Dec 17, 2018

NMMA President, Thom Dammrich, was recognized with a special award Tuesday December 11th during the Marine Dealer Conference and Exposition by MRAA President, Matt Gruhn, for his leadership and the positive impact he’s made on the broader recreational boating industry. In presenting the award, Gruhn noted that Dammrich has left a lasting mark on the industry, specifically by uniting manufacturers and dealers to work together toward a shared mission of promoting and protecting boating.

Gruhn highlighted Dammrich’s role in bringing about the Grow Boating Initiative, rallying the industry to use their voice in Washington, DC, and connecting boating with the larger outdoor recreation community, to name just a few. He also commented that Dammrich has been a personal mentor–someone he’s been able to call on and ask for advice and bounce ideas off of on countless topics over the years. Likewise, Dammrich noted the immense value MRAA has brought to the industry, particularly with the leadership of Gruhn and MRAA’s Liz Walz. Following receipt of the award, Dammrich noted to Currents, “Over the past couple decades, recognizing how much more impactful we could be by working together, NMMA and MRAA have united to represent and support boating. Today, manufacturers and dealers provide a better consumer experience and are in a much better position to grow and protect our industry. We are fortunate to have such strong leaders at MRAA to work alongside each day. There is such incredible support across both the NMMA and MRAA staff, boards and members, who helped drive the unity and common ground we experience today.”