Monday, November 29

12:30pm-1:30pm (CST) Save Money, Make Money!
Roxanne Rockvam, General Manager, Rockvam Boat Yards, Inc.

Come discover how $4 changed the trajectory of how Rockvam Boatyard conducts business. In the past two years three major profit centers have been automated and the marketing program updated allowing us control to make money in interesting ways. Hear our story and learn creative ideas to apply to your own marina.

1:45pm-2:45pm (CST) Understanding your Marina Operator’s Legal Liability (MOLL): Coverage and Responsibilities
Daniel Rutherford, Director, Claims and Risk Management, Maritime Program Group
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MOLL coverage is often misunderstood by insureds and claimants alike. What differentiates MOLL coverage from MGL (Marine General Liability) coverage? When does MOLL coverage kick in and how is it designed to protect you from needless lawsuits and coverage shortfalls? This course will teach you about the issues surrounding Care Custody and Control, your legal liability, bailment, and how to proactively protect yourself both by contract and by your actions as bailee.

1:45pm-2:45pm (CST) Financing: Issues and Opportunities for Marinas and Boatyard Operations
Michael Ellsberry, President, Anchor Financial Services

This presentation will identify financing sources including non-traditional ones, and provide information on changes that have affected lenders and how that impacts your business. In addition, we’ll explore effective methods for working with lenders to help ensure you get the best results.

3pm-4pm (CST) Cost Effective Dispute Resolution
Lee Kramer, Maritime Lawyer – Owner, Great Lakes Dispute Resolution, LLC
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View the virtual session here

Based on his years of experience and through case studies, the presenter will discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of mediation versus litigation in the context of marina – customer disputes.

3pm-4pm (CST) Advancing Strategies for Sustainable Marina Design
Gregory Weykamp, Principal | President, Edgewater Resources, LLC
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Marinas need to reduce their impact on the environment, and to prepare for more stringent environmental requirements and increasing costs. This session will explore ways to shift the focus from just regulatory compliance to leveraging sustainable designs as effective tools to differentiate a marina from its competition. Case studies will identify specific ways to reduce maintenance and operational costs, increase utilization of a marina, attract more boaters, and increase profits.

4:15pm-5:15pm (CST) Effective Change Management for the Smart Marina
Jim Lamarche, General Manager, Falco Americas Corp.
Elsa Nicol, CEO, Wattson Elements- Falco

Technology by itself does not enable the connected marina. People, process, and education all have a dramatic effect on the success rates of new innovative services and solutions. Learn how to put a solid change/management methodology in place to manage all the critical success factors to digitizing and changing the way marinas operate, workers work, and boaters experience their time on the water.

4:15pm-5:15pm (CST) Renovation and the Issues Affecting Today’s Marinas
Lee Ishee, Project Development Manager, Northeast and Southeast Divisions, U.S.A., Bellingham Marine
Matthew Anderson, Project Development Manager, Southeast Division, U.S.A., Bellingham Marine

What do you do when the potential revenue opportunity from a renovation or expansion is more compelling than staying the course? This roundtable-style presentation will focus on the processes and planning that goes into ensuring a successful and efficient marina renovation project from start to finish. We will identify issues surrounding items that affect today’s marinas such as ground fault, higher power requirements, fire protection, grant funding for pump outs, and many more.

Tuesday, November 30

9:30am-10:30am (CST) What to Expect from the 2023 Edition of the National Electrical Code
Gary Loftis, Electrical Engineer, Maffett Loftis Engineering

The 2023 edition of the National Electric Code (NEC) will be the most aggressive code regulation for marinas to date. It is in progress and will be published later in 2022. Many states will adopt the 2023 Edition within a few months of the new year. This session will highlight the new code requirements and how to plan ahead for what is coming in the new code edition.

9:30am-10:30am (CST) The Worldwide Marina Industry- What Can We Learn from Each Other and What’s Ahead?
Tone Britovsek, President & Owner, IRM Ltd., Marina Master
Vesna Pavlovic, M.Sc., CEO, IRM Ltd., Marina Master
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No two marinas in the world are operating in the same way but still all marinas have a lot in common. This presentation will look at common operations, characteristics, requirements, and customer expectations and share best practices and trends that are shaping the future of marina management.

11:15am-12:15pm (CST) Forensic Analysis of Marina Condition and Failures
Jack Cox, Senior Principal, Edgewater Resources, LLC

Through case studies, learn strategies for assessing the condition of an existing marina facility, including how to identify why storm damage occurred, and how to plan renovation strategies, budget requirements, and how to minimize impacts to boaters during construction. Use of new tools to evaluate infrastructure will be covered, including aerial and submersible drones.

11:15am-12:15pm (CST) Implementing Automatic Drystacks from the Dry Side to Wet
Ron Schults, PE, Principal/Chairman, Edgewater Resources, LLC
Mike Kenny, EIT, Project Engineer, Edgewater Resources, LLC
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This session will cover the implementation of the next generation of automated drystack marina facilities, including case studies from several states. Different types of automation and ways to implement them into a project will be explored as well as specific strategies for staging vessels, navigational efficiency, overcoming geometric constraints, and managing peak demand.

2:15pm-3:15pm (CST) Google Reviews: How to Get Them, Respond to Them, and Why They Matter
Graham Anderson, Co-Founder & Chief Sales Officer, Kenect

Marinas have a lot of questions about Google reviews: how to get them, how to respond to them, why they matter, and why Google is the most important site for them. This session will cover the fundamentals of review generation, how to get more positive reviews, and most importantly, how to handle negative reviews.

2:15pm-3:15pm (CST) Clean Marinas Information Session: Keep Waterways Free of Trash
Sarah Orlando, Ohio Clean Marinas Program Manager, Ohio Sea Grant
Heather Sheets, Ohio Clean Marinas Coordinator, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Jill Bartolotta, Extension Educator, Ohio Sea Grant
Maia McGuire, Associate Director for Extension and Education, Florida Sea Grant
View the virtual session here

Having clean, safe water is essential for recreational boating, and there are many environmental challenges facing marina owners today. Our presenters will cover current research on trash in our waterways, abandoned and derelict vessels, single-use plastic reduction, and shrink wrap recycling. Existing resources and educational tools will be shared.

Wednesday, December 1

9:15am-10:15am (CST) The Problem with Abandoned Boats
Robert Smith, Executive Director, Fisher Phillips Safety Solutions
Kyle T. Watson, Associate, Fisher Phillips Safety Solutions

Legalities behind dealing with abandoned boats including what options are available for marinas with respect to acquiring title, resell, or disposal.

9:15am-10:15am (CST) Protecting Marinas & Shorelines from Surf/Boat Wakes
Christopher Goshow, P.E., Principal, IWC | International Waterfront Consultants LLC
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View the virtual session here

Over the last two decades, the popularity of surf/wake boats has continued to rise. Large waves from these hulls can have damaging consequences to nearby marina facilities and natural shorelines if not properly protected. This presentation will review the current and future technologies of surf/wake boats, quantify the range of surf/wake boat wakes expected, and conclude with measures to protect marina facilities and manage shorelines from these wakes.

12:00pm-1:00pm (CST) Identifying a Marina’s Niche to Build and Enhance Profit Centers
Daniel Natchez, President, Daniel S. Natchez and Associates, Inc.

Identifying a facility’s niche is key to creating and enhancing profit centers in a meaningful and cost effective manner. From facelifts to partial or full scale renovations or reconfigurations, this session will explore what makes sense; approaches for implementation; understanding and accommodating different demographics; and overcoming the challenges to facilitate meaningful and cost effective income producing actions.

12:00pm-1:00pm (CST) Finding Hidden Revenue in Your Marina
Meghan Keaney-Anderson, CMO, Dockwa and Marinas.com
View the virtual session here

2021 has seen more boaters than ever before take to the water. Whether you have gaps in your occupancy or were completely sold out all year, there may be ways to further capitalize on the boater boom. This presentation will walk through some of our best strategies for revenue optimization, including contract process optimization, pricing experiments, backfills, and cross-promotional partnerships to help glean more revenue out of your marina property.

1:15pm-2:15pm (CST) Reducing the Risk of ESD
Mike Evert, Sales Engineer, North Shore Safety

This presentation will outline the dangers and liability of Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) including how electrical current can leak into the water and sources of leakage. Several solutions will be discussed including physical and technical solutions. Procedural solutions that marina operators can implement to help mitigate the risk of ESD will also be discussed.

1:15pm-2:15pm (CST) Houseboats: A Profit Center for Marinas
Bill Drage, Principle owner, East Coast Houseboats
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The addition of houseboats built specifically to provide short term rental opportunities for marinas. These boats are built to provide a perfect stay for a visitor to the area. Available in multiple lengths and beam options to take advantage of the marina’s current infrastructure. Boats can be purchased directly by the marina or purchased and owned by individuals who wish to place the boats in a marina’s rental program. Our program will focus on the types of boats available, as well as ways to finance, insure and market these rental boats.