NMTA endorses Rossi for Governor
Member surveys reveal strong support for endorsement

NMTA’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to endorse four candidates for election in 2008 during the April Board meeting.

The following candidates will receive an endorsement from NMTA:

• Governor: Dino Rossi (R)

• State Attorney General: Rob McKenna (R)

• Lieutenant Governor: Brad Owen (D)

• Commissioner of Public Lands: Doug Sutherland (R)

During the 2004 election year, NMTA endorsed Rossi, McKenna and Sutherland with two of three winning their contests. Rossi lost the governor’s race by 133 votes.

The Board of Trustees reviewed the following member survey results before deciding to endorse the candidates:

1. An electronic survey was sent to all Washington members in January asking whether NMTA should endorse candidates, and if yes, who? Results: 100 members responded with 62% supporting a Rossi endorsement.

2. In January, a vote was taken at NMTA’s Government Affairs Committee meeting examining endorsements and which candidates to support. Five of 6 members voted to support Rossi, while one member voted to remain neutral on an endorsement. All six members unanimously supported an endorsement of Sutherland and McKenna. An endorsement of Owen was not polled at the time.

3. An article in the April issue of Waterlife provided commentary by NMTA’s lobbyist Cliff Webster on Rossi and Governor Christine Gregoire’s platforms on various issues. Members were then asked to e-mail the NMTA office to share opinions on endorsements. The respondents were overwhelmingly in favor of endorsing candidates, and of supporting Rossi in the governor’s race.

“The NMTA board enthusiastically and unanimously endorses Dino Rossi for governor,” said Bill Youngsman of Twin Bridges Marina in Anacortes. “We believe that his pro business stance along with his problem solving and consensus building abilities are just what this state and our industry needs. We also support Rob McKenna for Attorney General, Doug Southerland for Commissioner of Public Lands and Brad Owen for Lieutenant Governor.”

Youngsman is a current Board member, chairs NMTA’s Political Action Committee, and participates in the Government Affairs Committee.

“All of these candidates have earned a great amount of respect from our membership in the way they have represented recreational boating and general business interests,” said Youngsman. “We encourage our membership to get involved… and vote.”

To get involved in NMTA’s Government Affairs Committee or Political Action Committee, contact Marina Hench at 206-634-0911 or marina@nmta.net.

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New member media tool available on NMTA.net
Online news database will drive web traffic to members’ businesses

A new tool available to NMTA members to build awareness of company news and press releases is now available on the association’s website at www.NMTA.net.

The “Member News Database” allows all current member companies to post their latest news and information that they typically distribute to media and news organizations to an online library of postings. This database will become searchable on the internet as more members post the news releases.

The new feature can be accessed from the NMTA homepage by clicking on “Member News Database” under the Newsroom tab.

“NMTA is focused on promoting and growing the business of its members,” said John Thorburn, communications director. “The Member News Database provides a vehicle for our members to distribute their information to a wide audience. As more members publish to this library, the more readers will find and access their company information.”

The database, which utilizes the latest in blogging software, is searchable within the Google-owned Blogger.com network – the largest blogging tool on the web today.

Any press release submitted to the database is reviewed by NMTA staff before posting on the public news listing.

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Results of 2008 Seattle Boat Show attendee survey are now online
Below are samples of the type of information that can be viewed by NMTA Members by clicking on the Members Only section of www.NMTA.net.

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Derby Series a ‘smashing success’ so far in ‘08

The Northwest Salmon Derby Series, presented by Traveler’s Insurance, was on the road again in April, partnering with the fifth salmon tournament in the last three months at the Portland Salmon Quest.
 
Salmon Quest is in its 11th year as a spring chinook fishing tournament. Unlike other derbies, the Quest is largely composed of four to six person guide boats where anglers pay for a seat in the boat and the funds are donated to the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation. The Foundation promotes fish conservation and access to fishing in the lower Columbia River and Portland region. The guides donate their boat, expertise and time to the cause.
 
In all, 50 fishing guides volunteered their day to Salmon Quest and took 150 anglers fishing.
 
At the end of the fishing day, a banquet is held at the Airport Holiday Inn where the Northwest Salmon Derby Series grand prize boat is displayed in the middle of the banquet room.
 
Derby Series manager and NMTA Director of Fishing Affairs Tony Floor said the spring chinook fishing was very good as anglers boated over 100 hatchery fin-clipped salmon.

“They are a first-class derby partner and the opportunity to put the Derby Series boat in the Willamette and Columbia River, along with displaying it in the hotel provides a lot of exposure to the boat and our sponsors,” said Floor.
 
Prior to Salmon Quest, the Derby Series boat was on hand for the Anacortes Salmon Derby, March 29-30. It too, was a smashing success as the event sold out one month before the tournament (800 anglers) and the blackmouth fishing was outstanding. Floor said 230 chinook salmon were entered into the tournament, exceeding last year’s record by 80 chinook salmon. The fin-clipped mark rate was about 65 percent.
 
Looking ahead, tournament number six in the 14 event 2008 Northwest Salmon Derby Series is the Port Angeles Halibut Derby, May 24-25.

“This tournament has drawn a lot of halibut anglers to the event as they drew almost 1,000 anglers in 2006,” he said. “The tides are very favorable to halibut fishing that weekend and I expect the town to be plugged with anglers.”
 
The purpose of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series, which began in 2004 with six events, is to promote fishing in the Pacific Northwest. Pacific Boats, in Marysville, has provided a 23-foot aluminum fishing boat, fully outfitted with a 225 horsepower 4-stroke Suzuki and a 9.9 trolling motor resting on a galvanized EZ Loader trailer. The boat is fully outfitted with Raymarine electronics (radar, gps, depth-fish finder), Scotty electric downriggers, EZ Pull crab/shrimp pot puller, Marineworks Audio Stereo and other goodies. Boater’s World has donated $400 in gift certificates to all 14 events in this year’s Series to promote the events and to help grow boating.
 
The grand prize boat, along with a 14 Stabi-Craft boat powered with a 25 Horsepower 4-stroke Suzuki engine for the Kid’s Division of the Derby Series, will be awarded to two lucky anglers, who participated in one or more of the 14 events at the end of the 2008 schedule at the Edmonds Coho Salmon Derby.

For complete details, click on www.NorthwestSalmonDerbySeries.com.

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DiscoverBoating.com launches new site design, enhanced features
Latest additions to website aimed at simplifying process for people to become boaters

The newly revamped DiscoverBoating.com launched last month, featuring a fresh, updated look and several new interactive features designed to show website visitors how easy and enjoyable it is to become boat owners.

The new and improved website focuses more intently on the activities people can participate in while onboard a boat and incorporates vivid imagery of individuals partaking in these exciting activities on the site’s homepage. Consumers have the opportunity to select their activity of choice by clicking on the specific icon—whether it be fishing, sailing, powerboat cruising or watersports—and are redirected to a page providing relevant information about that particular activity, including boat type selections, tips and resources.

“Revamping DiscoverBoating.com to better fit the needs of those visiting the site is a crucial element in our ongoing efforts to bring more people into boating,” says Armida Markarova, director of Interactive Marketing for both Grow Boating Inc. and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). “By increasing the focus on boating activities and making the site more interactive, we anticipate people will get that much more excited about getting out on the water and, ultimately, buying a boat.”

To answer pleas from wannabe boat owners, the Spousal Conversion Kit also launched this week as part of DiscoverBoating.com’s overall redesign. The kit provides website visitors with a seven-step process to help convince their significant other or special someone that the time has come to purchase a boat. The kit also features several videos from both first-time and experienced boat owners highlighting the many benefits of owning a boat, including spending more quality time with loved ones and freedom to explore the great outdoors on your own terms.

“The Spousal Conversion Kit is really a home-run for DiscoverBoating.com,” explains Carl Blackwell, vice president of Marketing Communications for Grow Boating Inc. and NMMA. “It’s a humorous and fun tool that’s designed to help boating enthusiasts convince their significant others to buy a boat by walking them through the many benefits of being on the water and demonstrating just how easy it can be to get started. We all know that boating is fun and exciting, so the act of convincing someone to buy a boat should be just as enjoyable.”

To combat one of the great misconceptions about boating—that it’s too expensive for the average family—DiscoverBoating.com now features the Boating Affordability Tool/Budget Planner, which compares the cost of boat ownership to several other popular family leisure activities, including taking Disney vacations, attending professional sporting events, going camping or RVing, and enjoying a night out at the movies, to name just a few. The Budget Planner debunks the age-old “expensive” myth and demonstrates that owning a boat is, indeed, within reach of most American families—especially when pitted against activities on which families already spend their hard-earned money.

Another new, interactive feature of DiscoverBoating.com’s redesign is the “Baby Boomer” section, which goes live this week. Nearly 60 million adults went boating in the U.S. in 2007, and with approximately 80 percent of Americans—specifically Baby Boomers and Generation Xers—saying they plan to purchase a recreational product in the near future, Boomers are a perfect fit for Discover Boating.

The Boomer section positions boating as the ideal activity to enrich a person’s “Golden Years,” including spending more quality time with the grandkids, providing a means of owning that “vacation home you always wanted,” and falling back into former childhood pastimes like fishing. There’s even a page encouraging visitors to “Get your second wind” and give sailing a try. The Boomer section prominently features a strong call to action for visitors to request a free copy of the “Get Started in Boating” DVD, experiment with the Boat Selector Tool and calculate the cost of boat ownership using the Boating Affordability Tool/ Budget Planner.

“Baby Boomers are an increasingly important segment in the boating market,” says Blackwell. “Elevated income levels and increased amounts of available leisure time make Boomers very receptive to Discover Boating messages. The new section of DiscoverBoating.com aimed at this generation is designed to introduce Boomers to the joys of boating and provide with them will all the necessary resources to get started.”

For additional information about DiscoverBoating.com or any of its new interactive tools and features, contact Markarova at (312) 946-6284; amarkarova@nmma.org.

The Grow Boating Initiative is an integrated effort among organizations with an interest in the recreational marine industry to promote the boating lifestyle and improve the boating experience. A strategic set of programs focusing on all areas of boating, including water access, dealer and product certification, marketing and research is designed to increase participation in boating and improve sales of marine products and services. For more information, visit GrowBoating.org.

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