Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/658360
LAUNCH 12 | Boating Industry | April 2016 www.BoatingIndustry.com MIAMI MAYOR UNVEILS PLAN FOR MIAMI MARINE STADIUM If there was one thing that took away from the visual appeal of this year's Miami International Boat Show, it was the dilapidated, graffiti-covered Miami Marine Stadium. Now, the stadium may be getting a long-awaited restoration under a plan announced by Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado in March. As reported by the Miami Herald, Regalado announced during his annual State of the City address that he will soon introduce legislation to make sure that revenue generated by the Miami Marine Stadium Park will go toward the stadium. He also plans to include $3 million toward the stadium restoration in the city's 2017 budget and plans to launch a competitive solicitation for repairs and management of the venue. Regalado credited the success of the Miami International Boat Show as being a key catalyst for the restoration of the stadium. "When we should have been celebrating the start of the long- awaited project, the media and some people were focused on pre- dicting the [Boat Show] would be an economic and environmental disaster," he said. "The truth is it was the total opposite." STUDY: CERTIFIED MARINE DEALERS' CSI SCORES OUTPACE INDUSTRY New data indicates dealerships completing the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program continue to receive higher CSI scores than their non-certified counterparts. Measuring customer satisfaction in nine key areas, the 2015 Na- tional Marine Manufacturers Association's Customer Satisfaction Index again draws a distinction between certified and non-certified dealers. Steve Pizzolato, founder and CEO of AVALA Marketing Group, which gathers and evaluates data for the annual NMMA CSI num- bers, said the correlation between certification and improved cus- tomer satisfaction grows stronger each year. The largest gap in the 2015 numbers can be found in the "overall dealer" category, where certified dealerships received a cumulative score of 91.3 compared to 88.4 registered by non-certified businesses. The +2.8-point difference is the largest seen in the category since data compilation began. "Once again we see convincing evidence that the certification pro- gram not only works, but it's working better than it ever has," Sonja Moseley, MICD Program director, said. "Achieving and maintaining high CSI scores like these is what certification has been built on, and certified dealers' dedication to excellence comes across clear." KAWASAKI NAMES NEW PRESIDENT Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. announced that Yoshitaka "Yoshi" Tamura will succeed Masafumi "Masa" Nakagawa as president of the company, effective this month. Nakagawa has been with KMC's parent company for 39 years and will retire after recently reaching the company's retirement age. Tamura returns to KMC after serving in many roles for Kawasaki, including as director of Kawasaki Motors Europe and most recently as associate officer, KD Office in the marketing and sales division of Kawasaki's Motorcycle and Engine Company, where he worked with Kawasaki subsidiaries around the globe. Mr. Tamura will lead KMC in celebrating the company's 50th anniversary in North America, as well as spearheading the company's move to its new headquarters later this year. "Yoshi brings a wealth of experience in the powersports industry to his new position. I am confident he will continue to lead KMC to greater heights as it celebrates its golden anniversary," said Nakagawa. MERCURY INTRODUCES NEW FURY 4 PROP AT BASSMASTER CLASSIC Mercury Propellers introduced its new Fury 4 propeller at the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in Tulsa, Okla. The Fury 4 has four high-progressive-rake blades made of Mer- cury's X7 Alloy for additional lift and superior top speed on heavy, tournament-loaded bass boats, the company said. The Fury 4 features 8 PVS holes designed to get boats on plane faster and deliver excellent shallow-water launches. The Fury 4 gives competitive bass anglers with tournament-loaded boats an additional 1 mph over the three-blade original Fury – making it the fastest propeller in the world for heavy tournament-loaded boats, according to Mercury. The Fury 4 is available in 24-, 25- and 26-inch pitches in right- hand rotation. It is recommended for tournament-loaded bass boats with outboard power in excess of 200hp. INDUSTRY NEWS Continued from page 11