Boating Industry Intelligence You Can Profit From
The U.S. Postal Service will debut a Passport Fair beginning at the Kansas City Boat & Sportshow on Jan. 7 through Jan. 10, according to a release from the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which produces the show. Postal Service sales and service associates will help visitors apply for either a passport book or the new U.S. Passport Card, complete passport applications, pay fees and secure photos.
Nitro Marine has been named Stacer National Dealer of the Year Award, according to a release from Stacer. Nitro Marine has had an overall growth rate of 23 percent from the previous year, the company said. “The Stacer Dealer of the Year Award assess dealerships on criteria such as their dealership presentation, sales staff, customer service and marketing activities to promote the brand, all criteria of which Nitro Marine has gone above and beyond to succeed in,” Stacer National Account Manager Drew Jackson said in the release.
Michelle Delong has been named the 2009 Administrative Support Employee of the Year by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft. She works as a Watercraft Records Specialist 2 in the division’s Registration and Titling Section. Delong joined ODNR in 1998 as a natural resources worker and transferred to the Division of Watercraft with a promotion to Watercraft Records Specialist 1. She is a graduate of Circleville High School and The Ohio State University.
Riverside Marina, a sister company of G. Winter’s Sailing Center Inc., is the winner of a a brand new F-150 pick-up truck from Interlux, according to a release from the marine coating manufacturer. To celebrate the launch of its new paint offer in larger packaging, Interlux displayed a 2010 Ford F-150 XL Extended Cab Pick-Up Truck at its booth at recent distributor shows. Show attendees were invited to enter a drawing with a $25,000 F-150 as the prize.
Iris Innovations has appointed SeaWide Distribution as the exclusive U.S. distributor for its line of SeeSeaTV marine grade video cameras, according to a recent release. SeaWide is a national wholesale distributor of marine and consumer electronics with four distribution centers located in major boating markets in the U.S.
Zodiac of North America, Military and Professional Boats Division, has signed a cooperative education and technical workforce certification agreement with The American Boat and Yacht Council, ABYC reported in a release. According to the agreement, the Military and Professional Boats Division will require their dealers to maintain at least one certified technician on staff at all times. In return, ABYC will schedule education and certification classes in areas that are geographically convenient to Zodiac dealers affected by this agreement. Additionally, ABYC will issue certification course discount vouchers to the Zodiac NA Headquarters’ office for distribution to the Gold Plus dealers. Each voucher will be worth $100.
Yamaha WaterCraft Group has launched a free BlackBerry smartphone promotion, the company reported this week. The promotion is designed to help consumers access an array of Yamaha content via the mobile channel. The offer provides a free BlackBerry smartphone to the first 25,000 people to access the program. It doesn’t require the purchase of a Yamaha WaveRunner or boat. Yamaha WaterCraft has launched several initiatives to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of smartphones to help consumers stay connected via mobile alerts with the latest news, product info, promotions and incentives, new accessories and more right on their mobile phones.