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Congratulations to the Winners of the 2020 National Boating Industry Safety Awards

Posted By Gail Kulp, Friday, December 11, 2020
Updated: Friday, December 4, 2020

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2020 National Boating Industry Safety Awards


The Sea Tow Foundation in cooperation with its North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council announced the winners of the National Boating Industry Safety Awards as part of the Marine Retailer’s Association of America’s virtual Dealer Week on December 10th.

 

The awards were established in 2019 to recognize top boating safety programs and campaigns within the for-profit segment of the recreational marine industry and they were sponsored this year by KICKER Marine Audio.

The Top Powerboat Manufacturer Award was presented to Sea Ray Boats. They successfully incorporated the COVID-19 pandemic into their safety messaging through multiple platforms including videos, photos, customer emails and social media posts.

The Top Marine Retailer with One to Three Locations was won by Bridge Marina, Inc. of Lake Hopatcong, NJ.  Bridge Marina, Inc. is a small company with limited resources, but they clearly put a lot of work into creating a multi-faceted safety program specific to the area and type of boat people are using.

The Top Marine Retailer with More Than Three Locations was awarded to MarineMax. They showcased a solid, proven plan for providing boating safety education and they were able to adapt their plan to the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic with virtual classes.

The Top Marine Media Outlet Award was won by Rapid Media which focuses on the human-powered/paddling market. Their entry featured a mix of digital ads, pre-roll, video, e-blasts, newsletters and contests to promote their boating safety messaging to the paddling community.

The Top Marine Marketing and Outreach Award was presented to Freedom Boat Club who delivered clear, concise and consistent safety messaging and programming to a well-defined and highly targeted audience.

The Top Gear & Equipment Manufacturer Award had the highest scoring submission of all of the awards this year and it went to FELL Marine. They provided outstanding demonstrations on their website to educate customers on how to install and use a wireless man-overboard device.

For more information about the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council and to see a video of the National Boating Industry Safety Awards presentation from Dealer Week, please visit www.boatingsafety.com/awards where a video of the awards presentation from Dealer Week will be available along with future highlights of each award winning company and campaign. Again, congratulations to all of the winners of the 2020 National Boating Industry Safety Awards!

Tags:  Boating Safety  Dealer Week  KICKER Marine Audio  national boating industry safety awards  North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council 

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Sea Tow Foundation Announces Official Call for Entry for National Boating Industry Safety Awards

Posted By Gail Kulp, Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Updated: Friday, August 28, 2020

PRESS RELEASE

Sea Tow Foundation Announces Official Call for Entry for National Boating Industry Safety Awards

North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council Expands Recognition Program; Announces New Title Sponsorship from KICKER® Marine Audio

 

Southold, NY, September 3, 2020 – The Sea Tow Foundation in cooperation with its North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council, announced the official call for entry for its “National Boating Industry Safety Awards.”

The 2020 contest features an enhanced series of categories which recognize top boating safety programs and campaigns within the for-profit segment of the recreational marine industry. This year’s event includes 11 categories of entry, up from four the previous year.

“Due to the positive response from our inaugural contest in 2019, coupled with recommendations from our advisory council, we have nearly tripled the categories of entry in hopes of recognizing the outstanding work of many more boating safety advocates throughout all segments of the recreational marine industry,” said Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director Gail R. Kulp.

The 2020 National Boating Industry Safety Awards include the following categories for submission: Powerboat Manufacturer; Sailboat Manufacturer; Engine Manufacturer; Gear/Equipment Manufacturer; Human Powered (Canoe, Kayak, SUP) Manufacturer; Marine Retailer with up to 3 Locations; Marine Retailer with more than 3 Locations; Marine Media Outlets; Marine Marketing and Outreach; Marine Distributor; and a Multi-Year Campaign will also be available for any category.

Also new for 2020 is the title sponsorship from KICKER® Marine Audio, based in Stillwater, OK.

“KICKER Marine Audio is very pleased to contribute to this important effort that promotes boating safety within the recreational marine space,” said KICKER Marine Audio’s National Brand Manager Jeremy Bale. “The good work of leading marine organizations in educating and advancing boating safety messages benefits the entire industry, as well as boaters throughout the nation. KICKER is very proud to lend our support to this worthwhile and very important cause.”

“We appreciate the generous financial support of KICKER Marine Audio in helping to support our national awards program,” added Kulp. “We hope to continually build this program and involve many in the industry who share our passion and focus on boating safety.”

Entries may be submitted from September 3 through midnight, October 15, 2020 for any boating safety campaigns conducted between August 15, 2019 and August 15, 2020. A new multi-year category is also available to recognize ongoing boating safety programs and promotions.

Contest information and applications are available for download at www.boatingsafety.com/awards along with information and samples from the 2019 winners.

Winners for the 2020 awards contest will be announced live during the MRAA’s Dealer Week scheduled for December 8 – 11, 2020 in Austin, TX.

“We highly encourage all those organizations throughout the marine industry involved in promoting boating safety to apply in this year’s awards competition,” said Kulp. “The Sea Tow Foundation and our North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council, coupled with the title sponsor KICKER Marine Audio, are very pleased to shine the spotlight on the best boating safety efforts by companies in the for-profit segment of the recreational marine industry.” 

Tags:  boating industry  boating safety  kicker marine audio  national boating industry safety awards  North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council  press release  sober skipper 

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Sea Tow Foundation Appoints Seven New Members to North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council

Posted By Gail Kulp, Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Press Release

Sea Tow Foundation Appoints Seven New Members to North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council   

The Sea Tow Foundation has appointed seven new marine industry stakeholders to serve on its North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council which was established in 2019. This new slate joins a dozen inaugural council members and will collaborate on a variety of strategies and tactics to promote greater awareness and adoption of boating safety initiatives and messages both within the recreational marine industry and the boating consumer space.

 

“We couldn’t be more pleased about the overall composition and the depth of experience in our newly appointed council members,” said Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director Gail R. Kulp  “We were very impressed by the quality of the nominations and the resulting expanded representation that embraces new segments of the marine industry including insurance, podcasting, personal watercraft and sailing.”

 

New inductees were voted in by the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council and will serve a two-year term beginning June 1, 2020. Appointees are listed below in alphabetical order:

 

·         Adam Fortier-Brown, Government Relations Manager, MRAA

·         TK Krumenacker, CEO, Admirals Insurance Corp

·         Tyler Mehrl, Category Manager/Steering and Controls, Mercury Marine

·         Mark Pillsbury, Editor, Cruising World Magazine 

·         Angie Scott, Podcast Host, The Woman Angler & Adventurer

·         Eric Shepard, Retired (30 years in the marine and aviation safety industries)

·         Leslie Zlotnick, Advertising Manager, Yamaha Watercraft Group

 

About the Sea Tow Foundation North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council

Launched in 2019, the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council now includes 19 members representing multiple sectors of the recreational boating industry along with an executive task force. In its first year, the council organized and debuted its first National Boating Industry Safety Awards to recognize the outstanding work of recreational boating organizations in promoting boating safety. The council is actively engaged in supporting a variety of safe boating initiatives including the Sober Skipper Program which encourages boaters to be or to designate a Sober Skipper before leaving the dock. The ultimate goal of the Sober Skipper Program is to eliminate the number of boating accidents and deaths related to Boating Under the Influence on North American waterways.

 

For more information about the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council, please visit: www.boatingsafety.com/nassac

 

To learn more about the Sea Tow Foundation’s Sober Skipper Program, please visit soberskipper.com.

Tags:  2019-20  Boating Safety  Boating Under the Influence  NASSAC  North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council  Sober Skipper 

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Sea Tow Foundation Announces Inaugural Winners of National Boating Industry Safety Awards

Posted By Gail Kulp, Sunday, December 1, 2019
Updated: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

The Sea Tow Foundation announced the winners of its inaugural National Boating Industry Safety Awards at the Elevate Summit in Orlando. The awards were sponsored and judged by the newly established North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council and funded through a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. The awards were established to recognize the best boating safety work in the for-profit sector of the recreational marine marketplace occurring within the United States.

The National Sober Skipper Advisory Council and the Sea Tow Foundation were very pleased by the caliber of candidates and the submissions received for our first awards recognition. We are all delighted to see the great work being done by recreational boating industry organizations and look forward to continuing to support and bring well deserved recognition to outstanding achievers and safe boating champions throughout the recreational marine industry.

Top Marine Manufacturer Award for Boating Safety – Sea Ray Boats

Top Marine Retailer Award for Boating Safety – MarineMax

Top Marine Media Award for Boating Safety – Bonnier Corporation

Top Marine Marketing and Boating Safety Outreach Award – Yamaha Outboards with their spokesperson, Hunter Bland

Newly established Sober Skipper Award presented to Freedom Boat Club in recognition of its outstanding adoption and promotion of the Sober Skipper program.

For more information about the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council and the National Boating Industry Safety Awards, please visit https://www.boatingsafety.com/page/STFBSAC

A copy of the press release is available here.

Tags:  Bonnier Corporation  Elevate Summit  Freedom Boat Club  Hunter Bland  MarineMax  national boating industry safety awards  North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council  Sea Ray Boats  Yamaha Outboards 

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