In This Issue

By David Gee and Adam Quandt Global pandemic. Do you remember when you first heard those words? When dealerships closed their doors and production lines shut down did memories of ’07 and ’08 come flooding back like a bad dream? Did you wonder where this was all headed? Well, we may still be wondering that today, but at least the ...

Women Making Waves is Boating Industry’s effort to recognize the multitude of women in the industry who have made and continue to make great contributions to its success, propel its growth and lead their organizations and peers into the future. With roughly 100 well-qualified nominations for this year’s Women Making Waves, choosing the highlighted women was no easy task. There ...

Now in its eighth year, the Boating Industry Top Products program brings you 50 of the marine industry’s newest and most innovative products and services to recently hit the market, ranging from boat models to building components and everything in between. In order to be eligible for consideration, products or services had to have been introduced or significantly updated since ...

By David Gee Wells Fargo Distribution Finance, part of Wells Fargo & Company, recently announced the retirement of marine industry leader Bruce Van Wagoner after 45 years in the industry and 33 years with Distribution Finance (DF). Chad Lyon has been selected to lead DF’s Marine group, and we had the chance to chat over Zoom just before this magazine ...

Now in its fifth year, Boating Industry’s annual recognition program of strong young leaders in the marine industry shines a spotlight on a unique group of individuals leading the pack. Selected from around 200 nominations from across the industry, this year’s group features prominent young professionals form all segments of the marine industry from boat dealers to manufacturers and everything ...

By David Gee What will determine success for your dealership during this 2021 selling season? The overall economy? For sure. Consumer confidence? Check. Workforce issues and challenges? Yep. That trio hovers at – or near – the top of the list nearly every year. But this year, two new entrants rear their ugly heads: inventory, or lack thereof, and the ...

Now in its 16th year, the Boating Industry Top 100 truly continues to celebrate the best of the best. There’s simply no denying that 2020 has been a different year to say the least and while the 2020 Top 100 is decided on 2019 results and data, the current year certainly shaped how the program ran for this year, including ...

By David Gee The 10th Annual Boating Industry Movers & Shakers Awards recognize innovative leaders and trailblazers in the recreational boating industry who embrace the challenge of change. These leaders have been especially critical in 2020, when it seems like the only constants are challenge and change. This year’s Mover & Shaker of the Year led the transition of a ...

By David Gee There are approximately 4,300 recreational boat dealers in the U.S., but the largest 50 of them generate about 30% of the industry’s $12 billion annual revenue, according to Dun & Bradstreet. So let’s call the industry fragmented. Given that starting point, what is it like to run a boat dealership these days? Especially this summer of 2020? ...

Women Making Waves is Boating Industry’s effort to recognize the multitude of women in the industry who have made and continue to make great contributions to its success, propel its growth and lead their organizations and peers into the future. With nearly 100 nominations for this year’s Women Making Waves, choosing the highlighted women was no easy task. There is ...