

The Court could issue a ruling at any time after the conclusion of the March 26-28 hearing, but it is most likely to be sometime at the end of its term in late June.
 
It is impossible for me to predict the Supreme Court’s decision, but the Court is 5 to 4 on the conservative side and is generally predisposed to rule against precedent. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act has far reaching consequences affecting many long time precedents. This case truly is a once-in-a-generation event.
 
We will continue to watch this case closely and keep you up to date.

Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

Update on the status of the House Transportation Bill

The link below will take you to a brief article by The Huffington Post on the current status of the House Transportation Bill, and it sites several political reasons for the delay in the floor vote. It now appears Republicans will muster enough votes to bring the bill to the floor in late February. The article is particularly interesting if you like the financial details behind how amendments get offered and included in bills.
 
House Transportation Bill: Lobbying And Lawsuits Behind Move To Strip Worker Protections
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

RPC: White House admits Obamacare failure

The following includes a brief report from the Republican Policy Committee on the implementation of the new health care law, which is commonly being called Obamacare. It is political, but I thought you would find it a good read.  As the statement says, small businesses, including many marine retailers, want the law repealed.

White House Admits Obamacare Failure
 
Larry Innis
MRAA Legislative Affairs

BI: MRAA announces exclusive partnership

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced a new partnership today with TSYS Merchant Solutions, which will provide MRAA members with preferred pricing on credit card processing, check guarantee and conversion, mobile payment solutions and gift card processing.

TSYS Merchant Solutions has been in its industry for 55 years and … Read more.

TSYS Merchant Solutions Named Exclusive Payment Processing Partner of the MRAA

Boca Grande, Fla. — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today a new affinity partnership with TSYS Merchant Solutions designed to provide MRAA members with preferred pricing on credit card processing, check guarantee and conversion, mobile payment solutions and gift card processing. TSYS Merchant Solutions is ranked as the 10th largest merchant acquirer in the U.S. by dollar volume in 2010 by The Nilson Report.

“The ability to easily and securely accept any type of payment has become a fundamental element in maintaining dealership customer satisfaction, and is a critical component to any marine retailer’s business,” said Matt Gruhn, President of the MRAA. “TSYS Merchant Solutions offers a secure, low-cost solution to this problem, allowing our members to focus on what they do best — running their businesses.”

TSYS Merchant Solutions is a top-10 payment processor with more than 55 years of experience in the payment acceptance industry. By partnering with TSYS Merchant Solutions, MRAA members will have access to competitive pricing, a wide array of hardware and software solutions for payment processing, and unparalleled 24/7 customer and technical support to meet their unique needs. As an added bonus, TSYS Merchant Solutions will also offer to pay members up to $500* if they can’t meet or beat their current processing costs.

“We are honored MRAA has chosen to trust us with its members’ processing needs and look forward to a long relationship,” said Chris McNulty, senior director of business development and sales for TSYS Merchant Solutions. “Our team of industry experts is standing by and ready to begin work with dealers to deliver solutions that are tailored to their individual needs.”

With the addition of TSYS Merchant Solutions, MRAA introduces another world-class provider to its MRAA Rewards Program. MRAA reaches hundreds of companies serving the marine retailing industry and selects only those who provide the highest value and quality products, sales, and service to participate in the MRAA Rewards Program.

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.

About TSYS
TSYS (NYSE: TSS) is reshaping a new era in digital commerce, connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses and governments. Through unmatched customer service and industry insight, TSYS creates a better experience for buyers and sellers, supporting cross-border payments in more than 85 countries. Offering merchant payment-acceptance solutions as well as services in credit, debit, prepaid, mobile, chip, healthcare, installments, money transfer and more, TSYS makes it possible for those in the global marketplace to conduct safe and secure electronic transactions with trust and convenience.

TSYS’ headquarters are located in Columbus, Georgia, with local offices spread across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. TSYS provides services to more than half of the top 20 international banks. For more information, please visit us at www.tsys.com.