MRAA names 2018 Great Dealerships to Work For

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas named the marine industry’s inaugural Great Dealerships to Work For, recognizing 20 boat dealers at an awards program last month.

The 20 dealerships qualified for recognition through the results of the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program’s annual Employee Satisfaction Survey. This survey, administered anonymously through the MRAA, asks Certified Dealership employees to answer 37 questions about their satisfaction with dealership management and leadership, workplace satisfaction, dealership reputation, and customer relations, all on a scale of 1 to 5, with “5” being Highly Satisfied. The answers add up to a cumulative score for overall Employee Satisfaction, and MRAA recognized all dealerships who achieved a score of 90 percent or better.

“It’s common knowledge that employee satisfaction has a direct influence on customer satisfaction,” MRAA President Matt Gruhn said. “It’s truly an honor for us to be able to identify and recognize those businesses and individuals who go to great lengths to create a rewarding and motivational culture and atmosphere for their employees.”

In 2018, 190 Certified Dealerships went through the Employee Satisfaction Survey process and were eligible for recognition in the Great Dealerships to Work For Program. Of those who participated, only the top 20 qualified at the 90 percent mark or higher. Those dealerships are:

1. Breath’s Boats & Motors, Bay St. Louis, Miss.
2. Tracker Boat Center, Florence, Ala.
3. Bass Pro & Tracker Boat Center, Columbia, Mo.
4. Desmasdon’s Boat Works, Pointe au Baril, Ontario
5. River City Boat Sales, Aurora, Ore.
6. Tracker Boat Center, Longview, Texas
7. Bass Pro & Tracker Boat Center, Harlingen, Texas
8. Tri-State Marine, Deale, Md.
9. Blue Springs Marine, Blue Springs, Mo.
10. Boulder Boats, Visalia, Calif.
11. Boulder Boats, Henderson, Nev.
12. Baert Marine, Middleton, Mass.
13. Tracker Marine Boat Center, Pearl, Miss.
14. Bass Pro & Tracker Boat Center, Palm Bay, Fla.
15. Deep Creek Marina, McHenry, Md.
16. Bass Pro & Tracker Boat Center, East Peoria, Ill.
17. Marina Fortin, Ile Aux Noix, Quebec
18. Russell Marine, Real Island, Alexander City, Ala.
19. M&P Mercury Sales, Burnaby, British Columbia
20. Cabela’s & Tracker Boat Center, Louisville, Ky.

“Based on the commitment they’ve made, the requirements they’ve met and the continuing education they navigate, not to mention their ongoing focus on both employee and customer satisfaction, we believe that our Certified Dealers are the industry’s leading retail businesses,” explains MRAA Certification Manager Liz Keener. “These 20 dealerships truly represent the cream of the crop when it comes to measurable, objective outputs like their Employee Satisfaction Survey results, and we are thrilled to recognize their great accomplishments.”

The 2019 Employee Satisfaction Surveys will be distributed to Certified Dealers April 15, 2019. To be eligible for consideration in MRAA’s 2019 Great Dealerships to Work, Employee Satisfaction Surveys must be completed by Aug. 31, 2019.