Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/459238
LAUNCH www.BoatingIndustry.com January 2015 | Boating Industry | 9 award's namesake, though she never met Darlene Briggs herself. "When I look at who she was, what she represents and what the award rep- resents, and also the other people who have won it, those are rock solid super- stars in the industry," said Podlich, "and I'm just so flattered to be included. I'm really taken aback by it." Boating isn't just how Podlich makes her living: Her family always lived around water while her dad was in the Navy and her parents began to learn how to sail when she was born. It was a key part of her immediate family's recreation and all of her family members have taken home a paycheck from a marine-focused job at some point in their adult life. Podlich is also active in sailing competi- tions. After racing in college while attend- ing Tulane University, she has competed in a wide range of national and interna- tional events. She is currently participating in races using a Laser Olympic-class boat in a Masters circuit for ages 35 and over and competes in a variety of team-based races with multiple boats. She was named the top woman in both the U.S. Laser Masters Championships in Rochester, N.Y. and the Laser Masters Atlantic Coast Championships in Deltaville, N.Y. "Because we were near the water, I figured out that's where I'm happy," said Podlich. "It is a pleasure to have a job where you get to blend your passion and what makes you happy with what makes other people happy. I feel so lucky." What has been your greatest accom- plishment as president of BoatUS? PODLICH: Connecting more with the industry and with the boater. I have fully enjoyed getting to know our members around the country a little bit better. The more I know what's going on at the boater level, the better job I can do … on the other side: the more I can communi- cate and share that with the industry in terms of their customers. I look forward to more of it! What would you like to see from the industry in regards to involvement with government relations that impact their businesses? PODLICH: Everybody needs to be in- volved. They don't have to dive in head first – if they could do one thing for half an hour once a year, it would help. Think about the impact it would have on so many people who are in the industry. I think [government and legislation] is in- credibly mysterious to a lot of people and it's sometimes a little bit scary. … You don't have to have a Ph.D. in [govern- ment relations] to be involved. Photo by Mike Gibson, Versatile Photography Continued on page 10 SEARCH SCORECARD Dominion Marine Media collects data via its websites Boat Trader, boats.com and YachtWorld, and in this issue reports the median price of boats listed for sale in the top 10 most-listed classes* across the three sites. See www.dominionmarinemedia.com for more data. SAME-STORE SALES REPORT October Same Store Sales grew 5.0 percent from the previous year. Parts and services were up this month, at 5.8 and 5.3 percent respectively. Sales, however, saw a sharp decline at 26.5 percent year-over-year. More dealers reported sales were down than those who reported sales were up. For all departments, dealers using Lightspeed by CDK Global Recreation saw a 5.0 percent increase. Parts Service Department Department Major Units Overall 5.8% 5.3% 26.5% For more information on this report and other industry data, go to cdkglobalrecreation.com/dataservices 5.0% * Listings added during time period January–August, 2014 MEDIAN PRICES OF TOP-LISTED BOAT CLASSES From left to right: Julie Crowe, Marcia Hull, Joan Maxwell, Margaret Podlich, Ann Baldree, Barbara Woodard, Nancy Smith and Rallee Chupich Class Median Price Total Listings 2014 2013 2014 2013 Pontoon Boats $24,667 $20,595 20,911 19,223 Cruiser $64,500 $59,995 19,452 22,156 Motor Yacht $252,500 $319,000 10,141 12,424 Freshwater Fishing $17,595 $14,750 9,883 7,731 Bowrider $19,995 $19,995 9,931 10,178 Bass Boat $15,995 $14,995 9,150 8,425 Center Console $27,895 $27,500 8,280 7,839 Utility Boat $4,684 $1,149 7,613 5,236 Ski & Wakeboard Boat $44,999 $47,933 7,498 13,489 Express Cruiser $65,000 $65,000 6,904 6,451