Marine Mover – GLBF appoints deputy director

CHICAGO – The Great Lakes Boating Federation has appointed Michael J. Fischer as its deputy director, the GLBF said in a recent release.

Fischer previously served as manager of Policy and Planning for Friends of the Chicago River and as policy advisor to Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn, chairman of the Illinois Delegation to the Great Lakes Commission.

“He is a respected insider capable of bolstering awareness to this industry elevating it to higher level of respect while recruiting many future benefits for the boating community,” said Ned Dikmen, chairman of the Great Lakes Boating Federation.

Fischer will spearhead several policy initiatives on behalf of the Great Lakes Boating Federation.

“My aim is to raise the level of awareness about recreational boating to an equal status with of other stakeholders in the Great Lakes basin and surrounding waterways,” Fischer said. “Recreational boating on the Great Lakes is an industry in and of itself, with 4.5 million Great Lakes boaters in the United States alone, commanding $16 billion annually. Moreover, recreational boaters on the Great Lakes have distinct concerns requiring an independent voice in the conversation of policy development for the Great Lakes.”