MINNEAPOLIS, January 19, 2022 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that MRAA Certification Manager Liz Keener was honored as one of the Top 100 Women in Powersports today by “Dealernews” at the American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) in Las Vegas.

Keener, who has been part of the powersports and marine industry since 2010, is being honored for consulting with the recently launched National Powersports Dealer Association (NPDA). The editorial team at “Dealernews” magazine, a powersports industry trade publication, built its Top 100 Women in Powersports list and then informed each award recipient of their honor while extending an invite to attend a special luncheon held today at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“I feel extremely honored by this recognition and am proud to be ranked among 99 other amazing women in powersports,” says Keener. “It has been exciting to be a part of the launch of NPDA. I look forward to working with the association again at AIMExpo and going forward, as they grow their resources for their powersports dealers, as MRAA does for marine dealers.”

AIMExpo, open only to dealers and industry professionals, provides the powersports industry an immersive experience by creating a platform for brands, dealers, distributors, manufacturers, media outlets and influencers to gather, engage and learn about important issues within powersports. AIMExpo says powersports generates more than $39.9 billion US dollars in consumer spending each year.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see Liz recognized for her deep commitment to the dealer community, which has been integral to her success in the marine and powersports industries,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President. “On behalf of all of us at MRAA, we congratulate Liz on this accomplishment and extend our salutations to all the other influential women named Dealernews Top 100 Women in Powersports.”

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.

MINNEAPOLIS, January 14, 2022 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, as part of its ongoing effort to fuel solutions for the marine industry’s No. 1 challenge — workforce shortages — has donated $100,000 to the MRAA Educational Foundation, a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization with a mission to provide education, scholarships and programs to develop a stronger marine industry workforce.

The $100,000 donation from the MRAA, the nonprofit trade association that drives dealership success through tools, resources and educational programs, comes with a powerful back story: When the association battled through a significant revenue drop in 2020, due to the cancellation of the in-person MRAA Dealer Week conference and expo, several leading industry organizations made donations of a combined $100,000 to help the MRAA endure the pandemic.

Throughout 2020, MRAA adjusted its business to counter the revenue shortfall and managed its expenses to the point that it broke even, financially. The $100,000 in industry donations, then, gave the association a net income of $100,000 on the year. At that time, the MRAA staff went to the MRAA Board of Directors to recommend that the organization recognize those companies’ generosity by paying it forward and investing those funds into building and strengthening the marine industry labor pool through a donation to the MRAA Educational Foundation.

“The MRAA exists solely to support the growth and success of our industry and specifically the dealers that serve boaters in their local community,” explains Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “We always explain to our members and our partners that when they invest in MRAA through their membership, through Dealer Week, through Dealership Certification, or any other means, the MRAA reinvests those funds right back into the industry. Paying this donation forward by investing it in workforce solutions powered by the MRAA Educational Foundation, is the perfect example of that philosophy.”

The MRAA Educational Foundation’s strategic plan takes an aggressive approach to solving personnel challenges. By developing regional stakeholder collaboratives across the country, also known as sectoral partnerships, employers can address area-specific labor pool challenges such as the marine technician shortage. This tactic is the best-practice approach to workforce development supported by federal and state workforce development funding streams.

“The Foundation’s board is committed to taking this bold approach to workforce development for our industry,” Mackie says. “They want to make sure that MRAA’s generous investment will pay off now and for years to come. The Foundation’s mission to grow the marine industry through workforce development compels us to create sustainable long-term solutions to our industry’s workforce challenges.”

To take the lead in fulfilling this mission, the MRAA hired Wendy Mackie as its Director of Workforce and Foundation Development. Mackie will apply her years of expertise in workforce development to generate the talent supply chain the MRAA membership needs.

“Our team here at the MRAA understands how challenging the workforce shortage has been for our dealers,” Gruhn adds. “They were lacking employees prior to the pandemic, and the events of the last couple years have only made the shortages worse. We expect this contribution to the workforce-focused mission of our Educational Foundation to fuel new programs and opportunities that will help dealers fill open positions and strengthen their businesses.”

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.

About MRAA Educational Foundation
The MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation, was founded in 2004 to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine industry. The Educational Foundation is dedicated to the growth of the marine industry through workforce development. For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

• More than 1,000 marine industry professionals were reunited at Dealer Week this December in Austin, Texas. Next week, Jan. 11-13, the conference will build on that success and bring it to teams inside the dealership with Dealer Week Online.

MINNEAPOLIS — More than 520 dealership personnel from across North America attended the Marine Retailers Association of America’s Dealer Week Conference and Expo in Austin, Texas, last month. The event, MRAA’s first live conference in more than 725 days, hosted 1,022 total attendees at the Austin Convention Center in the Live Music Capital of the World.

For the first time ever, the conference will span two years, however, as the education continues with Dealer Week Online Jan. 11-13. Dealers who attended the in-person conference will be able to attend the online event as part of their registration, and those who were unable to attend can register for online-only attendance at DealerWeek.com.

The in-person portion of Dealer Week was a four-day gathering designed to provide education and best practices to boat retailers. It successfully reunited dealers, educators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and more to focus on current hot-button topics and pain points within the marine industry. The conference generated discussions around tactics and strategies to strengthen communication, improve timeliness and advance processes in the face of inventory and supply issues as well as a growing customer base — more than 400,000 being first-time boat buyers — to maintain the industry’s current momentum. It also featured an Industry Celebration that took advantage of the setting in Austin with live music that lasted late into the night.

Dealer Week Online will premiere online versions of all the sessions that were presented in Texas plus nine new workshops with live Q&As. Utilizing the same platform as Dealer Week 2020, when the event went totally virtual, Dealer Week Online will include interactive features, including the ability to schedule video-based meetings with fellow attendees, as well as a full online exhibit area. Following the 2020 event, many attendees reported that they were excited to return to in-person gatherings, but that there were many aspects of the online event they didn’t want to give up. With the option of in-person Dealer Week as well as Dealer Week Online, attendees can get the conference experience that best meets their needs.

For three consecutive years, backed by outstanding industry support and continued engagement from dealers across North America, the MRAA has innovated and reinvested in its annual Dealer Week Conference and Expo. The inaugural and reinvented Dealer Week event in Tampa, Fla., in 2019 set attendance records for an in-person MRAA event with more than 600 dealers and 400 exhibitor attendees. The challenges of 2020 forced a pivot to a virtual conference, where once again the industry proved its resiliency, as it showed up in force and record numbers. With no flights or hotel rooms to worry about, the 1,047 total dealer attendance figure smashed the previous record of 650 participants at an MRAA Annual Conference, representing more than a 61-percent increase, and surpassed the total attendance at the inaugural in-person Dealer Week in 2019 by 77 percent.

With an ongoing pandemic and COVID-19 variants emerging, the 2021 Dealer Week event also requires reinvention, as MRAA combines an in-person, four-day conference Dec. 6-9, in Austin, with a three-day Dealer Week Online event happening Jan. 11-13. The new format allows registered dealers of all size and comfort levels to participate in both portions of Dealer Week, giving more potential to learn from all the educational pathways and expert speakers.

Dealers that attended the in-person Dealer Week in Texas can attend Dealer Week Online for free. Registration remains open and is encouraged for those who didn’t make it to Austin. The show kicks off at 9 a.m. (CDT), Tuesday, Jan. 11. The virtual event also features all-new content on Thursday, Jan. 13. Register now!

MRAA, celebrating its 50th year in 2022, will return to Austin in December for its fourth official Dealer Week Conference & Expo. We hope you will join us for boating’s only event focused on dealer success.

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.

MINNEAPOLIS, January 5, 2022 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, in honor of its 50th anniversary, announces the launch of a Year of Dealer Resources. During 2022, the MRAA will focus on a new topic each month and release benefits, education and resources via MRAA.com. Monthly updates will include a mix of resources available to members and non-members, new education, and tools from the MRAA archives.

The yearlong program is designed to be timely and highlight the various ways MRAA can serve marine dealers across North America. In January, the year kicks off with a focus on resources related to Employee Development.

“We wanted to celebrate our 50th Anniversary by doing what MRAA does best: Helping dealers find success,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “This monthly program delivers very timely and very relevant education and resources to boat dealers, through MRAA’s events, such as Dealer Week (in-person and online), and programs like Dealership Certification, Training ‘N’ Tactics and our Mastermind Groups, as well as educational curriculums like that found in our Continuous Certification program. Our focus on a monthly theme gives us the platform to focus intently on the most impactful issues our dealers are faced with throughout the year, and it also allows us to showcase just how much educational content MRAA has to offer in our quest to help dealership teams learn, implement and grow their business.”

Industry studies, dealer surveys and direct feedback have revealed that workforce is a major concern for retailers, which is why it is the perfect topic to focus on in January. Dealers of all sizes need help with training methods, managing burnout, retaining quality employees and workforce enhancement. It also fits perfectly with the theme of Dealer Week Online, Jan. 11-13. The online conference spotlights employee development through the sharing of critical insights, trends and strategies within three specific pathways (Leadership, Sales and Marketing and Service & Parts) to help dealerships thrive in 2022. The virtual event is free to attendees of Dealer Week 2021 in Austin, Texas, and still open to new online-only registrations as well.

February’s subject of Lead Generation and Nurturing is well-timed because dealers need to make it abundantly clear they’re open for business, in spite of a lack of inventory and nearly empty showrooms. An influx of first-time boat buyers accompanied by massive industry demand prove that an investment in follow-up and nurturing is critical for customer retention. March will focus on Service Efficiency and, in particular, Repair Event Cycle Times. MRAA will share with dealers the resources they can implement to become more proficient in service. The first quarter of 2022 concludes with April’s theme of Pre-Owned Boat Buying and Selling, a topic that can help dealers put units on their showroom floor, appease customer demands and add to their bottom line.

The 2022 MRAA Year of Dealer Resources Schedule*
•January: Employee Development
•February: Lead Generation & Nurturing
•March: Service Efficiency / RECT
•April: Pre-Owned Boat Buying & Selling
•May: Recruiting, Hiring and Onboarding
•June: Customer Experience
•July: Adaptability / Change Management
•August: Service, Parts & Accessories
•September: Dealership Operations and Facilities
•October: Employee Retention
•November: Marketing
•December: Dealership Financials
* Subject to change based upon market trends / conditions

“Between all the benefits, education and tools we’ve released over the years, we understand it can also be somewhat daunting to sort through,” says Mike Davin, MRAA Brand Director. “As we continue to release new resources in 2022, the themed months give us an opportunity to highlight what’s available in a more digestible way while also signaling to dealers that we’ve got relevant resources on a specific topic.”

MRAA will incorporate the monthly themes into its marketing and social media plans for 2022, presenting the content to both non-members and members to give them an opportunity to grow and strengthen their businesses. Resources available to both non-members and members will be delivered in the form of case studies, guides, downloadable one-pagers, data shares, exclusive new webinars, focused blogs and content, partner contributions, January’s Dealer Week Online and past conference recordings, Certification tools and templates, TNT videos, member benefits and other unique offerings.

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.

MINNEAPOLIS, January 4, 2022 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has hired Wendy Mackie as its Director of Workforce and Foundation Development, appointing her in the lead role in operating the MRAA Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine industry.

Mackie brings to the MRAA a long history of workforce development expertise. Wendy’s roots are in youth and workforce development, non-profit leadership, alternative education and entrepreneurship. In 2006, Wendy aligned her work with the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association centering her work around the creation and implementation of best practice industry training programs for youth and new workers. In 2014, Wendy spearheaded the development of the Composites Alliance of Rhode Island to better serve the industry’s manufacturing sector and in 2018, the MRAA, along with its partners at the National Marine Manufacturers Association, turned to Mackie to author a marine industry strategy for growing its workforce. That “10+1” strategy included local, state and national tactics businesses can use to strengthen their workforce, and the “Plus 1” represented a recommendation that the industry appoint someone to lead the marine industry’s national workforce efforts.

“The hiring of Wendy Mackie is that strategy coming to life,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “For years, our members have struggled to find, hire and develop their workforce – the most critical part of their business. Wendy Mackie brings the highest level of expertise in workforce development that our industry knows, and we are thrilled to have her join our team.”

The board of directors at the MRAA Educational Foundation, which is a separate entity from the MRAA trade association, has endorsed Mackie’s comprehensive workforce development plan, which calls for a focus on the development of regional sectoral partnerships to address our industry’s most pressing demand-driven workforce challenges, like the engine technician shortage. The creation of these community-based coalitions mirrors best practice programming currently being supported by state and national funding streams. By instituting this model in regions across the country, the boating industry will have access to the workforce they need, where they need it, when they need it.

“The key,” according to Mackie, “is to tap into the dedicated workforce development funding streams in each area to ensure the training programs developed are sustainable. The money is there; we just need to show there is demand for the workers and that our industry’s employers will hire them. That’s where MRAA’s focus on this front will give us the platform to be successful.”

“Wendy understands the nation’s workforce development system and the needs of the marine industry,” says Jeff Siems, president of the MRAA Educational Foundation. “Our industry is going to benefit from her ability to connect the two. The MRAA Educational Foundation Board is thrilled to have Wendy leading the workforce development charge for our industry.”

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.

About MRAA Educational Foundation
The MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation, was founded in 2004 to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine industry. The Educational Foundation is dedicated to the growth of the marine industry through workforce development. For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit MRAA.com/foundation.