Water access task forced added to GBI

CHICAGO - The National Marine Manufacturers Association created a new Water Access Task Force to assist the Grow Boating Initiative.

Charged with increasing access to water for recreational boaters, the access task force will be led by chairman Tom Errath, manager of water access for Brunswick Boat Group.

“Access to America's waters is integral to our Grow Boating efforts, and trends toward diminishing access continue to be a primary threat to our success in this endeavor,” says NMMA chairman and Perko, Inc. vice president of Marketing George Bellwoar, who suggested the creation of the Task Force. “We need to turn our attention and resources to creating a strategic planning process for preserving, promoting and developing boating access facilities including marinas, launch ramps and other contact points to the water.”

The Water Access Task Force joins five other task forces that have been developed to ensure that the industry meets the goals established by the Grow Boating campaign. Those task forces include: Dealer Standards and Quality, Product Standards & Quality, Timely & Accurate Sales Statistics, Marketing/Communications and Funding Task Forces.

Like the model established by these other task forces, a coalition of industry stakeholders will develop a strategic plan to inventory boating access sites, measuring not just the number of sites but the nature of those facilities as well; to identify potential threats to boating access and strategies to combat these threats; and to focus proactively on opportunities to increase water access and the availability of recreational boating experiences. The task force is seeking volunteers to assist with the effort. Anyone interested in participating should contact NMMA director of Marinas and Boating Access, Jim Frye at (202) 737-9773; jfrye@nmma.org. Frye also serves as president of the Association of Marina Industries.

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