Boating Industry

January 2015

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30 | Boating Industry | January 2015 [ 2015 Challenges & Solutions ] www.BoatingIndustry.com We believe that one of the keys to growing the industry is a perpetual infusion of innovative tech- nology. Innovation sells. That's one of our driving forces at Volvo Penta. Our "Easy Boating" initia- tive focuses on innovations that make the boating experience easier and more fun – especially for new-generation boaters. And don't forget that at- tracting new boaters is only half the challenge; the other half is keeping them. That means durable high-quality products, responsive after-the-sale support, strong factory warranty programs, reli- able and efficient dealers, and a healthy trade-in market. Our "Easy Boating" initiative is designed to attract and keep people boating. The second challenge is the race for talent in a seasonal and cyclical industry. As the recovery from the deep recession continues to gain mo- mentum, there is increased competition for tal- ented and trained employees. The industry must find ways to attract and sustain the talent pool – to include entry-level training, professional de- velopment and a pathway to success. We see an improving climate for our industry and even better days ahead. THOM DAMMRICH, president, National Marine Manufacturers Association No. 1 we've got to get some amendment to the Renewable Fuel Standard to address this ethanol issue, capping the amount of ethanol in gas at 10 percent. We've got to get Magnuson-Stevens reautho- rized in a manner that is positive for saltwater recreational fishing. One of the hot segments has been the saltwater fishing boats, but if we don't get common-sense regulation, that will nega- tively affect that market. There's also an issue with the foam that is used for flotation in most boats. EPA wants to phase it out within a year. There is no suitable replacement for it, so we'll be working to get that phase-out pushed back to 2020. And we also have the traditional industry is- sues that the Recreational Boating Leadership Council is focused on addressing: youth, afford- ability, education, diversity. We still have got to find a way to get the industry more in tune with reaching out to a more diverse audience. BILL YEARGIN, president & CEO, CorrectCraft I tend to think long-term so I would like to an- swer your questions from that perspective. Some of the things that I believe will be significant challenges to our industry are: Asian competition – I have traveled ex- tensively through Asia meeting with govern- ment officials and many people from various industries and the recreational boat industry is definitely on the list of industries that have been targeted by Asian companies and countries. I have been told directly of significant govern- ment investment being made to break into our industry and have heard of one Asian country that has duplicated a US boat manufacturing plant to learn how to build boats. The initial product from Asia may not seem that impres- sive but over time they will be a significant force. Employees – Finding good people will continue to be a problem. Earlier this year I was at a meeting of nearly twenty boating industry CEOs and we went around the room to list our biggest problem. I would guess sixteen of the twenty said their biggest problem was finding good people. Interestingly most were not look- ing for highly trained people they were looking for people with good "employability" skills. Most of us are happy to train if we can find someone who will show up every day on time and work hard while they are there. A growing economy and retiring baby boomers are going to make this problem significantly worse. We could find our country in a position where we need immigra- tion to fill open jobs. Shortage of fishing areas – If you follow STEELE WHOWELL, director, Gordy's Lakefront Marine, 2014 Boating Industry Top 100 Dealer of the Year If I were to pick the single biggest issue that our industry faces – it would be fighting for our customers' time. We used to have customers that would vacation to the lake Memorial Day to Labor Day. Now with kids' sports and other activities many of our customers don't even get to the lake until late June or even early July. Where our main season used to be Memorial Day to Labor Day now it's condensed to July 1 to mid-August at best. Kids' sports seem to get more competitive each year and sports programs are having longer seasons and more travel games/events and it is making it harder for families to find time to go boating. Time at the lake seems to be more of a scheduled vacation vs. "summer at the lake." That is why we invest so much time and energy into our events to encourage our customers to schedule in their family boat time and show them how much fun it can be. The industry as a whole needs to continue to promote the experiences and memories with family that boating can offer. And that these memories and experiences with those you love are of far great value in the grand scheme of things vs. a few extra baseball practices.

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