MRAA, Dominion launch Marine Retail University

The Marine Retailers Association of America and Dominion Marine Media have partnered to create title=Marine Retail University, a series of one-day, regional, educational conferences designed to extend professional development opportunities to dealers across North America.

Working through regional marine trades associations and other dealer groups, the MRAA and Dominion Marine Media will plan a handful of events as a satellite series to the MDCE, and the events will launch in 2012.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer dealers another avenue for professional development,” says Matt Gruhn, president of the MRAA. “These events will highlight areas of opportunities for dealers to pursue and will give them the knowledge and the tools to capitalize on those opportunities.”

The one-day conferences will include four to five educational sessions focused on regional data and information, dealer principal roundtables and keynote presentations that share best practices, trends and timely strategies.

Attendance at the one-day conferences will be free for MRAA dealer members, and non-members can register at a reduced rate. All dealer attendance will be supplemented by Dominion Marine Media.

“It’s our goal to deliver opportunities for long-term success to our customers,” says Courtney Chalmers, director of marketing for Dominion Marine Media. “Marine Retail University is another example of how we do that, and we’re excited to be partnering with the MRAA to extend educational opportunities to dealers across the country.”

Two industry suppliers have already signed on to support Marine Retail University. Boating Industry, which partners with the MRAA to produce the annual Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, has signed on to be the exclusive media sponsor of MRU. Boating Industry will use its marketing expertise and reach to help MRU drive dealer attendance and will play a role in content creation, as well. Statistical Surveys has also signed on to support MRU by providing regionalized data, trends and insight into the specific markets MRU will reach. A number of MTAs have already expressed interest in hosting the series.

“The early support we’ve received for Marine Retail University has been phenomenal,” Gruhn says. “Our members have told us that the education provided at the MDCE national event is among the top benefits they receive from their membership. And there’s an obvious need for a satellite series like MRU to reach into the far corners of the industry and educate dealers. At the same time, MRU will work to complement opportunities at MDCE and work to promote additional dealer attendance there.”

MTAs or other dealer groups that are interested in bringing Marine Retail University to their meetings should contact Matt Gruhn at 763-315-8043 or matt@mraa.com.

About Marine Retailers Association of America
The Marine Retailers Association of America is the only national association dedicated to furthering the interests of boat and engine dealers and other marine-related retailers. Under the umbrella of MRAA Rewards, the MRAA offers a host of cost-saving and revenue-generating benefits exclusively for its members. For more information, visit www.MRAA.com.

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.

About Dominion Enterprises
Dominion Enterprises is a leading marketing services and publishing company serving the automotive, recreational and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, employment, parenting, travel, and daily deals industries. The company’s 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, and more than 280 magazines with a weekly circulation of 2.4 million. Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., the company has 3,300 employees in more than 186 offices in the United States, Canada, England and Italy. For more information visit www.DominionEnterprises.com.

MDCE 2011 Gets Underway

Conference and expo breaks dealer attendance records.

November 7, 2011

ORLANDO — For the fourth year in a row, the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is growing. The event, title=which kicked off with a networking reception last night at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, not only offers a record-breaking 22 educational sessions and the largest expo hall in the history of the event, but also more than 470 dealers have already registered for the event, a slight increase compared to dealer registration numbers in 2010, and on-site registration continues to build.

“This event continues to deliver the content, networking opportunities and products and services that the market needs during these challenging times,” said Liz Walz, editor-in-chief of Boating Industry magazine, which co-produces the event with the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “The dealers here this week understand the role education and training play in their ability to grow in today’s market, while the industry’s manufacturers and suppliers are here to support dealer success, knowing that it drives their business success.”

Today, the MDCE Expo Hall opens for the second day, and a trio of bonus sessions began at 10:30 a.m., leading up to this evening’s keynote address and another networking reception. On-site registration remains available — with both single-day and full passes — for the four-day event.

“We continue to be gratified by the importance that dealers are placing n attending this one-of-a-kind event to educate themselves,” said Phil Keeter, president of the Marine Retailers Association of America. “Even in this slow market, an increasing number of dealers take advantage of the value offered to them through the MDCE and continue to invest in their business and in their future.”

A total of 96 marine industry suppliers have signed up to sponsor and exhibit at this year’s event.

Once again, MDCE offers three educational tracks, Powering Profits, Sales & Marketing and Service & Marina. The marina content, new for 2011, is offered through a partnership with the Association of Marina Industries and the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association. All three tracks begin on Tuesday and run through Wednesday.

Dealer Alert: Oct. 24, 2011

DEALER ALERT

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction has been charged with the task of $1.5 trillion in federal government budget cuts. The committee must provide Congress with its recommendations by Thanksgiving.

With six of the twelve Members of the committee publicly advocating for increased tax revenues, MRAA has been very concerned that it may consider elimination of the primary and secondary home interest deduction or a significant restriction on whom or how Americans can take the deduction. It is reported the Committee has been considering total elimination, restrictions on income (for example, only Americans making $250,000 or less would qualify for the deduction), or establishment of a maximum dollar amount of a deduction.

The Joint Committee has now established a web site, Contact – About – Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction , where Americans can contact the committee directly and send comments on its work. The site provides an easy way to communicate with the Joint Committee.

MRAA asks dealers to contact the Joint Committee immediately through the website. Just click on the site provided in this Alert

A suggested message is………”Retention of the primary and secondary home mortgage interest deduction is vital to the continued and slowly recovering economic vitality of the recreational boating industry, which is just now seeing a potential bottom after significant sales declines since 2008. Our industry is now positioned to start a rehire program in retailing. Don’t push us over the edge by eliminating or restricting this important tax deduction used by many Americans to buy a recreational boat as a second home. KEEP THE HOME MORTGAGE INTEREST DEDUCTION, DO NOT PLACE RESTRICTIONS ON IT,AND KEEP ITS USAGE FOR BOATS.“

Aspiring for greatness

It
isn’t very often that we get to realize a long-held aspiration. But as
you read this, I am getting that very opportunity, and I’d like to share
that story with you.

It was about four years ago now that I had what was then an
off-the-record conversation with MRAA President Phil Keeter. In that
conversation he suggested he would be retiring in “a few years,” and
almost immediately my hopes and desires to succeed him set in.

I had been working in the marine industry for almost 11 years at the
time and had spent the better part of the prior six years working in
various capacities on the trade publication Boating Industry.
My passion for working with and helping marine dealers took a firm grasp
of me and my career ambitions as those years went by, and certainly the
prospect of focusing all of my energy on that single pursuit was
incredibly appealing to me.

Today, I’m officially three days into realizing that dream. I’m
currently holed up with Mr. Keeter in his Tulsa, Okla. office, where
he’s trying diligently to share his 50-plus-years of industry knowledge
and wisdom with me over a three-day period. Wish me luck.

Mr. Keeter and I will be working side-by-side for the next three
months as I ramp up toward succeeding him and he ramps down toward
retirement. I look forward to soaking up as much knowledge from him as
possible over those 90 days.

There will be plenty of time, through these blogs and the countless
conversations that I will have with you over the coming days, weeks,
months, and years, to share the aspirations I have for the MRAA and our
progress toward them. But for now, I just wanted to briefly introduce
myself (and this brand new blog site) and let you know that I hold it as
an honor and a privilege to succeed Mr. Keeter and to begin serving you
and the rest of the marine dealer body on an every-day basis.

I have newly created aspirations, and they’re focused on creating
more value for you and your membership in the MRAA. So stay tuned to
this blog for those developments, and just know that if there is ever
anything I can do to be of assistance to you, you should, please, feel
free to contact me at any time at matt@mraa.com or in my office at 763/315-8043.

MRAA members now save on inbound shipping

PartnerShip and the Marine Retailers Association of America are pleased and excited to offer increased savings on less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping to all MRAA members. PartnerShip, the freight management provider of MRAA, works with nationally known carriers every day to provide unparalleled customer service and significant savings on every shipment you send and receive. Since 1989, PartnerShip has been negotiating substantial carrier discounts on behalf of our over 17,000 customers.

PartnerShip’s customized freight management program gives MRAA members the advantage of a comprehensive LTL freight option for shipments over 200 lbs., including a full suite of individualized services, such as:

  • Savings of at least 70% (discounts may increase based on volume) with the country’s most experienced and most reliable carriers, including UPS Freight®, Con-way Freight, YRC, and many regional carriers
  • Enhanced access to PartnerShip.com to compare rates, view transit times, track shipments, and pay invoices
  • A dedicated PartnerShip representative for all your shipping needs
  • An optional weekly or consolidated monthly invoice from PartnerShip, with 20-day payment terms
  • Inbound Shipping Management tools to save you money on the shipments you receive from your suppliers


Visit PartnerShip.com/ShipmentAnalysis for a free, no obligation shipment analysis.

Learn more about the MRAA shipping benefit.

This MRAA member benefit comes at no cost to you, and has no minimum shipping requirements or obligations. If you have any questions, please contact PartnerShip at 800-599-2902, or email select@PartnerShip.com.

Member Advisory: June 9, 2011


Membership Advisory

MRAA JOINS BUSINESS COALITION TO KEEP

POLITICS OUT OF FEDERAL CONTRACT AND GRANT PROCESS

MRAA is an active member of a coalition of 156 organizations spearheaded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that is urging Congress to pass the “Keep Politics Out of the Federal Contracting Act of 2011.” Several letters have already been sent to both the Senate and the House of Representatives where in the House Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma)has been successful in getting the bill attached to two important bills, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act and the massive $690 billion National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1540). The Cole Amendment would ensure that “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement any rule, regulation, or executive order regarding the disclosure of political contributions that takes effect on or after the date of enactment of this Act.”

In addition, a group of Republican senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) announced they were supporting legislation in the Senate to block the Obama Executive Order. Senate Republicans have not said, though, if they would try to follow up on the amendment offered by Rep. Cole, which had the support of all Republicans but one and 26 Democrats.

The letters MRAA has singed remind Congress that the federal acquisition process has worked well free of political influence.

The Congressional actions are in response to a draft Presidential Executive Order under consideration that would force companies and non-profit organizations vying for federal contracts and grants to reveal employee donations and membership payments to advocacy groups and trade associations, like MRAA, that is engage in even a small amount of political speech.. Contributions to political candidates, parties, and PACs are already disclosed as part of the federal law governing federal elections. The draft order is meant to target organizations that are not political organizations but may engage in some political speech as part of their broader mission.

“The draft Executive Order strikes at the heart of representative government and freedom under the First Amendment. Much of the information on campaign contributions is already public and reported to the Federal Election Commission,” said Phil Keeter, MRAA President. “MRAA will continue to support efforts to block the contractor disclosure order and to stop efforts to politicize the federal procurement process,” he added.

Published by Larry Innis, Director of Government Affairs