The signs that 2011 will be a better year keep coming. So, let wrap up this year with some very encouraging news. (Read More…)

This has been a very good year for consumers who like bargains. While lower income people may need low prices, it’s middle and upper income shoppers who love bargains! In these latter cases, they’ve had a great time using one of the most time-tested promotional tools known to retailing – coupons. (Read More…)

A boat dealer’s Christmas carol
(Sing to the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas”)

On the first day of Christmas, my builder gave to me,
A Dealer Agreement that is fair; (Read More…)

The move by NMMA to team up with others (the Engine Products Group coalition) in filing a lawsuit in federal court challenging EPA’s recent approval of E15 is as great as Howard Beale’s (Network) exclamation: “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” (Read More…)

As anticipated, the National Recreational Boating Safety Coalition met yesterday and Army Corp of Engineers spokesperson Lynda Nutt presented results from their three-year, on-going test program regarding mandatory life jacket wearing. Moreover, she indicated the Corps is so pleased with their success that expansion for 2011 is a done deal. (Read More…)

Tomorrow (Dec. 15) could be an interesting day if the subject of mandatory life jacket wear on pleasure boats is on your mind. That’s because a meeting of the National Recreational Boating Safety Coalition is slated to feature a report from the Army Corps of Engineers on its mandatory life jacket program. Never heard of it? I hadn’t, either, until recently. (Read More…)

Tis the season to be jolly . . . and it’s got me looking only for encouraging news. That’s the way I intend to celebrate the end of this current decade which, let’s face it, has genuinely sucked! It began with the spectacular failure of the dot-coms, witnessed the horrors of Sept. 11, and wraps up with a great recession. Oh, could “sucks” be an understatement? (Read More…)

If funding for boat loans is inching up, it’s good evidence that the “bottom” is clearly behind us. Such is a conclusion from the encouraging news out of the National Marine Bankers Association last week. (Read More…)

Get ready to handle a lot more paperwork for the IRS. Because the Senate couldn’t pass simple legislation this week that would repeal an onerous reporting measure set to sock small businesses, marine dealers can expect to file dozens, if not hundreds, more 1099s beginning in January, 2012. (Read More…)

When I read about something succeeding beyond expectation, I always want to know why. So, when the Orlando Sentinel recently reported Universal Orlando posted its best quarterly results in the resort’s 20 year history with revenue up 62 percent and profits more than double, it got my attention. After all, most amusement parks have been working hard just to keep even. (Read More…)