Talk is cheap? Not always
When you show up at an airport and see people lined up waiting to get into the terminal, you know you’re in for a long trip.
That was the sight that greeted me as I climbed out of a taxi Dec. 21 at New York’s LaGuardia airport. The large storm that had rolled up the East Coast the previous few days was gone, but the snow left behind – combined with normal pre-Christmas travel rush – meant that catching a plane would be more complicated than usual, even under the best of circumstances.
Unfortunately, circumstances were not the best that morning as the airport also experienced a brief power outage, adding another obstacle to the equation. However, all the negative variables could have been adequately managed had those in charge done one thing: communicate. Read more »
Walt Disney World jokingly, I think, refers to Space Mountain – one of the signature rides at its Magic Kingdom theme park – as the largest “mountain” in Florida. The 180-foot high, indoor roller coaster, built in 1975, is meant to evoke thoughts of space travel as riders are plunged, largely in the dark, through an obstacle course of twists and turns.
As in the auto industry, where companies like GM are narrowing their focus by eliminating brands and models to help lure customers back – which the New York Times discussed in a 
Add another letter to the alphabet economists have created to try and predict the economic recovery. I was familiar with the “V-shaped” pattern historically followed during most downturns – a sharp decline followed by a quick rebound – as well as alternatives that more closely resembled “U” or “L” – the latter being a period of sustained stagnation. But some experts are beginning to believe “W” is the route our economy is most likely to follow on its way to recovery. (And no, that’s not some sort of slam on the guy who typically gets the blame for putting us in this mess…). 
With the news this week that the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin an interest-free loan program that provides up to $35,000 for small businesses facing immediate financial hardship, the federal government has taken a step that could offer immediate assistance to many marine businesses around the country. But will it help you, or any of the businesses you know? And, with the billions being spent on economic recovery, have you seen any of the benefits at your company, or in your area? 
Boating Industry’s 2009 Dealer Directory was published last week and, since its mailing, several dealerships that were not included have contacted us to find out why. So I wanted to briefly outline how we put together our directory each year in the hopes that the explanation will help ensure the process goes more smoothly for everyone in the future. 
There’s a dinner tomorrow night for the Sea Ray Owners Club at a restaurant on a lake near Austin, Texas. No RSVP is necessary. Members just need to show up and a seat will be waiting for them, courtesy of Sail & Ski Center – a dealership based in Austin – and each table of Sea Ray owners will receive a free appetizer platter. I’m not one to pass up free chicken wings, but I’m also not a Sea Ray owner (and I live in Minnesota) so I won’t be able to make it. But thanks to an e-mailed newsletter I received from Sail & Ski on the last day of April, I now know about the dinner; a boating lifestyle expo the dealership is hosting this weekend; a maintenance seminar on Saturday; and every other event the business has planned for the month of May. 
At the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo last November, Brunswick CEO Dusty McCoy said [and I'm paraphrasing here] that while many of the recessions the U.S. economy has endured in the past are V-shaped (the economy drops quickly, bottoms out, then rebounds steeply as well) he expects our current recession will be more U-shaped – meaning we won’t experience that quick bounce back. McCoy also said at the time that the economy was still on the left-hand side of the “U” and had not yet bottomed out. Where the economy stands today, some five months later, is a matter open for debate (if you would like to weigh in, please post a comment below), but if the latest Beige Book report issued the U.S. Federal Reserve is any indication, there are signs the economic freefall we’ve been in seems to be slowing, at least in some parts of the country. 