New Safe Boating Video Series

• Discover Boating, Progressive Insurance® partner to launch third installment of ‘Top Safe Boating Tips’

Discover Boating, powered by NMMA and MRAA, in collaboration with Progressive Insurance, is launching its third safety video series titled “Top Safe Boating Tips” this month. The five-part series covers crucial safety topics that all boaters need to be aware of for a worry-free day on the water, including boating with pets, refueling, navigation lights usage, trailering and safe seating. Last year’s Discover Boating/Progressive-produced video series garnered more than 2 million views on YouTube, helping to engage and educate boaters on on-water safety best practices.

Discover Boating, new safe boating video series

The first video, “Keep Your Dog Safe on the Water: A Pet Owner’s Guide to Onboard Adventures,” offers tips for pet owners who want to bring their canine companions on their boating adventures. The video covers essentials like selecting a pet life jacket, protecting paws from hot surfaces, ensuring hydration, proper boarding techniques and following marina pet policies. This first episode in the latest video series can be viewed below and on Discover Boating’s YouTube channel.
To further engage current boaters and the next generation, Discover Boating and Progressive strategically created short-form videos (in addition to longer form versions) that can be shared on social channels, such as TikTok and Instagram – popular platforms Discover Boating’s target audiences use to consume digital content. Discover Boating will also be sharing the new videos via consumer email distributions and on its websites in the U.S. and Canada.
Industry stakeholders are encouraged to view and share these safety videos on your social media channels, consumer emails, brand website or play it on loop in showrooms, to provide valuable safe boating content for your customers.


The 2024 five-video series focuses on the following topics:

  • Safe Boating with Pets
  • Refueling Best Practices
  • Proper Use of Navigation Lights
  • Boat Trailering Techniques
  • Safe Seating Protocols

Similar to the 2023 video series (viewable/shareable here), a new video will be released each month, March-July, on YouTube. Discover Boating will also share shorter cutdown versions to engage target audiences across social media platforms and promoted on the Discover Boating blog, DB TV section and b2b.discoverboating.com.

About Discover Boating:  Powered by the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, Discover Boating connects boaters and future boaters with experiences, resources and community to enhance their boating journey and expand the industry in the U.S. and Canada. For nearly two decades, Discover Boating has led the North American recreational boating industry’s consumer outreach efforts, attracting millions of people to boating and helping them get on the water and become boaters. Industry stakeholders can follow along and share Discover Boating content from DiscoverBoating.com and @DiscoverBoating on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About Progressive Insurance: Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however it’s most convenient for them — online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers. Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®. The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR.

Lessons Learned at Inaugural SheMoves Conference

MRAA staff recently attended the inaugural SheMoves Conference hosted by Associations North, a regional association for association professionals. Sessions held included topics on leaders and our impact, professional development, advocating for yourself, not apologizing as a reflex, imposter syndrome and leaning on our strong community of women. Here are a few of the takeaways I encourage everyone to consider as we wrap up Women’s History Month.

Lesson 1 Support women, our current and future business owners.
Lesson 1: Support women, our current and future business owners.
Lesson 1: Support women, our current and future business owners.
Images by Block Portrait Studios supplied by Associations North

Lesson 1: Support women, our current and future business owners.
The exhibition portion of the event highlighted local women-owned businesses. They shared their entrepreneurial stories, founded by themselves or their daughters, and how they give back to their communities. We’re happy to report Onica surpassed her Girl Scout cookie sales goal! I got ahead on my Christmas shopping and was able to network with these women and talk about informational interviews with youth in their businesses.

Lesson 2: Take time to recognize women in your life as leaders.
Liz Keener, MRAA Director of Dealer Development

Lesson 2: Take time to recognize the women in your life as leaders.   
Sometimes, the best leaders are on your own team, in your own home. I know I’m surrounded by brilliance at work every day … but do you recognize the leadership within your organization? MRAA got to experience this in a new way when Liz Keener, MRAA Director of Dealer Development, took to the stage. She shared The MRAA Book Club passion and invited everyone to read a recent favorite of hers – “Wolfpack” by Abby Wambach. I’m proud to see how she is making an impact on our team, in the marine retail industry, as well as the industry of associations.

Lesson 3: I am a leader and have a voice worth listening to.
Sarah Korbel, MRAA Events & Operations Manager (by Block Portrait Studios)

Lesson 3: I am a leader and have a voice worth listening to.
I, Sarah Korbel, MRAA’s Events & Operations Manager, prefer to be behind the scenes and offstage. Thus, when asked to be on a panel titled “Infinite Insights,” I laughed. I didn’t see myself as being particularly insightful, but I do believe we can learn by doing things that scare us. So I said yes. While preparing, I thought about whether or not we can declare ourselves a “leader.” While I’m still not sure we can, I do believe we get to choose how we lead. And if someone decides how we lead is worth emulating … that’s leadership to me.

I choose to lead honestly, imperfectly and through relationship with others. I talked about how a leader doesn’t need to know everything. Part of leading is knowing your own capacity and recognizing you can’t do it all. Rather, great leaders bring the right people and resources together for success. This all came full circle when I learned after the event that I had this opportunity because another woman I met only once before, said she appreciated my insights and thought I’d be a great addition. She saw me as a leader with a voice worth listening to. I have a thank you note in the mail to her today.

Lesson 4: Men can, and should amplify the voices of women.
Lessons Learned at Inaugural SheMoves Conference
Scenes from SheMoves featuring MRAA crew members Mike Davin, Liz Keener, Gabrielle Ronnenberg, Grace Schmidt and Matt Gruhn.

Lesson 4: Men can, and should amplify the voices of women.
After the event was over, a colleague and I were discussing the delicate debate of whether to highlight men during a women’s focused event. One could debate it – however, I encourage everyone to think of it like this: One of the most powerful things men can do for women is to show up and listen. One’s gender doesn’t determine worthiness, and we all know this, but in a world where not everything is perfect, men showing up like this is an endorsement of these women as leaders. It’s saying – “I believe I have something I can learn here.”

To me personally, it meant two of my bosses felt what I had to say was important. That they felt they could learn from me. I am extremely grateful they show up for me, Liz, and the women that they spent time with at this event.  

I’m grateful Associations North took the time to learn how women make up more than 70 percent of the Associations Industry. And as a result, chose to give women an opportunity to learn from and network with each other, and celebrate our community. As we wrap up Women’s History Month, I encourage you to reach out to the women in your life and share how you have learned from them, what you appreciate about their leadership.

Let Data Be Your Pathway to Insights & Predictive Solutions

We have all been there, sitting in a meeting when someone says the word. Everyone around the room instantly thinks: is it DAY-ta or DA-tuh?

It doesn’t matter how you say it! Both forms are considered acceptable English pronunciations of the word data. Don’t believe me? Watch this!

What DOES matter about data is that you learn to use it to your advantage. You need to track internal and external data.

In-house, you want to track your number of leads generated, lead conversions, service efficiency, and repeat customers, to name a few. You want to explore this information daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually – comparing it year-over-year – at your dealership. It helps you comprehend what is happening in your business and the marine industry. It will likely reveal pain points and areas of strength and weakness.

It’s also vital to gain knowledge of other data sources to make informed business decisions. We understand that and have the resources to help you. It is one reason we are committed to providing the industry with market reports and why we partner with proven data influencers.

It’s also why Goal 3, Advocate and Raise Awareness, within the 2023-2025 MRAA Strategic Plan included the production of a data dashboard to inform dealers and manufacturers.  

We built a Data hub within our Resource Center on MRAA.com to share industry data. That page includes various resources from which you and your team can gather information to operate your business more effectively and aid you in scenario planning.

MRAA Pulse Reports
In partnership with Soundings Trade Only and Baird Research, MRAA produces a monthly “Pulse Report,” which helps to identify today’s trends and dealer sentiment to help you make more informed decisions for your business. We ask specific questions each month that pertain to current MRAA Spotlight topics, too, to gain firsthand feedback from dealers across North America.

MRAA Data Infographics
Using Pulse Report survey results, the MRAA develops a unique infographic with timely data and information for your dealership to use to better understand what’s going on in the industry.

2023 Service Management Special Report
The MRAA Service Management Special Report explores service. You will find data and information on dealer demographics, employee resources, pain points and service department metrics. The report and survey results can help you understand where your business stacks up against others in the marine retail industry. For a deeper understanding, read the blog: “Stories Give Service Data Meaning” from Bernie DeGraw, MRAA Senior Education Developer.

2022 Marine Industry Compensation Study, MRAA Data and Insight

2022 MRAA Marine Industry Compensation Study
We collected 980 position-level responses from 103 retail locations for the MRAA’s most recent Marine Industry Compensation Study. Workforce, staffing and compensation are popular and ever-important topics for marine retailers. You can get an executive summary or the full report here.

But that’s not all. The original 2016 Marine Industry Workforce Assessment is also available. Use it as a barometer to see how our industry has changed over the past eight years and to examine marketplace trends. To broaden our conversation about compensation, the MRAA will also produce a new 2025 Compensation Study to keep our finger and yours on the pulse of what’s currently happening within the workforce, from challenges to victories and future estimates.

J.D. Power Marine Market Insights
The MRAA and J.D. Power have collaborated to supply the marine industry with market insights and reporting. The report explores average retail values by boat category, top researched vessels by brand and additional data you can dig into. We have even discussed some of this data with Lenny Sims, VP of Business Development/Strategy, to it and to provide you with knowledge.

J.D. Power’s Market Insights 2023 Marine Year-End report was recently uploaded to the MRAA Data Center.

Numbers & Knowledge
The MRAA is committed to engaging and informing dealers and manufacturers through education, development programs and data-driven solutions. Our effort will help them find success and also help improve the health of the marine industry. We will continue to enhance our retail data dashboards to keep this same audience informed and to deliver on one of our strategic goals to become an authentic source of industry numbers and knowledge.

Stories Give Service Data Meaning

Dan Heath, a New York Times best-selling author once said, “Data are just summaries of thousands of stories – tell a few of those stories to help make the data meaningful.”

The MRAA collected a great deal of data in the survey process for the Service Management Special Report. In a sense, we collected thousands of stories from dealerships across North America. In the report we share the data, how we collected it and, most importantly, we inspected the data to find the stories that we were being told. No doubt, the stories took a little time to sort out. We invested time to compare the information from different data pieces. At times, what we found was unexpected but it was almost always useful.   

Stories Give Service Data Meaning - MRAA Service Management Special Report

For example, the data in the Service Management Special Report showed us that efficiency was one of the top pain points for service department leaders who completed the survey. That isn’t necessarily such a “new” story being revealed. Service department leaders everywhere dwell on their efficiency numbers and it is almost always an ongoing concern. Often, they wonder what made efficiency go down and then (hopefully soon) they start looking for why it went up.  

And yet, an efficiency story was there in the numbers. One piece told us that more than 40 percent of all respondents found efficiency to be a pain point. Another told us that many dealerships have a person dedicated to parts that works with service specifically. When we looked at those two together we found a sort of moral to the story. That is that those dealers with a dedicated parts person for the service shop had a higher full year and higher peak efficiency than dealers without this role. They even had higher proficiency when they had the dedicated parts person.

The parts department efficiency story is just one of many informative, helpful and even exciting narratives exposed by the Service Management Special Report.

Stories Give Service Data Meaning - MRAA Chart
Here is what the efficiency and parts person story looked like in the combined data.

The data also helps us to share explanations about the workforce, dealer resources that influence success, and Repair Event Cycle Times (RECT). It gave us insightful narratives about written and shared job descriptions and control quality. We even found a yarn or two about process maps that are significant and memorable.

Other topics revealed by the data and stories:

  • Workforce Shortage
  • Efficiency
  • RECT
  • Teamwork and Communication
  • Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
  • Individual Incentive Pay Plans
  • Team Incentive Pay Plans
  • Process Maps
  • Organizational Charts
  • Job Descriptions

“The core advantage of data is that it tells you something about the world that you didn’t know before,” says Hillary Mason, a data scientist addressing the value of data.

As we revealed in the 2023-2025 MRAA Strategic Plan, we are committed to gathering data and using it to help our members find avenues to greater success. We look forward to continuing to share industry data and tell you the stories within the data we gather to help make it meaningful and useful.  

To capture more service-related data and to read more stories from the Service Management Special Report, purchase the full report or download the Executive Summary.

A 5-part Training Schedule to Set Up Your Team for Success

Studies have shown that 88 percent of American workers say ongoing training is important to them.* However, only 8 percent of American workers intentionally focus on training and education.* So if most workers want more training, but they don’t focus on it, where’s the disconnect?

It’s believed, like many things, it’s either will or skill. Most people who say ongoing training is important have the will to improve. So, then it comes down to skill, or in this case, having a defined plan that’s easy to create and execute. Our secret weapon is a 5×5 training plan – a 5-week program for 30 minutes a day for five days a week – you can implement now with your team.

Pick five topics to train your team on. Here’s how you would execute each topic.

  1. Product Knowledge

This training takes place out on the lot and focuses on manufacturer construction and highlighting hot inventory pieces you have in stock. This is a great opportunity to schedule a visit from a manufacturer rep. They are full of knowledge and great salespeople.

  • Objection Handling

This training takes place in a classroom setting and involves role-playing. Ask everyone to bring their toughest objection to the session to role-play with other team members. After each role-play, use input from the group to create word tracks and ideas the team can write down as takeaways to review on their own.

  • Phone Role-Play

This form of role-play can be very powerful and is rarely trained on in dealerships. Pair up the team and have one person be the customer and the other act as the salesperson. Use role-play scenarios, a defined inbound phone greeting script and a phone call scorecard to define a successful sales call. There are a lot of available options for a scorecard. Find the one that best suits your needs.

  • Phone Call Review

This training takes place in the classroom. Use what was taught in the phone role-play session to review both good and bad phone call scenarios. It’s incredible how quickly people improve when they have an audience. This session is a great way to highlight what makes a great phone call.

  • Walk-Around Role-Play

Select a target boat in your inventory and let everyone know a few days ahead of training what your unit is for the week. On training day, randomly select a team member to do a walk-around demo for the whole group. Explain to the team that the focus should be on asking qualified questions to identify hot buttons; they should be able to accurately explain features, advantages and benefits, as well as engage the customer. The group then provides their feedback to the team member who presented. By randomly selecting someone, everyone needs to be prepared and ready to present. As an extra step, video the team members completing their walk-around so they can review it on their own for a better understanding of where the feedback is coming from. Do this to offer areas of improvement and encouragement.

The 5×5 training system is quick and easy to implement. It’s a great tool to get your team prepared for the season ahead!

5-part training schedule for team success with Dom Zappia of RDS, an MRAA Platinum Partner

About the Author
Dom Zappia, Area Director at Relentless Dealer Services, an APCO Holdings brand, has been in the industry for 17 years. His extensive knowledge started at a dealership where he was first introduced to F&I as the Finance Manager. Dom’s passion for F&I grew into an extensive training program developed specifically with marine dealerships in mind. His understanding of how dealerships work has helped him to tailor training needs for dealers across the nation. Learn more at www.relentlessdealerservices.com   

*Pew Trend Magazine

MRAA’s Liz Keener Named to Boating Industry’s 40 Under 40

MINNEAPOLIS, DATE – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) is proud to announce that Liz Keener, Director of Dealership Development, has been honored by Boating Industry magazine as one of its 40 Under 40 list of young professionals within the marine industry.

MRAA's Liz Keener named to Boating Industry's 40 Under 40 list of young marine industry professionals
March 2024, Boating Industry

“Being named one of Boating Industry’s 40 Under 40 is a massive honor, and I was surprised to be nominated,” says Keener, who has been with MRAA since 2018. “While I appreciate being on the list, I know it wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing team we have at the MRAA. The 23 people I get to work alongside every day make this job fun and so much easier than if I didn’t have their support. I hope our whole team sees my award as a testament to the work they’ve put in to make MRAA a strong organization.”

The 2024 Boating Industry 40 Under 40 award recipients were selected from hundreds of nominations and includes representatives from many segments within the marine industry. Like Keener, other young professionals were chosen for their individual contributions, both in the field and outside of it, and career accomplishments. The Boating Industry staff selects nominees that serve as boating advocates within their company and beyond, have the passion for leadership and requires that all nominees demonstrate growth in the recreational boating industry. Over the years, award winners have ranged from those with no marine background to some who have been involved from almost birth.

“We at Boating Industry see the importance of a diverse and strong workforce to both carry on traditions and knowledge from many years of success as an industry, and bring new ideas to the forefront to ensure our industry is never left behind,” said Adam Quandt, Boating Editor Editor-in-Chief, Top 100 Director. “The 40 Under 40 highlights young professionals that continuously set the bar for excellence in the recreational boating space and we at Boating Industry are excited to watch the award winners’ success, as they carry the torch into the future.”

MRAA's Liz Keener named to Boating Industry's 40 Under 40 list
Liz Keener, MRAA Director of Dealer Development

Keener first joined the marine industry in 2010, at the parent company of Boating Industry magazine. She worked at her first Marine Dealer Conference & Expo and Top 100 gala in November 2010. Keener joined the Boating Industry editorial team, as a writer and Top 100 judge in 2013. She joined MRAA as an education specialist in 2018. Keener then went on to take the reins of the MRAA’s Dealership Certification program in 2019, and this past December, she was promoted to her new role as Director of Dealer Development and a member of the MRAA Leadership Team.

Keener says she has always admired the people who make the 40 Under 40 list, adding, “The boating professionals who have made the list over the past several years include many of the great people in this industry. I’m honored and humbled to have been nominated for this award, and I’m so excited I’ve made the list among some of my friends and MRAA Members, including J Hurless, Frank Matcha and Kyle Cook, the husband of my co-worker Stevie Cook. Congratulations to the entire 40 Under 40 class of 2024.”

Read the 40 Under 40 story in the March edition of Boating Industry, here.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

Relentless Dealer Services Upgrades to Platinum Partner

MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announces that Relentless Dealer Services has upgraded their membership level from Standard Partner Member to Platinum Partner Member with the MRAA.

Through Platinum Partner Membership, Relentless Dealer Services (RDS) supports the MRAA, its programs, and the opportunities the association provides the dealer body in an effort to fuel the success of the industry. Commitments from Platinum Partners like RDS allow for the expansion of MRAA’s offerings and create a positive, long-term impact for its members.

“Relentless Dealer Services is proud to work with MRAA and support the marine industry,” commented Dom Zappia, Area Director, RDS. “We are passionate about partnering with dealers to help them get to the next level of F&I success.”

Relentless Dealer Services, part of the APCO Holdings family of brands, is a long-time Partner with the MRAA and consistently exhibits at Dealer Week every year. This year, RDS has decided to upgrade their support to the Association by becoming a Platinum Partner Member. As part of the APCO Holding’s family of brands, RDS is strategically dedicated to helping marine dealers thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. They offer a full suite of F&I products, training and development, and end-to-end dealer solutions to help achieve your goals across the dealership.

“We are thrilled to see an established MRAA Partner such as RDS increase their support of our important mission to fuel dealer success in the marine industry,” says Allison Gruhn, MRAA VP of Business Development, “The folks at Relentless Dealer Services have always been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to seeing what RDS will accomplish as a brand under APCO Holdings.”

About Relentless Dealer Services
Relentless Dealer Services is part of APCO Holdings, home to the EasyCare and Open Road brands that support RV, Marine, and Powersports dealers. Our work with hundreds of dealerships has helped to increase dealership net income, while simultaneously setting industry standards in dealership F&I compliance, customer satisfaction, and employee retention. For more information, please visit: https://www.relentlessdealerservices.com/.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer Week 2023 Education Now Available on MRAATraining.com

Fifteen world-class educational courses from MRAA’s 2023 Dealer Week Conference and Expo are now available on MRAATraining.com. MRAA Gold and Silver Members have immediate viewing access. The topics include best practices for selling value and experience; turning boat inventory faster; fixing poor communications; and more. Dealer Week 2023 includes tactics and expert-driven advice in three pathways: Leadership, Sales & Marketing and Service & Parts.

To view all the new courses, log into MRAATraining.com, select the Catalog tab and type “Dealer Week 2023” in the search bar. The MRAA’s learning management center now includes more than 260 courses to help your dealership learn, grow and find greater success.

Dealer Week 2023 Education Now Available on MRAATraining.com Leadership

Leadership Pathway — Be a leader in dealership resilience and prepare for whatever the future holds.

  • How to Fix Breakdowns in Dealership Communication, Marcus Sheridan, Marcus Sheridan International, Inc.
  • Recalibrate & Renew Your Dealership for What’s Ahead, John Spader, Spader Business Management
  • 4 Steps to Solving Your Dealership’s Most Complex Issues, Dave Newell, Evolve Leadership Consulting, LLC
  • Drive Dealership Performance through Interdepartmental Harmony, Kurt von Ahnen, Mañana No Mas
  • Transform Your Retail Environment, Transform Your Customer Experience & Profits, Paige Wittman, Miller Wittman Retail Design Group
Dealer Week 2023 Education Now Available on MRAATraining.com Sales & Marketing

Sales & Marketing Pathway – Use proven best practices to advance your sales and marketing strategies.

  • Selling Value and Experience in the New Economy, Ryan Estis, ImpactEleven (Feature)
  • Attitude: A Multiplying Factor in Your Sales Success, Jim Million, Million Learning
  • Tactics to Turn Your Boat Inventory Faster, David Parker, Parker Business Planning, LLC
  • Use Facebook & Instagram to Generate Leads That Turn Into Buyers, Danny Decker, Danny Decker Marketing
  • Overcome Objections with Next Level Deal Desking and Financing, Dom Zappia & Jamison Carrier, Relentless Dealer Services
Dealer Week 2023 Education Now Available on MRAATraining.com Service & Parts

Service & Parts Pathway – Satisfy more customers and drive success from your service team.

  • Get on the A-List for Premium Service Success, Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting (Feature)
  • Apply Action Leadership in Your Service & Parts Departments, Kurt von Ahnen, Mañana No Mas
  • Solve Your Parts & Service Customers’ Problems, Jim Million, Million Learning
  • How to Prevent and Address Parts Obsolescence, Steve Jones, SJ Consulting
  • Update your Service & Parts Communication for a Changing Customer, Paula Crosbie and Dixie Morrow, PCLM Business Solutions
Take Advantage of Your MRAA Bronze Membership!

As a Bronze Member, you get one free online course with your MRAA membership, so be sure to use it. However, don’t miss the newly added education that will help you improve many aspects of your business this year. All of the Dealer Week 2023 courses were designed with you in mind to help your dealership improve and gain confidence so you can take on 2024.

Look over the listed Dealer Week education above again to determine a specific course you want to take as a team or as part of onboarding new hires. Then, reach out to Sherri Cuvala, MRAA Director of Membership, to learn how to add additional courses and about prorating your membership to save money! Schedule a call or email Sherri.

MRAA Dealer Week 2023 education on MRAATraining.com

RBFF Awards 2024 State R3 Program Grants to 7 Programs in 7 States

• More than half a million dollars will fund efforts to increase fishing and boating participation

ALEXANDRIA, VA (March 18, 2024) – Through its State R3 Program Grants, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has awarded funds to seven programs in seven states. Now in its tenth year, the State R3 Program Grants’ goal is to support state recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) initiatives to increase fishing and boating participation.

RBFF Awards 2024 State R3 Program Grants 2024


RBFF is providing approximately $157,500 in grants this year, and seven state agencies are contributing more than $290,000 in project funds and in-kind support, bringing the total amount of funding support to more than $503,000 for these programs.

The 2024 State R3 Program Grants support state agency R3 initiatives and plans in three focus areas:

  • Communicate the relevance of fishing and/or boating to urban, multicultural audiences to increase participation
  • Implement angler and/or boater customer engagement strategies to retain and/or reactivate anglers and boaters to increase participation
  • Enhance the capability of agencies to develop and implement effective angler and/or boater R3 efforts

“RBFF’s State R3 Program Grants is a key state engagement initiative to retain anglers in fishing and boating and to introduce the activities to new audiences,” said Stephanie Hussey, RBFF’s Senior Director of Government Engagement. “We are pleased to support these state agencies with their marketing and outreach efforts to grow fishing and boating participation, ultimately benefiting aquatic conservation in their state.” 

The State R3 Program Grants fund sustainable and replicable angler and boater R3 initiatives and plans that focus on increasing fishing license sales and boat registrations to help increase fishing and boating participation. Proposals are reviewed and selected by RBFF staff and a Proposal Review Working Group made up of industry, federal agency and NGO representatives.

The 2024 grantees include:
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

  • 2024 R3 Fishing Plan

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

  • Hispanic Angler Communication Methods Marketing Campaign

Georgia Division of Wildlife Resources

  • Gateway to Fishing Program’s, Atlanta Fishing Guide

Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife

  • IN DNR Marketing Campaign for Female Angler Retention and Reactivation

Ohio Division of Wildlife 

  • Netting New Recruits: Leveraging a CRM to Extend the Efficacy of Marketing Recruitment Efforts

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

  • Text Messages to Lapsed Boaters

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

  • Utah R3 Underserved Communities Marketing Campaign – Phase II

The State R3 Program Grants are partially funded by RBFF under cooperative agreement #F23AC00806 from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To learn more about the State R3 Program Grants and other initiatives, visit RBFF’s website.
​​

About RBFF
The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) is a nonprofit whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. To help recruit, retain and reactivate participants, RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ brands which educate the public on fishing, boating and conservation while inspiring them to hit the water. RBFF offers consumer research, website plugins, marketing education and shareable content to help better connect industry stakeholders and government agencies with their customers. 

For further information: Bruna Carincotte, bcarincotte@rbff.org, 202-743-9894.

Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule Update

• NOAA hosts technology workshop while advancing Right Whale Vessel Speed rule to final stages
• Mike Sayre, Director of Government Relations, MRAA, joins recreational marine and fishing industry advocates; makes case for technology-based solutions

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently held a Vessel Strike Risk Reduction Technology Workshop in an effort to gather stakeholders from government; commercial and recreational marine industries; academia; and environmental non-profits to discuss the status and potential of technological methods to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW).

Right Whale Proposed Speed Rule Update
This map, originally shared Oct. 6, 2022, shows the proposed North Atlantic Right Whale seasonal speed zones.

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ Mike Sayre joined other recreational marine and fishing industry advocates to make the case that technology-based solutions are viable options to protect the NARW while allowing for safe operation of recreational vessels.

A variety of promising technologies were highlighted including satellite imaging, passive acoustic monitoring, infrared sensors, and more that can help detect the NARW. Other discussions focused on how that data could be aggregated and disseminated to mariners to help them avoid NARWs when they are detected. It became clear that there is already a great deal of information on the locations of NARW but there is a reluctance to push that data to the public out of fear that telling mariners where whales are located could lead to more public interaction with the protected animals.

While the technology workshop provided an opportunity for some useful discussions on technology-based solutions to protect the NARW, it was made clear to all attendees that the proposed vessel speed restriction rule was not a topic for discussion at the workshop. This decision highlights how NOAA mishandled this opportunity for collaboration. Had the workshop been conducted early in the rulemaking process, it could have guided the agency to more reasonable solutions that would protect the NARW and allow safe operation for recreational boaters.

Further frustrating stakeholders was the fact that NOAA did not notify attendees that the agency had advanced the proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the final step before a rule is finalized. Despite strong opposition from stakeholders and the fact that it relies on inaccurate assumptions, hurts business and safety, and is not the most effective way to protect whales, the proposed Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule has taken another step toward becoming law.

As currently drafted, this proposed rule stands to be one of the most impactful decisions for recreational boating on the East Coast ever

Mike Sayre, Director of Government Relations, MRAA

The draft regulation was put forth by NOAA in August 2022 and proposes to broaden the current 10-knot (11.5-mph) speed restriction to include vessels 35 feet and larger (down from 65 feet); expand the go-slow zones from discrete calving areas to essentially the whole Atlantic Coast out as far as 90 miles; and extend speed zone restrictions to as many as seven months a year. As currently drafted, this proposed rule stands to be one of the most impactful decisions for recreational boating on the East Coast ever. To learn about the history behind this proposed regulation, take a second and read our blog here.

Even at this final stage, there are still opportunities for the recreational marine and fishing industries to make their voice heard and advocate for a more sensible solution that protects both the NARW and the safety of boaters. The MRAA continues to work with impacted industry stakeholders to advocate for those solutions as an alternative to the potentially disastrous vessel speed restriction.

MRAA Survey
As part of those ongoing advocacy efforts, the MRAA is conducting a follow-up to the survey we conducted in 2022 when the rule was first proposed. This survey will allow MRAA to collect the most up-to-date information on the economic impact on marine retailers and related small businesses. To complete the survey, please click here and share with other businesses that will suffer as a result of this proposed rule.

The MRAA is also collaborating with the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, the independent voice for small business within the federal government and the watchdog of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. These efforts will ensure that the devastating impact this proposed rule will have on marine retailers is taken into account along with industry-wide efforts to ensure that the threat to boater safety and the recreational economy of the East Coast is part of the discussion at this final stage (as they should have been at the very beginning of regulatory process).

Questions?
If you have any questions about the Federal regulatory review process, would like to get engaged, or have questions about the proposed rule, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mike Sayre, MRAA Director of Government Relations at Sayre@mraa.com, or Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager at Chad@mraa.com.