Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/458425
PWC Former president Speaks moves on with brand in 'strong position' Yamaha Watercraft Group, a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., announced that Dean Burnett, former vice president for Yamaha Marine Group, has accepted the position of president of Yamaha Watercraft Group, which oversees the sales, marketing and distribution of Yamaha WaveR- unners and Sport Boats. Effective Jan. 23, Burnett succeeds M a r k S p e a k s , who is leaving the company to pur- sue other oppor- tunities. Speaks spent the past 13 years as president of Yamaha Water- c r a f t G r o u p , a $400 million busi- ness annually. He has also been a member of the board of directors of Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing in Vonore, Tenn., since 2008. "It is a huge honor to follow Mark Speaks as president of the Watercraft Group," Bur- nett said. "I've watched how fast our WaveR- unner and Boat product lines have expanded over the years, achieving some of the fastest growth within Yamaha Motor, and I look for- ward to leveraging my decades of experience in the marine industry in these exciting, high growth markets." "Leading the growth of these business units has been a tremendous experience for me. We have amazing products and people. And now with the addition of Dean, we just added one more," Speaks said. "I had been looking for the right time to step away to pursue other opportunities, and I feel the time is right with our current group of employees, a strong posi- tion and demand for our products, and with the appointment of Dean, who is the right person to continue the incredible growth trajectory we have experienced." Burnett began his career with Yamaha in 1987 and spent four years in sales and market- ing roles for the company in the California mar- ket. After leaving Yamaha in 1991, Burnett held sales, management and marketing positions with Boston Whaler, Grady White, Fenwick Fishing Tackle, Mercury Marine and Yamaha- owned Skeeter Boats. In 2003, Burnett was named vice president and general manager of Century and Cobia Boats, two boat manufacturers also owned and managed by Yamaha. During his time at Century, he was responsible for overseeing production, marketing, design, engineering and product planning for the company. In 2010, Burnett was appointed vice president of Yamaha Marine Group. PSB Burnett takes over Yamaha Watercraft Group 24 • January 26, 2015 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Mark Speaks is moving on after spending 13 years as president of the Yamaha Watercraft Group, based in Ken- nesaw, Ga. Doug Burnett began his career with Yamaha in 1987. The U.S. recreational boating industry is esti- mating 2014 will see a 5-7 percent increase in sales of new powerboats with continued growth of an additional 5 percent in 2015, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). This is the industry's third consecutive year of steady growth coming out of the recession. In addition, total 2014 retail expenditures — which include retail spending on boats, engines, marine accessories and services — are expected to see increases in 2014 by as much as 5 percent, which would eclipse 2007, one of the healthiest pre-recession years for the industry. In 2014, the strongest sales came from new ski/wakeboard boats, pontoon boats, aluminum fishing boats, fiberglass run- abouts and personal watercraft. Sales of larger cruising boats also started to see an uptick. "An improved economy with GDP projected to grow 3 percent, an improv- ing housing market, a stronger job market, increasing consumer confidence and a multi-year low on fuel prices have bolstered people's financial outlook, which bodes well for new boat sales," said Thom Dammrich, NMMA president. "Should these economic indicators remain positive, we anticipate sales growth of new boats to continue over the next three years." Another positive indicator for the industry is the record number of Americans get- ting on the water (89 million in 2013, the most recent figure available). What's more, the industry has placed additional focus on introducing boats for a variety of bud- gets, offering attrac- tive entry points for the boating lifestyle. All types of new boats, from small fishing boats to large luxury yachts, will be unveiled begin- ning this month with the start of boat show season throughout North America. Boat shows are a leading sales venue for the industry and a barometer for sales and buyer trends in the coming year. Marine manufacturers unveil their latest boats, engines and marine accessories at boat shows, offering them for sale for the first time, giving buyers an opportunity to buy the boat onsite and have it ready to launch in time for the spring. At this year's shows, buyers can expect a surge of new boats and marine acces- sories along with a focus on smaller boats that start at lower price points. Noted Dammrich, "We're seeing boat dealers and manufacturers increase their space at boat shows around the U.S., signal- ing their anticipation of a strong boat show buying season. We expect all boat segments to see growth at boat shows — from personal watercraft to small family runabouts to fishing boats and large cruising boats — especially with the variety of exciting new boats being offered and as more people turn to boating in an improving economy." PWC SALES REMAIN STRONG THROUGH NOVEMBER U.S. PWC sales remained strong in Novem- ber, according to the latest data from Info- Link's Bellwether report, which tracks boat sales across the country based on new U.S. boat registrations. Bellwether states are geo- graphically dispersed states representing roughly half of the U.S. boat market (varies by market segment and time of year). PWC showed a sales increase of 25 percent year-over-year through November. The data continues a trend for PWC, which had sales growth of 30 percent compared to 2013 ear- lier this year. THE WATERCRAFT JOURNAL NAMES PWC OF THE YEAR The Watercraft Journal has chosen the 2014 Sea-Doo Spark 2-up HO as its 2014 Water- craft of the Year. "You cannot argue with how popular Sea-Doo's little-runabout-that-could is, and frankly, neither could we. Even with manu- facturers spending thousands of dollars to throw some pretty nasty shade at the entry level machine, Sea-Doo dealers across the nation sold out of these things," Kevin Shaw wrote for The Watercraft Journal. The Spark was also lauded for its "ultimate waterborne go-cart" spirit. Coming in as the 2014 Watercraft of the Year Runner-Up was the 2014 Yamaha FZR Super Vortex High Output WaveRunner, about which Shaw wrote, "… it was this race- ready craft that dominated more motos in more races across the Pro Watercross Tour, the IJSBA World Finals and the 2014 Jet Ski World Cup than any other personal water- craft before it." PSB DIGEST NMMA: PWC among boat segments with 2014 increases Skis like the 2015 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310X helped spur U.S. sales of PWC in 2014. The 2014 Sea-Doo Spark 2-up HO snagged top honors for the model year from The Watercraft Journal.