NMMA President and CEO Frank Hugelmeyer, MarineMax CEO Brett McGill, and Suntex Marinas CEO
Bryan Redmond held the first panel discussion.
Redmond also noted that Generation Z, generally defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, is considered the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in the U. S., with half identifying as non-Caucasian. And those shifts represent opportunity.
“ We need to not only expose more people to the boating lifestyle, especially these new groups of consumers, but we also need to make it as unintimidating as possible,” said Redmond.“ Everyone in the industry needs to make it easier to get on the water.”
“ We got really good at marketing to the same people over and over and getting them to buy a bunch of boats over their lifetimes,” added Marine Max’ s McGill, talking about baby boomers.“ But we’ re now in danger of aging out. We’ re selling to a smaller and smaller pool of consumers and that needs to change. We know that spending time with friends and family on the water is still attractive to lots of people though, and we just need to be customer-centric and offer a memorable, easy experience at every level.”
Washington report
Making things easier from a regulatory standpoint was the subject of a panel discussion on the shifting regulatory landscape in Washington.
Travis Voyles, who serves as the assistant deputy administrator of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency( EPA), said providing regulatory relief to industries such as the recreational boating industry is something they look at every day.
“ This administration is really embracing the deregulation agenda,” he said.“ We’ re trying to take a completely different approach and President Trump views things through the lens of economic development.”
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, a critical funding source for state and national recreational fishing and boating programs, and an informative panel discussion highlighted this fund.
The trust fund is supported by excise taxes on fishing equipment, motorboat fuel, and import duties on recreational boats, and managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It has generated more than $ 12 billion for the conservation and restoration of sport fish species and their habitats. The funds support boating safety programs, aquatic resource education, boating access infrastructure and multi-state conservation grants.
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation is also funded primarily through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.
“ It’ s really been a model of conservation and these are all things that support the future of boating and fishing,” said panelist Mike Leonard, vice president of government affairs for the American Sportfishing Association.“ Sometimes we refer to this as the greatest story never told, since many people in the boating and fishing community don’ t know it exists. That can be a good thing though when members of Congress go looking for dollars. This program is a great example of industry and government working together to create value for the public.”
www. boatingindustry. com June 2025
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