When the Marine Industry Association of South Florida (MIASF) contacted Broward Community College (BCC) to help them with the training of qualified technicians, we were more than willing to assist an industry that represents the largest economic generator in our community.  With an estimated $18 billion impact on our Florida economy, the marine industry is the eight hundred pound gorilla that cannot be ignored. 

However, the industry is fragmented and a dominant employer is hard to find; MIASF represents over 800 members and few employ more than 50 workers.  (Read More…)

We’re paying as high as $2.73 a gallon for gas at the pump to drive our cars in Essex, Conn., home of Soundings Publications.

I know it cost more to fill a boat at the marinas, and I’m wondering if the soaring price will deter people from buying boats. (Read More…)

Soundings Trade Only compiled a story for its April issue on the proposed emissions standards for marine and locomotive engines.
The proposed marine rule, part of the EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign, will require a 90-percent reduction in particulate matter emissions, an 80-percent reduction in nitrogen oxides and additional reductions in hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and air toxics.
The proposal has been drawing mixed reactions among trade groups.

(Read More…)

I was talking with friends recently about the simple pleasure of sailing a Sunfish. My first encounter with the boat was sitting dead on the water on a small lake. I knew nothing about sailing then and my friend, who owned the boat, seemed to know even less. I’ve since learned a bit. But that casual dinner conversation about boats got me thinking about the sailing industry and the initiative to boost participation in the sport. (Read More…)

The National Marine Manufacturers Association is giving pretty high marks to the industry’s Grow Boating Initiative so far. After only the first year of the advertising campaign, consumer awareness of Discover Boating rose from 1 in 20, to 1 in 4. There also was a surge in traffic to the re-designed DiscoverBoating.com Web site, with a 250 percent increase at the fiscal year close on Sept. 30, compared to the previous year. (Read More…)