Weekly 5: New chairs for Congressional Boating Caucus
The BI Weekly 5 is a collection of tips, news and data affecting the boating industry this week. Be sure to look for the BI Weekly 5 every week on BoatingIndustry.com.
1. New chairs for Congressional Boating Caucus
The Congressional Boating Caucus is an informal, bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and Representatives formed in 1989 to advocate for the interests of the recreational boating industry. It is comprised of about 120 members.
2. Mount Dora Boating Center and Marina named Business of the Year by local Chamber
The Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce has named the Mount Dora Boating Center and Marina the 2016 Business of the Year, the Daily Commercial reported.
Owner Joe Lewis and his company were recognized by the Chamber for their work in the community and local economy, including providing one of the largest private Christmas light displays in the county, Chamber President Rob English told the paper.
3. The ‘Connected Spender’
The Demand Institute is suggesting a new way of looking at consumers in its new report “Introducing the Connected Spender: The Digital Consumer of the Future.” The non-profit think tank says an income-based approach of defining consumers ignores two key factors: consumer mindset and engagement, and access to goods and services.
“The Connected Spender is the ideal consumer for a variety of goods and services,” said Louise Keely, president of The Demand Institute and executive vice president of the global retail vertical at Nielsen. “Consumer-facing businesses should use Connected Spenders as a lens in making decisions about which markets to invest in, how to communicate with and reach consumers and what actions they can take to support growth across different markets.”
4. Americans moving less than ever before
Americans are moving at the lowest rate on record, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center, as Millennials are moving significantly less than adults of earlier generations.
The modest job recovery is the key culprit, as well as Millennials being much less likely to buy a home than earlier generations at the same age, the authors said.
5. Oregon considers fee for non-motorized boating
The Oregon State Marine Board has asked lawmakers to consider a program that would include imposing fees on people who use sailboats, kayaks, rafts and other non-motorized watercraft on the state’s public waterways to help pay for education, construction and other related expenses, The Log reported.
Currently, state marine board funding comes primarily from motorized boating, but non-motorized boating activities are equal to motorized boating on the state’s waterways and on average account for half of the annual boating fatalities.
