Trade Associations

The Marine Trades Association of New Jersey (MTA/NJ) Foundation has announced the winners of their 2022 scholarships and educational awards. Since 2006, the MTA/NJ Education Foundation has awarded nearly $30,000 to students and has provided over $10,000 towards marine education and training for members.   The Automotive Training Center in Warminster, Pa. sponsored a half scholarship to their Marine Technician Program that ...

In the last two years of extraordinary consumer demand for boating and outdoor recreation, Discover Boating, powered by the NMMA and Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), saw its site traffic surge, reaching more than 5 million unique visitors for the first time in the brand’s history. And, while the industry is seeing a normalizing of new boat sales through Q1 2022 ...

The American Boating Congress (ABC) will return to Washington, D.C. from May 8-10, 2023, bringing together all segments of the recreational boating industry to share its collective voice on Capitol Hill and address pressing matters to the industry. Following the return of a successful in-person ABC this year, the NMMA will welcome the industry back to The Wharf, D.C. at ...

The Senate of Canada met last week to consider the Budget Implementation Act of 2022, or Bill C-19, which includes the “luxury tax” on new boats valued at CA $250,000 or more. A recent study conducted by Jack Mintz, Ph.D., at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, in conjunction with Fred O'Riordan at EY Canada, found ...

Marine Marketers of America (MMA), the voice for marketing professionals in the recreational marine industry, announced today the election of new officers and the appointment of new board members. Courtney Chalmers, vice president of marketing for Boats Group, will continue her role as president of the association. Abbey Heimensen, vice president of marketing for MarineMax, has been elected as MMA’s ...

NMMA recently welcomed Mildred Robinson as vice president of business intelligence. In this new role, Robinson will drive NMMA’s data, analytics and insights department to enhance and expand research critical to the success of the recreational boating industry. Robinson reports to Ellen Bradley, senior vice president of marketing and communications and chief brand officer. “We are thrilled to welcome Mildred ...

Nine new marine industry stakeholders were recently elected to serve two-year terms beginning June 1, 2022, on the Sea Tow Foundation’s Boating Safety Advisory Council. Established in 2019, the advisory council collaborates on multiple national boating safety initiatives and also judges and selects the most outstanding efforts by marine industry companies promoting recreational boating safety through its annual “National Boating ...

The NMMA reports new powerboat sales through Q1 2022 are showing signs of normalizing following two years of historic growth. In the first quarter, new powerboat retail sales totaled 54,000 units, down 20% compared to Q1 2021, while continuing to surpass pre-pandemic levels, up 20% from Q1 2019’s 45,000 units.  “Not surprisingly, we’re seeing sales begin to stabilize following extraordinary growth in ...

As state legislative sessions near their final days, boating access rights have been at risk across the United States. Lawmakers, agencies, and special interest groups across several states have attempted to regulate towed water sports, specifically wakesurfing, due to erroneous claims that the activity has a negative impact on waterway shorelines.The NMMA State Advocacy team, alongside the Water Sports Industry ...

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced its expansion of offerings for Marine Industry Certified Dealership (MICD) Program participants through its strategic partnership with Boat Trader. The new benefit includes banner ads for MRAA Certified Dealers on Boat Trader, the largest online boating marketplace in America, who are also Boat Trader members. The banners will be paired with dealer ...