Boating Industry Insider

Do you ever get bored in your car driving to – and from – work, listening to the same old banter, and the same music, and the same news? Looking for something different? Then give Boating Industry Insider a test drive, as we talk to executives, thought leaders and movers and shakers from all aspects of the marine industry; from manufacturers to service providers. And it’s all available on the go, whenever – and wherever – you are. Try it today!

Subscribe to Boating Industry Insider Podcast on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM and Podchaser.

EPISODES:

Musing about Miami with Editor-in-Chief Adam Quandt

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The 2024 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show was a big success and Boating Industry editor-in-chief Adam Quandt was there. He joins David Gee to talk top line takeaways, headwinds, tailwinds, sales numbers and forecasts, new products, sustainability and more. Adam was also an NMMA Innovation Awards judge in Miami and he’ll discuss that, as well as provide some information about the next Boating Industry Elevate Summit Conference in Charlotte.

Brunswick – and the broader boating industry

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How does the CEO of the largest maker of recreational boats in the world see 2023? What lies ahead in 2024? Where are the headwinds coming from – and the tailwinds? Are there still lessons to be learned from the pandemic? Which categories are flourishing – and languishing? Is the industry doing enough to create the next generation of boaters? Join Boating Industry Insider host David Gee as he welcomes Brunswick Chief Executive Officer David Foulkes and Aine Denari, President, Brunswick Boat Group, to discuss these issues – and more. Their insights will better prepare you for a happy new year.

“The Boat Boss” Kim Sweers

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Kim Sweers isn’t just the dealer principal at Top 100 FB Marine Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she’s also The Boat Boss. It’s a multimedia platform utilizing podcasts, videos and other content all designed to promote recreational boating and the boating lifestyle. In this Boating Industry Insider podcast, she and host David Gee talk about her corporate background and how she got involved in boating, lessons from the pandemic, what 2023 has been like and what she expects from 2024. She also gives a sneak peek into her women in the marine industry breakout session talk, “How to get a seat at the table,” at the upcoming Boating Industry ELEVATE Summit Conference in Dallas, Texas, November 5,6, and 7.

Let’s talk boat building with serial boat builder Mark Overybe

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What has the 2023 season been like for manufacturers in the recreational boating industry? What potential challenges and opportunities lie ahead in 2024 – and beyond? What does it mean for a boat builder to be a good partner with dealers? How has the production landscape changed? Join Boating Industry Insider host David Gee as he brings in the perspective of Anthem Marine CEO Mark Overbye for the answers to these questions and more. Overbye, a contributor to Boating Industry, is a championship winning water skier and has been involved with Supra, Moomba, Gekko, Montara Boats and is now building aluminum wake surf boats with Anthem Marine.

Becoming a sales detective to find more sales

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Are you a sales detective, or still stuck peddling products while spewing out features and specs? Today the highest performing salespeople aren't solution selling. They're actively engaged in problem finding, taking prospects through a discovery process. In this Boating Industry Insider episode, host David Gee talks with technologist, inventor and serial sales platform start-up leader Lief Larson about the state of the sales landscape; new tools, new technologies, new methodologies and whether sales people have kept pace. Find out how – and why – the top 20% of sales professionals are outperforming the bottom 50% combined.

Boat Sales with Info-Link’s Jack Ellis

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Boat sales. Everyone’s favorite subject, right?! Jack Ellis, founder of Florida-based marketing and data-services company Info-Link doesn’t sell boats for a living. But he does track boat sales for a living. And in this Boating Industry Insider podcast episode from the recent Miami International Boat Show host David Gee will ask Jack about the last couple of years in the recreational boating industry, what 2023 might have in store, and what might happen with all of those new boat owners that came into boating during the pandemic. Also find out why Jack calls this a “market of multiple segments.”

A Conversation with Freedom Boat Club President Cecil Cohn

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How has the shared access model of boat clubs impacted overall recreational boating participation and boat ownership? Why are the demographics of boat club members different than that of the general boating owning population? What has fueled the growth of Freedom Boat Club? Join Boating Industry Insider host David Gee as he interviews Freedom Boat Club President Cecil Cohn from the Miami International Boat Show. They’ll discuss how Freedom went from 170 locations to over 370, and how they’re working to get more people on the water.

Marina Musings with Oasis Marinas Founder Dan Cowens

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Everything you wanted to know about marinas, and didn’t even know to ask. Boating Industry Insider host David Gee is joined by Dan Cowens, the architect of Oasis Marinas’ vision to provide high-quality marina management services around the world. Dan pulled from his 25+ years in hospitality management to build the customer-centric philosophy at Oasis. Under Cowens’ direction, Oasis Marinas grew from one property in Baltimore to 60+ marinas across the country. Dan is also the cofounder of marina technology brand, Snag-A-Slip, which now supports over 750 marinas worldwide, and maintains a database of 1 million+ users. In this episode they will discuss the history of the marina industry, the current state of the marina business, the role marinas play in the overall recreational boating industry and what the marina business needs to thrive into the future.

All about Boat Shows with NMMA’s Ellen Bradley and Jennifer Thompson

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The new year is bringing new changes for boat shows, as Discover Boating uses the 2023 boat show season to continue their multi-channel, industry lifestyle branding efforts. The goal? Connecting more directly with a much broader group of potential boaters. Boating Industry Insider host David Gee is joined by Ellen Bradley, Chief Brand Officer and SVP of Marketing and Communications for NMMA, as well as by Jennifer Thompson, SVP, Boat & Sportshows for NMMA. They discuss how and where boat shows fit into the overall recreational boating industry marketing landscape, how boat shows can create transformational experiences, and detail the ways the new Dealer Finder, the new Boat Finder and existing Brand Finder, will work together and be amplified through the 11 Discover Boating boat and sport shows.

Brunswick’s Dave Foulkes and Aine Denari

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Request Brunswick’s Dave Foulkes and Aine Denari Inventory challenges, rising prices, rising inflation, rising interest rates, and demand questions. Those are things the recreational boating industry is grappling with, and Boating Industry Insider host David Gee discusses them with Brunswick CEO Dave Foulkes and President of Brunswick Boat Group, Aine Denari. If they’re concerned, they’re not showing it though, as they both are overwhelmingly bullish about the boating industry, both today, and into the future.

Let’s talk extended warranties!

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Now is a great time to think about boosting your dealership’s revenue, and one way to do that is by offering – or expanding – extended warranty protection programs. Join host David Gee as he welcomes Jay Demaske, Vice President of Dealer/Agent Relations at United States Warranty Corporation/Eagle Extended Service Protection Corporation. They’ll talk about why this time of year in particular is critical to watercraft dealerships, some of USWC’s growth initiatives, what their claims adjusters are seeing in the field right now, some of the biggest challenges to dealers and repair shops, and what’s involved in onboarding as a new dealer or switching to a different service contract provider. Jay will also detail why they are returning as a sponsor to this year’s Boating Industry ELEVATE Summit Conference in Orlando, November 14-16.

Going electric with Vision Marine Technologies

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Globally, the electric boating industry generated $5 billion in revenue in 2021, and Allied Market Research is predicting a massive, 12.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the foreseeable future. In this latest Boating Industry Insider podcast episode, David Gee speaks to Vision Marine Technologies CEO Alex Mongeon. He is a former powerboat racer turned electric boat manufacturer, and has some interesting insights into the challenges and opportunities in this growing segment of the recreational boating industry.

How We Can All Make Boating Safer

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Many of the hundreds of thousands of new boaters who have taken to the water since the pandemic are not only new to boat ownership but have not had any prior boating experience at all. How has this changed the dynamic of boating, particularly when it comes to safety? What can boat builders, dealers, trade association professionals and even experienced citizen boaters do to make boating safer for everyone? Join Boating Industry Insider host David Gee, as he welcomes Jim Emmons, Executive Director of the Water Sports Foundation, Bill Yeargin, President and CEO of Correct Craft, and Jeff Husby, CEO of the Watersports Central group of dealers, as they discuss such topics as the engine cutoff switch, alcohol use and the importance of personal flotation devices. They also talk about how to model and share safe boating practices in every outing, and how to make safety a topic in demos, deliveries, and marketing and messaging. Boating is an inherently safe activity, and getting safer all the time according to U.S. Coast Guard data, so let’s all do our part to make sure the world knows that!

Sponsored by Water Sports Foundation

Let’s Discuss Dealers

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What does the recreational boating industry look like right now from the perspective of someone who deals with dozens of dealers on a daily basis? That’s what we wanted to know, so we asked Myril Shaw, COO of Dealer Profit Services, a full-service F&I and compliance services company, to join host David Gee for this Boating Industry Insider podcast episode. The two talk about some of the challenges facing dealers – and the industry – including keeping those hundreds of thousands of first-time boat buyers happy. Dealer Profit Services also returns as a sponsor of the Boating Industry ELEVATE Summit Conference and Top 100, and they discuss that as well.

The Five-Year Voyage

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Imagine spending five years with your wife in a 21-foot boat with an 8’x3′ cabin, on a trip through 19 countries, covering some 18,000 miles. That’s what Stephen Ladd did – and he – and the marriage – survived, though the boat did not. The author of the solo adventure story Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat is back at it, detailing a new adventure with a new book, The Five-Year Voyage. Teaming up with his now-wife Virginia, they sailed from the Gulf of Mexico to Argentina and back, largely via South American rivers, in a 21-foot Sea Pearl, even having a baby along the way. The pair are among only a handful of living people who have navigated from the Caribbean to the Amazon via the Brazo Casiquiare. Their range and variety of encounters with wildlife, indigenous peoples, gold-dredgers, fishermen, and even robbers make for good reading – and interesting podcasts!

The Electrification of Boating

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There is a growing consensus among auto industry executives and analysts that a tipping point is fast approaching for the mass adoption of electric vehicles because of falling battery costs, improving battery technology, pressure from regulators and generous government subsidies. Will electric boats be far behind? They certainly made a big splash at the recent Miami International Boat Show. There were several electric outboard manufacturers prominently displaying their products, and lots of people talking about electrification. Correct Craft’s Ingenity Nautique GS22E was named Boat of the Year by Boating Magazine, the first time the award has been given to an all-electric boat, and Ingenity also received a 2022 Miami Innovation Award for their all-new 23E, which debuted at the show. Boating Industry Insider host David Gee caught up with Sean Marrero, Ingenity’s President, at the show, to talk about the future of electric boats in the U.S.

The value of a strong corporate culture

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The great reshuffling. Reexamining our relationship to work. Employees quitting who don’t feel valued. In his Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System Ralf Specht – an innovative corporate brand strategist known for his work with global companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Coca Cola, General Motors, and Nestle – provides an approach to align value-creating employee behaviors with corporate strategy. In this podcast, Ralf joins David Gee to discuss:

Key evidence that proves great culture drives success – and practical strategies to make it part of your organization
The Soul System: The framework for building and maintaining a strong culture – one that leaders can immediately put into place
Specific examples of how successful organizations build and grow a Corporate Soul – including AirBnB, LinkedIn and others

Why you really can’t find talent

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. In this edition of Boating Industry Insider, content director and editor-in-chief David Gee introduces us to Roberta Matuson, President of Matuson Consulting. Her clients include General Motors, Microsoft, as well as many smaller privately-held businesses. She’s the author of six books, including her most recent, “Can We Talk: Seven Principles for Managing Difficult Conversations at Work”. In this interview, she states that the ‘Great Refusal to Work’ is not what many think it is. “Organizations and leaders struggling to attract talent have been using the additional unemployment benefits provided during COVID-19 as a crutch,” says Matuson. “Of course, it’s easier to blame someone else (in this case, the government) for your problems than to look inward to see if the problem might be you. She has some advice on how to stop valued employees from quitting, why your applicant tracking system might be a problem as well as some new places to dig for talent.

Diversity alone isn’t enough

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. It seems like everyone is hiring these days, and diversity is one of the top recruitment goals in 2021. But according to Martin G. Moore—a leadership performance expert, author and co-founder of Your CEO Mentor—diversity doesn’t help your company if you can’t leverage the value. “Having a diverse team is important, but if you want to actually make use of that diversity, you must truly engage and include each individual,” says Moore. “It’s not just about giving people a seat at the table. You also have to make it safe for them to express their views.” In this Boating Industry Insider episode, Content Director and editor-in-chief David Gee talks with Moore about how leadership qualities have changed since COVID, or if they have, how to truly empower people and leverage diversity, and why inclusion, consultation, and collaboration should never come at the expense of accountability.

How to create a more engaged and loyal workforce

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. Americans aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re quitting their jobs at record levels. So, how can you battle employee turnover and create a more engaged and loyal workforce? In this episode we interview Heather Younger – the founder of employee engagement and leadership development firm Employee Fanatix – and hear about her new book called The Art of Caring Leadership. She argues that if you are looking for increased productivity, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and employee loyalty, you need to care for your employees first. As we hear, she says that means not only being concerned with what employees can do for you, but also caring about who they are and what they can become. “There has never been a more important time to lead with purpose, skill, adaptability, and resilience,” says Younger. “Even with budget restraints and a world that feels chaotic and challenging, your leadership team must have all the tools they need to stand out as an organization where employees can’t wait to help grow – and don’t want to leave.”

National Safe Boating Week (and month) with Jim Emmons

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. It’s National Safe Boating Week (and month), just before the start of peak boating season, but actually it’s appropriate to talk about safe boating any time. Joining Boating Industry content director David Gee in this episode is Jim Emmons, Executive Director, Water Sports Foundation. Jim is also the former WSIA President and U.S. Coast Guard National Boating Safety Advisory Council Chairman. He will discuss the latest boating safety statistics, the impact on boating safety with a rise in the number of first-time boaters, and the part the entire boating industry can play when it comes to boating safety education. As he says, safe boating experiences are a critical component of positive boating experiences.

Chatting with Chad Lyon, Managing Director, Marine, Wells Fargo Distribution Finance

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. Chad Lyon was recently named to head the Marine group at Wells Fargo Distribution Finance, part of Wells Fargo & Company. The news follows the retirement of industry veteran Bruce Van Wagoner after 45 years in the industry and 33 years with Distribution Finance (DF). Shortly after the announcement, Boating Industry Content Director David Gee spoke with Chad via Zoom about his first thoughts after being named to the role, a little about his background, and what he sees as some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in the recreational boating industry.

Towboat Talk with Bill Yeargin

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. The towboat segment has been one of the shining stars of the recreational boating industry when it comes to year over year growth. But as Correct Craft CEO Bill Yeargin points out in this Boating Industry Insider episode with David Gee, the category only recently returned to pre-recession unit sales levels in 2020. In this wide-ranging discussion with an industry leader, find out when Yeargin thinks supply will align with demand, what he has to say on the “affordability” of watersports boats, what virtual boat shows meant to the industry and what the future holds for electric watersports boats.

Pontoons surge in popularity – and price

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. Pontoons these days offer better engineering, improved fuel efficiency, increased speed and space and all-around versatility. And that all comes at a higher cost of course. Some pontoon manufacturers are trying to mitigate sticker shock by offering different levels of pontoon lines that target different price points, from entry-level to high luxury. Others, such as Anthem Marine and Avalon, are offering pontoons with features such as surfable wakes. Whatever the sales strategy is, it seems to be working. The pontoon segment led the industry out of the last recession, and the NMMA says sales of freshwater fishing boats and pontoons accounted for 50% percent of all new powerboats sold in 2020. For the month of June, 2020, pontoon sales were up 23%, by July they were up 53%, and in August they were up 44% YoY. And Stratview Research estimates that the pontoon boat market will reach $2.5 billion by 2025. In this episode of Boating Industry Insider Content Director David Gee speaks with serial boat building entrepreneur Mark Overbye about the pontoon segment, the category’s popularity, where some of the high costs come from and what the future looks like for the segment.

The sterndrive show goes in with Ilmor COO Mike Lindberg

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. There’s no denying that the sterndrive no longer holds the place in the recreational boating industry it once did. However, there are plenty of manufacturers, dealers and customers who still see value in the sterndrive market, and that’s why Ilmor, Mercury Marine and Volvo Penta continue to invest, iterate and improve their sterndrive offerings. In this Boating Industry Insider episode, content director and editor-in-chief David Gee speaks about sterndrives with Mike Lindberg, Chief Operating Officer of Ilmor Marine, who oversees engineering, sales and service for the company. Among other things they talk about how the COVID sales surge re-energized the category, especially among first-time boaters, as well as sustainability, eco-friendliness, electrification, corrosion and reliability improvements and the future of the sterndrive space.

Discussing how to be a diversity confident employer with TED Speaker Tova Sherman

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. In the modern workplace, disabilities are more common than we may know. Yet too often, a stigma still exists when it comes to employing people with disabilities. According to Tova Sherman—a CEO, TED Speaker, and thought leader with more than 25 years of experience in diversity and inclusion—educating your existing team is crucial to a ensuring a thriving workplace filled with diverse people. “Disability is not a dirty word, so let’s stop acting like it is,” says Sherman, author of the book Win, Win, Win! The 18 Inclusion-isms you need to become a disability confident employer. “People often choose not to discuss what they don’t understand and that is why myths about disability continue to persist. Silence can no longer be an option in the workplace – and leaders must replace it with honest conversation.”

In this interesting interview with Tova, Boating Industry editor-in-chief David Gee discusses:

Actionable steps to build the foundation for a truly inclusive workplace
Why attitudinal barriers are the biggest obstacles to an inclusive culture
Biggest mistakes leaders make when managing people with disabilities
Why diversity is not the only aspect of an inclusive workplace culture

Author and leadership expert Dan Pontefract

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. After a year of global disruption, leaders who want to stay relevant are transforming the way they manage and interact with their teams. As we hear in this Boating Industry podcast episode with Content Director David Gee, leadership expert Dan Pontefract says humility is one of the most essential leadership trends of 2021.
“To put it bluntly, stop making everything solely about you. It’s time to break the mirror and start championing others,” says Pontefract, author of Lead. Care. Win. You’ll also hear about how to be more human at work and why managers who share their weaknesses with their teams can increase employee engagement.

Freedom Boat Club Franchisee Matt O’Hara

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. Matt O’Hara owns and operates Freedom Boat Club located at Queen Boat Co. on Lake George, New York, in the Adirondack region of the state, about 200 miles from New York City. As David Gee finds out in this edition of Boating Industry Insider, O’Hara didn’t aspire to be a boating business owner. In fact, he didn’t even grow up boating. He was introduced to Lake George, the “Queen of the American Lakes,” with its 109 miles of shoreline and 300+ islands, through his wife Rebecca. And he learned about Freedom Boat Club when they became a client while he was working in advertising sales in Boston. As you will hear, when he and his wife found the opportunity in 2016 to combine Lake George with the chance to own their own business, they took it! And never looked back.

KICKER Marine Audio

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. What does the future of marine audio look like? Are there new developments in the pipeline? What are the hot segments in high-end marine audio at the moment? In this Boating Industry Insider episode, join Jeremy Bale, National Brand Manager, KICKER Marine Audio, as he talks with Boating Industry Content Director David Gee about the current – and future – state of marine audio. They’ll discuss how KICKER got started, their unique value proposition, and how they originally expanded from automotive audio products to also include marine.

Reaching the Unreachables

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. For the past three years, overall boating deaths have declined in this country. That’s the good news. There is some bad news though. Deaths among paddlesports participants are actually on the rise. In this edition of Boating Industry Insider, content director David Gee is joined by Jim Emmons, Non-profit Outreach Grants Director at the Water Sports Foundation. They discuss the reasons behind the disturbing trend line and his organization’s efforts to reverse it.

It’s a heckuva time to start a start-up!

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. In this Boating Industry Insider, content director David Gee talks to boat building serial entrepreneur Mark Overbye about the general state of the recreational boating industry, what he’s hearing from dealers and customers around the country, and why he would launch his fourth boat manufacturing company in these uncertain economic times.

Americans are hooked on fishing during coronavirus pandemic

Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher. Gone fishin’! More and more of us have been saying that since the COVID-19 crisis hit. Find out why in this podcast with Boating Industry content director and editor-in-chief David Gee and special guest, Stephanie Vatalaro, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation.

Collaboration and communication in the COVID-19 era

Podbean, iTunes, or Stitcher. In this edition of Boating Industry Insider, content director and editor-in-chief David Gee looks at the challenges – and upsides – of working remotely. He is joined by Stanford-trained computer scientist turned organizational collaboration expert Dr. Mark Mortensen from INSEAD, one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools. They discuss, among other things, how our new virtual reality has impacted the way teams collaborate and work together, what “structured” unstructured time is, and how organizational communication has changed since the conference rooms and the water coolers closed.

Conversation with Correct Craft CEO Bill Yeargin:

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Join Boating Industry content director David Gee and Correct Craft CEO Bill Yeargin as they talk about the popularity of towboats and innovation in the recreational boating industry.

Boating Industry/Water Sports Foundation Safe Boating Podcast:

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Join David Gee, host of Boating Industry Insider, as he discusses safe boating; a big – and important – topic for those who build boats, sell boats, service boats, or for any of us who even board a boat. He is joined by Jim Emmons, Grant Director for the Water Sports Foundation, the non-profit educational arm of the Water Sports Industry Associaton, as well as Pam Dillon, a career-long boating professional, who is Educational and Standards Director for the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. They are a national non-profit that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety in all 50 states. The trio talk about the latest Coast Guard report on boating injuries and accidents, life jacket use, alcohol consumption on the water, the importance of being weather-aware and what the industry can do to mitigate prop-related accidents.

Boating Industry’s Elevate Summit Preview Podcast

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Join Boating Industry content director and editor-in-chief David Gee and Elevate and Top 100 marketing director Jonathan Sweet as they discuss the inaugural Elevate Summit 2019. In this episode you will hear about the idea behind Elevate, what it is designed to do and who should – and should not – attend. You will also hear a little about the speakers and the schedule, and hopefully have your questions answered and your curiosity piqued about this exciting new event coming in November.

EPISODES:

Episode 1: Podbean, Stitcher and iTunes.
Join President of National Marine Manufacturers Association, Thom Dammrich, and Boating Industry Editor Tim Hennagir, to discuss the state of the industry, tariffs and more. Sponsored by Protective Asset Protection.

Episode 2: Podbean , Stitcher and iTunes.
Join Tim as he visits John Buelow, vice president of global operations at Mercury Marine in Fond Du Lac, Wisc. to discuss how strategic initiative drive innovation and efforts to advance the company’s product portfolio strategy. Sponsored by Protective Asset Protection.

Episode 3: Podbean (available soon on Stitcher and iTunes). Join Boating Industry Insider as we visit with Chris Drees, Mercury Marine’s new parts and accessories president, as he discusses product and service innovations introduced or under consideration, and the importance of dealer networks. Sponsored by Protective Asset Protection.