Regal Boats, founded by Paul and Carol Kuck, has been dedicated to innovation ever since its inception in 1969. As an Education Champion, Regal directly supports MRAA’s educational programming, which is provided to dealers in an effort to generate a more innovative and successful industry. Regal Boats has been a long-time supporter of the MRAA and now shows its commitment at MRAA’s second-highest level of Partner Membership.

“We committed to becoming an MRAA Education Champion because we know how impactful MRAA’s educational programming and resources are for our dealers,” said Jake Kuck, VP of North American Sales and Marketing of Regal Boats, “Because of these resources, our dealers are better prepared for the future and are set up to be the best dealerships in their market place.”

Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., Regal Boats positions itself as not only being in the business of selling boats, but giving families enriched lives with deep connections through boating. Regal designs a versatile range of sport boats, Sports Activity Vessels, Express Cruises and yachts from 20’-42’. Through excellent customer service and continued innovation, Regal Boats has seen more than 50 years of success. The Kuck family and Regal leadership team continue to commit to the growth and success of the industry through alignment of their beliefs with the MRAA’s mission.

“Our Education Champions are really the backbone to our educational programming. Their support provides us the capabilities of delivering world-class education,” said Allison Gruhn, Vice President of Business Development, “We are grateful to have Regal Boats in support of our education, as it shows they align with making this industry as successful as possible.”

About Regal Boats
Regal Boats is a world leader in designing and manufacturing luxury performance boats from 20’ to 42’. Founded in 1969 by Paul and Carol Kuck, Regal operates as a privately held, debt-free, family-owned and operated company. Based in Orlando, FL, Regal distributes products through a dedicated dealer network worldwide.

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.

MIAMI, Fla., August 1, 2022 — Boats Group, a global leader in online boating marketplaces, today announced findings from its latest market report, analyzing the first half of 2022 while comparing pre-pandemic trends alongside pandemic-driven growth. The rising value of boats has yet to affect consumer demand, with listed boats moving off the market faster and sales remaining higher than before the pandemic in 2019.

Consumer demand coupled with lower-than-normal inventory levels is driving these historic spikes in boat values as the global average boat price is now $182,900, an increase of 28.9 percent from 2019. This is further reflected in how quickly boats are moving off the market, selling 32 days faster than last year and 83 days faster than in 2019.

“The continuous and strong growth we’ve seen from our marketplace data is a key indicator of the overall health of the boating market,” said Courtney Chalmers, Vice President of Marketing at Boats Group. “As we compare pre-pandemic numbers to the current market conditions, we’re looking for shifts in consumer behavior that will further provide insight about what we can expect in 2023.”

Throughout the past year, budget-friendly options have become increasingly popular for buyers looking to get out on the water. Boats in the 26-foot range saw an average price increase of 71.5 percent in the U.S. and 140.6 percent internationally compared to pre-pandemic values. The overall market driver for unit sales from 2019 to 2022 were boats in the less than 35-foot segment.

“As we head into the second half of 2022, we’re closely tracking the volume of boats listed for sale. Early indicators show inventory making a comeback and becoming more consistent compared to the peaks and valleys we saw in 2020 and 2021,” said Chalmers. “This very positive trend will help boat builders, dealers and brokers to be well-positioned for the strong consumer demand that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.”

For a comprehensive view of the boating market, visit boatsgroup.com/ne ws to download the  2022 Midyear Market Index from Boats Group. 

About Boats Group
Boats Group owns and operates the world’s leading online boating marketplaces, connecting the largest global audience of boat buyers with top sellers and manufacturers. Boats Group’s portfolio includes a variety of industry-leading brands like Boat Trader, YachtWorld, boats.com, iNautia, Cosas De Barcos, Botentekoop, Annonces du Bateau, Boats and Outboards, Boatshop24, Click&Boat and Trident Funding.

For nearly three decades, Boats Group has helped marine retailers sell more boats faster and convert more shoppers into buyers than any other source. Through a comprehensive suite of digital business solutions, including proprietary web-based contract management tools, and premier digital marketing strategies and services, Boats Group delivers unmatched value to its industry partners and optimizes the virtual path to boat ownership.

Owned by Permira, Boats Group is headquartered in Miami, Florida, United States, with co-headquarters in Fareham, England, and additional offices in Padova, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. For more information about Boats Group, visit www.boatsgroup.com.

Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers that become Partner Members of the MRAA align their brands with the MRAA and the success of the North American dealer body. Because of this support, MRAA has the ability to expand its offerings and make a greater impact on dealer success.

These three new Partner Members, Radian, Unishippers – Creative Control and MDS Brand, help fuel the success of dealers in unique avenues. Radian aims to provide enterprises with the most powerful data in the marine industry. Unishippers commits to providing higher quality shipping and transportation for the marine industry. MDS Brand intends to become a resource for businesses wanting to make transitions into the digital marketplace. All three of these companies provide unique support to the industry, making it a natural progression to join the MRAA as Partner Members showing a greater level of support to dealers across the US and Canada.

·      Unishippers – Creative Control: The Shipping Company That Works For You.

·      Radian: Supply Chain Optimization, Intelligent Logistics & Asset Management Solutions.

·      MDS Brand: Digital Solutions With A Human Touch That Generate Leads.

“As the number of MRAA Partner Members continues to grow, the MRAA becomes better equipped to successfully serve our dealer members” says Allison Gruhn, Vice President of Business Development. “Each of these new Partner Members provide a unique perspective and expertise needed by many of our dealers. We’re grateful to welcome them to the MRAA family.”

Visit https://www.mraa.com/page/mraapartners to view the entire list of companies who actively support the MRAA across four levels of partnership.

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.

By joining MRAA as Partner Members, marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers show commitment to the success of the North American dealer body, and in turn, MRAA has greater ability to expand its offerings and make a greater impact on dealer success.

MRAA’s three new Partner Members offer an array of products and services that help dealers generate more revenue for their business. From audio accessories to marketing solutions and technology support, these three Partners are the most recent to commit to supporting MRAA’s mission:

·      ECOXGEAR: Take Your Music Wherever You Go                                             

·      Dealer OMG (Online Marketing Group): Custom Solutions For Your Marine Dealership

·      Boat Fix: Revolutionize The Way You Do Business

“With every new Partner Member, the MRAA is better equipped to fulfill its mission of serving dealers,” says Allison Gruhn, Vice President of Business Development. “Each of these new Partners value the strength of our industry’s retail network, and we’re proud to welcome them to the MRAA family.”  

Visit https://www.mraa.com/page/mraapartners to view the entire list of companies who actively support the MRAA across four levels of partnership.

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.

Founded in 2017 with a focus on innovative products, unrivaled customer experience, and strong dealer relationships, Barletta continues to grow market share and is challenging for a top five share position in the United States in 2022. Barletta was acquired by Winnebago Industries, Inc., in August 2021, joining other RV and marine companies including Winnebago, Grand Design RV, Chris-Craft, and Newmar, as part of the Winnebago Industries family of premium outdoor brands.

“We established Barletta with the goal to redefine the pontoon segment with boats of unrivaled craftsmanship for boaters throughout North America. We have delivered on that objective in partnership with our dealers. This expansion exemplifies the continued progress we have achieved with the commitment and dedication of our team, and the support of Winnebago Industries,” said Bill Fenech, President & Founder of Barletta Pontoon Boats. “Today and into the future, we will continue striving to deliver boats with unsurpassed quality.”

The current Barletta campus includes the original Plant 1 manufacturing facility which houses welding, fabrication, decking operations, and space dedicated to warehousing and offices. Plant 2 was completed in 2021 and houses assembly operations for the Company’s Lusso, Corsa, and Cabrio pontoon boat lines. Both manufacturing facilities are currently nearing capacity, and this expansion adds future flexibility.

“This expansion is the next step in our continued evolution,” stated Jeff Haradine, Vice President of Sales at Barletta Pontoon Boats. “The Barletta brand continues to experience tremendous momentum in the market, and our expanded facility will allow us to continue to meet strong consumer demand. As we approach our five-year anniversary, we are proud of our progress, and we look forward to continuing to set the bar for outdoor experiences on the water for many more customers in the future.”

An official ground-breaking ceremony will take place in late summer/early fall of 2022.

About Barletta Pontoon Boats
Barletta Pontoon Boats is a premium marine manufacturer founded in 2017 with a focus on high-quality, innovative products, unrivaled customer experience and strong dealer relationships. Headquartered in Bristol, IN, Barletta is the fastest-growing company in the pontoon segment with an expansive network of dealer partners across the United States and Canada. The Barletta lineup includes the Lusso, Corsa, and Cabrio series. Visit www.barlettapontoonboats.com for more information. Barletta Pontoon Boats is a wholly owned subsidiary of Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO), a manufacturer of premium outdoor lifestyle products. For more information visit www.winnebagoind.com.

“There’s no ‘secret sauce’ to what we’re doing with this customer service hotline - it’s pretty straightforward. We do everything we can to take the headaches and heartaches out of the major boating holiday weekends,” says Jeff Haradine, VP of Sales for Barletta Pontoon Boats. “As much as we’d like it to be, we recognize that not every pontoon boater is going to be a Barletta owner. A lot of people are preparing for a HUGE boating weekend this weekend - everyone should have the support we provide our Barletta owners. So, we’re going to try and give them the support, the way ONLY Barletta knows how to give, to have the best holiday weekend possible.”

Barletta has added another support team to their traditional Barletta holiday support team to help any pontoon boat owner who needs it. This team consists of Barletta service team members with experience in other pontoon boat brands as part of their background.

“It’s in our DNA, plain and simple,” added Jesse Swain, VP of Customer Experience for Barletta Pontoon Boats. “Over the past several years and holiday hotlines, we can’t help but be satisfied, as a team, to be there for our Barletta family members when they are in need. When the team approached me about supporting ALL pontoon boat owners, I’ll admit, it sounded pretty crazy. With more reflection though, it’s what we do. We are here to get people on the water - Barletta or not - to be with their families and friends. It’s what drives us to be the best pontoon boat manufacturer in the country.”

“There will be some items that are very brand specific that we just won’t be able to resolve,” continued Swain. “Our very best advice might be that the boater will have to contact their dealer to resolve their issues. But, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got to try and work it out. In addition, we’ll have videos and blogs available on the website to help troubleshoot typical issues. If we find a resolution for that pain-point, we can feel the relief through the phone. Knowing we are a small part of their family’s holiday weekend makes the time spent well worth it.”

Customers will be able to reach the Barletta Holiday Hotline between the hours of 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm (EST) on Friday, May 27, and 9:00 am and 8:00 pm through Monday, May 30. The hotline will be manned by the in-house trained Barletta technicians. The phone number will be on the Barletta website and social media sites starting on Friday, May 27. Customers calling after hotline hours can leave a message and rest assured that they will be contacted expediently.

“For some folks, this may be the first time that they’ve been able to spend quality time with their extended family members in a VERY long time,” said Bill Fenech, President & Founder of Barletta Pontoon Boats. “We have the BEST dealer partners in the marine industry, and we know they will be there for our Barletta owners. When it comes to time on the water, though, it’s ALL hands on deck for our extended boater family.”

###

About Barletta Pontoon Boats: Offering a customer-focused/dealer-centric approach, Barletta Pontoon Boats brings a unique approach to the marine industry. Barletta is partnered with Mercury Outboards and Yamaha Outboards. To learn more about Barletta Pontoon Boats, visit www.BarlettaPontoonBoats.com or get engaged with us on social media.

“Boatline aims to be a partner for dealers providing both marketing solutions and educational resources to support their business,” says Lori Stacy, CEO of Trader Interactive, the parent company of Boatline. “Partnering with MRAA through the Education Championship program allows us to share information that will expand knowledge of the industry and keep dealers competitive in the marketplace.”

Boatline, a site purpose-built for buying and selling boats of every shape and sizes. Boatline focuses on solving dealers’ biggest concerns — expanding the reach of their business, getting their inventory in front of the right buyers and communicating with consumers quickly and authentically.

For more than 30 years, Trader Interactive has been the host of premier online recreation and commercial vehicle marketplace sites. Boatline, which leverages Trader Interactive’s proprietary functionality, uses next-gen technology specifically designed with boat shoppers and sellers in mind. Through marketplace listings, search engine optimization (SEO) services, search engine marketing (SEM) advertising options, and top-tier reporting via specialty lead enrichment and lead management products, dealers will streamline and improve their businesses.

As the second-highest level of membership, Education Champions fuel the educational programming that the MRAA delivers to its members in a year-round sponsorship program. Whether through Dealer Week, The MRAA Conference and Expo, MRAATraining.com or any other medium through which MRAA delivers content, Education Champions help bring MRAA’s world-class educational programming to life.

“In this digital era, where online has become not only a storefront for all dealers, but is how most consumers shop, it’s exciting to add Boatline as Eucation Champions,” said Allison Gruhn, Vice President of Business Development. “With decades of experience in the recreational industry, we value Boatline’s dedication to both the MRAA and the industry as whole, and look forward to generating resources for our members.”

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 Boatline
Boatline is a next-generation marketplace powered by Trader Interactive, an industry leader in premier online recreation and commercial vehicle marketplace sites. Marine Dealers have access to top-tier tools for advertising their locations and inventory, researching prices and scarcity, and top-of-the-line lead generation and management tools. Plus, buyers can expect a high-quality shopping experience and the fastest loading marketplace in the marine industry. You can visit us at Boatline.com or contact us at marketing@traderinteractive.com or call 877-354-4068.

“As a long time MRAA partner and sponsor, Global Marine Insurance is proud to continue our support as Education Champions” said Matt Anderson, President of Global Marine Insurance. “Those marine dealerships who take advantage of the educational programming at the MRAA, invest in themselves, which leads to a first-class dealership and long-term success.”

Global Marine Insurance has focused solely on marine insurance for all marine businesses and boaters since 1989. It invests in its people, products and technology to be the premier specialty insurance provider in the industry. The company strives for excellence in delivering value to its clients, partners and team members with integrity. The dedicated staff of 60-plus marine insurance professionals are proud to work with marine retailers as their businesses grows, add services and expand geographically.

As the second-highest level of membership, Education Champions fuel the educational programming that the MRAA delivers to its members in a year-round sponsorship program. Whether through Dealer Week, The MRAA Conference and Expo, MRAATraining.com or any other medium through which MRAA delivers content, Education Champions help bring MRAA’s world-class educational programming to life.

“We’re pleased to have Global Marine Insurance continue its long-standing partnership with MRAA, becoming Education Champions,” said Allison Gruhn, Vice President of Business Development. “With its industry knowledge and leadership within the marine industry, we’re certain our dealers will receive top-notch education to guide them to more successful growth.”

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 Global Marine Insurance
Global Marine Insurance has been providing yacht insurance, boat insurance, and marine business insurance solutions since 1989. Your customers will benefit from MRAA Preferred Repair Deductible (50% off), Agreed Value, Extended Parts Replacement, Repair Guarantee, Hurricane Haul Out, Rental Reimbursement, Increased Limits for Medical Payments, Personal Effects & Towing available, and Wreck Removal and more.

“Elite is proud to partner and support the MRAA to further its mission in educating marine dealerships so they have best in class sales, service, finance and management practices,” said Jimmy Delegro, President of Elite Recreational Finance.

As the second-highest level of MRAA membership, Education Champions fuel the educational programming that the MRAA delivers to its members in a year-round sponsorship program. Whether through Dealer Week, the MRAA Conference and Expo, MRAATraining.com or any other medium through which MRAA delivers content, Education Champions help bring MRAA’s world-class educational programming to life.

“Our team has decades of experience helping our dealer and manufacturer partners reach their next level of success when it comes to finance,” added Delegro. “We have hosted sessions with several manufacturers, dealers and with the MRAA all in an effort to share our knowledge. Our goals very much align with MRAA to have best in class service, technology and education for our partners. Elite committing to this level of support is a natural fit we are proud to be part of.”

“Our Education Champions play a significant role through both their partnership with MRAA and their sponsorship of educational offerings,” said Allison Gruhn, MRAA Vice President of Business Development. “We appreciate Elite Recreational Finance’s devotion to the marine retailer body industry and the expertise they deliver to our dealer members and the industry as a whole. By becoming Education Champions, they are helping MRAA accomplish its mission to fuel dealership 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.

About Elite Recreational Finance
Elite Recreational Finance helps dealers, lenders and manufacturers maximize deliveries, increase profits, alleviate stress and reduce costs. Elite finances new, used, consignments, rentals, boat clubs, charters and dealership equipment. Dealer Portals, Soft-Pull Qualifying, Customized Credit App and Analytics available 24/7 through EMS. IT solutions; prequalified leads, automated underwriting, multi-program integration. For more information, visit eliterfs.com/; or call 866-553-0686.

ARLINGTON, VA, February 9, 2022. Boat Finance LLC, an indirect recreational lender for boats and RVs, announced today that it has changed its name to RecFi LLC. The company initially started off financing boats and outboard motors, but in the last few years, extended its operations to include RVs, and now plans on introducing powersports in 2022. The new name reflects the company’s expansion to servicing not only recreational boat loans, but to financing the greater recreational lending market.

“Now that we’re established in the general recreational space, we’re hoping our new name will better demonstrate the types of services we provide, and continue to attract a wider audience,” explains Donald Schrama, CEO of RecFi. “We are very excited about this transformation!”

One of RecFi’s capital partners, Blue Elephant Capital Management (BECM), is also a big proponent of the name change – CEO of BECM, JP Marra, expresses his support: “[we have] had the pleasure of working closely with the RecFi team since 2016; the new name and branding not only better fits with the scope of the company’s expanding verticals, but as importantly, better reflects the now robust and dynamic fintech platform that they have painstakingly developed over many years.”

The name change comes with a rebranding of the logo and launch of a new website, as well as new staff hires and promotions, and new office locations.

About RecFi LLC
RecFi LLC works directly with dealers to provide recreational lending for boats and RVs. Brothers, Don and Bill Schrama, founded the company, and soon after launching, added Blue Elephant Capital Management as a partner. RecFi aims to provide fast, flexible, and easy-to-access financing to the under-served segment of the recreational lending industry.

Contact:
Will Schrama
Vice President of Finance & Operations
Media@RecFi.com
(703) 994-3894
www.recfi.com

“The initial data is promising,” said Nicole Armstrong, Vice President of Corporate Initiatives, Priority One. “Dealers promoting applications on the credit kiosk may see a notable increase in deliveries.”

With supply chain challenges across the industry, the technology allows dealers to capture the finance business early in the buying process, even without a unit on the lot to sell. The portable fixtures are also easy to move around the showroom or take to trade shows – another place for dealers to establish customer loyalty early in the buying process.

“The showroom experience has changed across the industry in recent years,” said Armstrong. “Customers no longer want to sit in an office to discuss F&I. Priority One’s credit kiosk allows the customer to apply for a loan in a quick, secure, digital environment, and then receive personalized communication with an F&I manager on their own time.”

The kiosks are part of a multi-faceted innovation initiative for Priority One. In 2022, the company will round-out its goal to fully digitize the financing process from beginning to end.

Priority One plans to expand financing kiosks to dealers in top markets across the nation in 2022. For more information, or to request a kiosk demonstration, visit p1fs.com/5minutefinancing.


About Priority One Financial Services, Inc.
Founded in 1987, Priority One Financial Services, Inc. offers flexible, business-forward finance and insurance solutions for marine, RV, horse trailer and commercial equipment dealers. A division of Forest River, a Berkshire Hathaway company, Priority One’s knowledgeable team brings full-service financing to every customer, helping dealers improve business and move inventory.

Headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Florida, the company also owns and operates Priority One Equipment Finance and Veritas Insurance Group. A 2019 One Tampa Bay and 2017 Business of Pride honoree, Priority One values its diverse community of employees, customers, dealers and the surrounding Tampa Bay neighborhood.

Through the support of our Partner Members, the MRAA is able to deliver on our mission to provide education, tools and resources to marine dealers, and help fuel the success of the industry. Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, through Partner Membership, commit to aligning their brands with the programs and opportunities that MRAA works to provide the dealer body. Support from these Partners allows the Association to expand its offerings and create a positive, long-term impact in MRAA members’ business.

MRAA welcomes these eight new members to the association, who deliver skilled proficiency in a variety of industry disciplines:

• Winboats / Dealership Technologies: https://winboats.com/
• BoatTEST: www.boattest.com
• Shopmonkey: www.shopmonkey.io
• Boatline – Trader Interactive: www.traderinteractive.com/boatline/
• Octane Marketing: www.octanemarinemarketing.com/
• Paradise Capital: www.paradisecapital.biz
• Blackpurl: www.blackpurl.com
• Sabre Shipping: www.sabreshipping.com

“We are very thankful to have accomplished so much in 2021, and much of that success can be attributed to all of our partners,” said Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development. “We appreciate their combined support and the industry expertise they deliver to our dealer members and the industry as a whole. This recent list of new Partner Members has helped MRAA build a strong network of support in 2021, and will continue to drive our initiatives in 2022 for us to help dealers find greater success.”

Visit www.mraa.com/page/mraapartners to view the entire list of companies who actively support the MRAA across four levels of partnership.

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.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (November 10, 2021) -- Boatyard, the first customer experience platform designed for the marine industry, announced today the launch of a new suite of tools for its best-in-class customer experience software.

Boatyard’s newest features includes photo and video sharing, one-click status updates, integration with Outlook and Google Calendar and a fully-integrated web application to enable boat owners to place service requests 24/7 from any of its customers’ websites.

“Our goal is to eliminate unnecessary administrative work for service teams, while creating remarkable customer experiences for boat owners,” says Nathan Heber, CEO of Boatyard (pictured), “The release of our new dashboard and web app is the next step on our mission to transform the boat service experience.”

During Boatyard’s successful private beta, early users of the new platform saved an average of ten minutes per service order. Boat owners can now request service appointments, share scheduling preferences, securely submit payment info and upload photos and videos directly from the website of any boat dealer or marine businesses.

The web app is fully-integrated with Boatyard’s customer experience platform, so team members are immediately notified when a new service request is received. From there, it only takes a couple of clicks to send status updates, chat with a customer, share photos and videos, schedule service, assign jobs to team members, or process payments.

“Boatyard’s new platform has a lot of added functions that make our jobs easier and more profitable,” says Andrew Armao, Parts and Service Director for MarineMax Miami, “It has instant status updates, which take less than two seconds to send, and the upload capability of photos and videos. And the messaging capabilities of this new platform are amazing. Use it, no excuses!”

Boatyard offered a special Innovators Circle rate during the official platform unveiling at Dealer Week, The MRAA Conference and Expo.

ABOUT BOATYARD
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Boatyard is the world’s first on-demand boat services marketplace. Boat owners can order fuel delivery, boat cleaning, service, captains, and more from qualified, vetted marine service providers through Boatyard’s award-winning mobile app. Boatyard’s Software-as-a-Service platform provides marine businesses with the digital tools to manage their service requests and deliver remarkable experiences to their customers. Boatyard currently services thousands of boat owners in the U.S. The company’s B2B customers and partners include industry leaders such as MarineMax, Lauderdale Marine Center, BoatUS, SeaTow, Madison Marine, VanDutch, and more. For more information, please visit www.boatyard.com.

Available exclusively through Parker Business Planning, this revolutionary new digital technology and custom application offers major improvements in retail marine financial reporting, featuring expanded, industry-wide comparative benchmarks and greatly enhanced financial analysis tools and features.

“For years, dealers have sought ways to better understand their own financials and to be able to effectively compare their performance against others in the marine space,” said David Parker of Parker Business Planning, whose firm facilitates Twenty Groups across the country, while also conducting extensive 1:1 retail consulting. “Our dynamic new service is a game changer that leverages the latest in technology to deliver a whole new level and spectrum of financial reporting and analysis never before available in marine applications.”

The new Digital Dealership Dashboard features simple navigation and reporting tools that allow dealers to review clearly defined variance indicators for critical performance insights, along with customized industry performance comparisons against filtered benchmark options of their choosing. Dealers can access dashboard data and enjoy easy mobile access 24/7.”

The new Digital Dealership Dashboard is available initially to Parker 20 Group members and to individual dealerships. For more information, visit Booth #2110 at the MRAA Dealer Week exhibit hall, or contact David Parker at 407.484.5733 or David@ParkerBusinessPlanning.com; www.ParkerBusinessPlanning.com

DockWorks began when its three Co-Founders (Jeremy Hermanns, CEO; Kyle Bunch, CFO; Luke Ackerman, Head of Industry) sought out to develop dealership software that could act as one tool to handle all of a dealer’s metrics. Built specifically for the marine service industry, by marine professionals, DockWorks’ cloud-based dockside DMS includes real-time performance dashboards and reporting. Dealers can track revenues, billings, profitability, technician efficiency and much more. DockWorks seeks to empower and educate all current and future Marine Professionals and offers three plans (Basic Pro, Advanced Pro and Master Pro) to accommodate all types of recreational marine services.

Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, through Partner Membership, commit to aligning their brands with the programs and opportunities that MRAA works to provide the dealer body to help fuel the success of the industry. Support from Partners allows the Association to expand its offerings and create a positive, long-term impact in MRAA members’ business.

“We’re excited to add DockWorks as a Partner Member and appreciate its support,” said Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development. “Adding DockWorks has helped to expand our number of industry-influencing partners and also enhance our library of DMS tools and resources that help marine businesses succeed.”

About DockWorks
Built for the marine service industry by marine professionals, DockWorks is a mobile and modern full-service operations platform for marine professionals seeking a solution to manage, optimize and scale their business. With offices in San Diego, CA, and Wilmington, N.C., our team works tirelessly on both coasts to provide the best marine service solutions. For more info, contact the new co-captain for your marine business at www.dockworks.co; or call 855-434-2501. #ProsKnow

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.

“We started DealerRock because we wanted to introduce an inventive dealer management system within the marine industry,” says Haines. “After spending 12 years growing and running a multi-location dealership, our experience steered us to something resourceful and technologically advanced, so we set out to build it.”

DealerRock, while in stealth-mode, has been working side-by-side with a fast-paced dealership to bring this platform to market. With a huge focus on usability and modern development practices, DealerRock offers an affordable and unique platform for marine dealers. The fully integrated system ties together multiple categories (point-of-sale, inventory management, quoting, service, CRM, et al) but is designed to be both easy to learn and more. The platform focuses on efficiency and organization so dealerships can take care of their customers, even in today’s digital and mobile world.

“We built DealerRock because we believed that the marine industry needed an innovative platform to help dealers perform at an elevated level,” adds Haines. “In today’s competitive environment, customers expect so much more from their dealer — we seek to help dealers deliver that.” 

Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, through Partner Membership with the MRAA, commit to aligning their brands with the programs and opportunities that MRAA provides the dealer body to help fuel the success of the industry. Support from Partners allows the association to expand its offerings and create a positive, long-term impact in MRAA members’ business.

“We’re excited to add DealerRock and its unique approach to the dealer management software segment, as a Partner Member,” says Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development. “We appreciate DealerRock’s support and its drive to help dealers find greater operational success.”

About DealerRock 
DealerRock provides an all-in-one, cloud-based dealer management software system that helps dealers simplify their day-to-day operations and operate more efficiently in today’s competitive marine environment. Leading dealerships use DealerRock to run their operations because of its huge focus on usability and responsive design at an affordable price. It allows them to save money, operate more efficiently and manage their business from anywhere in today’s mobile world. For more info visit: www.dealerrock.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.

BoatsForSale.com, created by marine experts with decades of retail experience, gives its customers attractive listings that make their boats the star. Custom and personalized search tools smartly share the client’s listings with the appropriate buyers. BoatsForSale.com helps boat lovers spend less time at the search bar and more time at the sandbar.

Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, through Partner Membership, commit to aligning their brands with the programs and opportunities that MRAA works to provide the dealer body in order to help fuel the success of the industry. Support from Partners allows the Association to expand its offerings and create a positive, long-term impact in the business of MRAA members.

“We welcome Boats For Sale to MRAA Platinum Partnership. They are an organization with a vast array of online resources, who understands the retail experience and works hard to deliver value to each customer,” said Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development. “We look forward to a solid partnership that provides support to the marine retail community.”

About Boats For Sale
Designed by boaters for boaters, Boats For Sale provides an easy-to-navigate sales listing and proprietary tool that helps potential boat buyers to identify the right type of boat for their lifestyle. Then narrow down the selection to the best matches with sophisticated filters and listings full of the details a boat buyer wants to see. We work closely with both our buyers and sellers to ensure we have you out in the sun, wind and waves — and off our website — as soon as possible. Instant Boatification™ Awaits. For more information: boatsforsale.com/contact

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.