The Marine Retailers Association of America held its annual Board meeting at the Marine Dealer & Conference Expo on November 19th at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The following officers were elected: Ed Lofgren, Chairman, 3A Marine Service, Inc., Dave Foulkrod, Vice Chairman, Ship & Sail, Inc., Steve Baum, Treasurer, Boat Owners Warehouse, and Robert Soucy, Immediate Past Chairman.

The members from the 10 Regions include Region 1, John Irwin, Irwin Marine of Alton; Region 2, Dennis Smigiel, Kydd’s Marine Center, Inc.; Region 3, Jim Browning, Brownings’s Marine, Inc.; Region 4, Randy Wattenbarger, Cleveland Boat Center; Region 5, Joe Lewis, Mount Dora Boating Center; Region 6, Jim Thorpe, Spring Brook Marina; Region 7, John Vallely, Jr., Vallely Sport & Marine; Region 8, Larry Tague, Lake Viking Marine; Region 9, Rod Malone, Sail & Ski, Inc.; Region 10, Alan Bohling, Seattle Boat Company.

Incoming Chairman, Ed Lofgren, appointed four Directors at Large: Rob Soucy, Port Harbor Marine, Paul Terzian, Causeway Marine, Paul Nickel, Pride Marine Group and Nancy Smith, Colorado Boat Center. The Board approved the following to be a part of the Executive Committee: Ed Lofgren, Dave Foulkrod, Steve Baum, Robert Soucy, Randy Wattenbarger, John Vallely and Paul Terzian.

There are three new members on the Board for 2009. Nancy Smith, Director at Large, is co-owner and Vice President of Colorado Boat Center, handling marketing, human resources and the administrative duties of the family dealership. Having been involved in the marine industry for more than eighteen years, Nancy brings her knowledge and experience as a featured speaker and panelist to the Board. As a Certified Dealership she is a strong advocate of Grow Boating, Dealer Certification and new boater education.

Joe Lewis, owner and general manager of Mount Dora Boating Center & Marina in Mount Dora, Florida, is the Director of Region 5 (AL, FL, GA, and MS). With his wife and two children he will be celebrating their 20th year in their dealership next May. Joe is the Past President of the Marine Industry Association of Central Florida, the Marine Industry Association of Florida and is currently serving on the boards of MIACF, MIAF and Grow Boating, Inc. Mount Dora Boating Center was one of the first dealerships to become a Certified Dealership and has been in Boating Industry’s Top 100 Dealers four years in a row.

Rod Malone, Sail & Ski, Inc. has been appointed as the Director of Region 9 (AR, LA, OK, and TX). Rod, a graduate in engineering, has been an avid boater since childhood. Co-Founder and President of Sail & Ski, Rod has been in the business for thirty-five years. He is a long term member of MRAA, a Marine Industry Certified Dealer and currently is a Board member of Grow Boating, Inc. Over the years he has also been active in many associations including Chairman of the Boating Trades Association of Texas, Chairman of the Capital Area Boating Trades Association of Central Texas, a member of the Boating Trades Association of San Antonio and a member of the local and state chapters of the Marina Association of Texas.