MESSAGE FROM THE NEW ASSOCIATION MANAGER

Thank you for the warm round of Welcome Aboard. I am excited to be onboard with the Sail America Team and have met a lot of members at Strictly Sail Chicago and Miami and am looking forward to working with the membership. I have spent nearly 20 years in the sailing industry and have direct experience in the many facets of this industry and also have an appreciation of how they are all reliant on each other.

Sail America’s mission is to promote the health and growth of sailing. And, the Association has three goals to achieve the mission. First, to create connectivity between the sailor and our member businesses. Second, to contribute to the growth and success of our member business. And, finally, to represent the sailing segment of the larger boating industry. The following are just some of the ways the Association is working to connect sailors with you, our members.

Through promotional programs and events, Sail America is encouraging individuals and families to pursue and embrace the sailing lifestyle. We work collaboratively with other industry efforts to attract new and returning sailors to the community and industry events are a key component to this strategy.

Sail America is gearing up for the South West International Boat Show and encouraging our members to support the show. Our focus is on growing the sailing presence through the Sail America Village. We also offer consumers the opportunity to sail member boats through the Discover Sailing program. At the recent St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show, our Discover Sailing venue hosted more than 400 people. This is encouraging and we will continue to refine and improve this valuable tool as a means to connect consumers with our membership!

Our team is also hard at work planning Sail America's exclusive event—Strictly Sail Pacific. This event draws sailing enthusiasts from across the Western United States. One of Sail America’s strengths is in its seminar series and special events. We work hard to make Strictly Sail Pacific an event as opposed to a show. People aren't there to just look at boats, but to engage with the lifestyle and to dream of warmer weather. It's our seminar series, our speaker series, our VIP events, and of course our members that make this event such a draw.

Sail America plays a vital role for all companies that provide sailing-related products and services. Membership in Sail America is critical to our members' business success, but it is also critical to the health and growth of sailing. By working together, we harness our collective energies and resources to help create a stronger sailing market.

I look forward to working with you.

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