Nearly five months after the historic flooding along the Missouri River was declared over, the recovery lingers along the banks. And the river, itself, has changed dramatically.

As exhibitors set up at the CenturyLink Center for the Omaha Boat, Sports and Travel Show, opening Thursday, they’re optimistic this season will breathe new life into their industries. Although John Lawlor, of Omaha Marine Center, said last year wasn’t too bad. “Surprisingly, our business was up,” he said. “We thought it would be down. We’re not sure why it was up. It could have just been different elements of the economy.”

Lawlor suspects many of the boat buyers were among consumers who’d been holding back on such a major purchases. He said most of the sales came in advance of the summer’s flood.

Omaha Marine Center has reserved more space at this year’s Boat, Sports and Travel Show, expecting big crowds. Lawlor said, “Going into next season, everybody’s trying to be optimistic, but there’s four of the five marinas that have flood damage that may or may not recover.”

Brook Bench, who manages Omaha’s Parks Maintenance Division, assures the city’s marinas are making great strides toward recovery. He anticipates opening Lewis and Clark landing and N.P. Dodge Park to boaters by Memorial Day.

“We have a large crew in here,” Bench said just outside of N.P. Dodge Park, “and we also have a number of contracts here that will be starting within a couple of weeks, so it will be a lot more progress happening.”

However, not all areas of that park will rebound as quickly as the marina. The city does not plan to reopen the soccer or ball fields until next year. “We’re going to reseed this spring and it will take a year to come back,” Bench said.

Bellevue’s Haworth Park was harder hit. A spokesman for the city told Channel 6 News the clean-up and repair work is continuing, and they anticipate opening for public boating by late spring or early summer. Some limited campsite openings should come in time for Labor Day.

Lawlor has been staying in the loop on other area marinas, though, which could be questionable. “Castaway point in Plattsmouth got bad news from the Corps of Engineers about being declared a ‘flood plain,’ so we’re waiting to see what will happen with that. Then you’ve got the Cottonwood Marina in Blair is heavily damaged.”

Wherever boaters find their piece of the river, Nebraska Game and Parks’ Greg Wagner said they should exercise more caution this season. “Folks are going to see a changed river,” he said. “The sandbars they were accustomed to recreating on are not there… there’s more debris.” Some of that debris, he said, is substantial considering the flood uprooted hundred-year-old Cottonwood trees.

“There will be dramatic changes in places,” he said. “The channel may have changed.” Wagner recommends boaters do a “reconnaissance mission” of sorts, taking a slow trip up and down the river to get to know it post-flood.

He added, “If ever there was a year to prepare for the onslaught of insects, it’s this one. There are lots of backwater pools that exist with the river receding.” Those pools make perfect breeding grounds.

But he also said the flood created, “the perfect storm for fishing … organic food washing into the water, more hiding places.” He said many fish have washed downstream from the Dakotas. Salmon has been caught in northeast Nebraska below the Gavin’s Point Dam. And Walleye and Catfish are plentiful, he said, even fishing off the banks.

While Lawlor hopes that translates into boat sales, he suspects the trend toward fuel efficiency will grow with smaller boats and pontoons being the big sellers this year.

Outdoor enthusiasts can learn more at the Omaha, Sports and Travel Show. Doors open at 5 p.m. Thursday at the CenturyLink Center, and the show runs through 5 p.m. Sunday. Saturday is Kids’ Day. For more information, visit the show website by clicking here.

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Boat sales show bounce in January

Posted on 22 February 2012

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The U.S. boatbuilding industry began 2012 much the way it ended the previous year, with strong sales gains in two aluminum boat categories and the largest category of fiberglass boats.

January sales in the high-volume 11- to 40-foot outboard fiberglass segment were up 14.4 percent, to 1,064 boats, from the same month in 2011, according to figures compiled by Aarn Rosen, national sales manager at Statistical Surveys Inc.

Sales of aluminum fishing boats rose 17.3 percent in January, to 861 boats, and sales of aluminum pontoons rose 20.6 percent, to 263 boats.

The double-digit increases helped to lift sales in the industry’s main powerboat segments by 10.5 percent for the month, to 2,599 boats, from January 2011. Those segments consist of aluminum fishing and pontoon boats, plus fiberglass boats in five segments that range from 11 to 99 feet.

Industrywide, sales for the month were up 8.4 percent, to 3,756 boats.

The January results were tempered by the fact that the month traditionally produces the second-lowest sales volume of the year. January sales are just 2.6 to 3.5 percent of annual retail activity, but Rosen said the significance of the gains industrywide and in the main powerboat segments shouldn’t be discounted as the spring selling season — February through May — gets going.

“At least we’re seeing positive trends,” he said. “What we’re coming from is double-digit declines. The overall picture is a lot brighter than it has been.”

The sales information for January is based on registration data from 31 early reporting states that represent about 65 percent of the U.S. market. Rosen said reports of sales of documented vessels were complete only through Dec. 13 because of data entry delays at the Coast Guard. For that reason, he said, sales figures for boats 30 feet and larger are significantly understated in the data.

Sales in the core 14- to 30-foot fiberglass category fell 8.8 percent for the month, to 301 boats, sales in the 31- to 40-foot cruiser category dropped 18.7 percent, to 61 boats, and sales of 41- to 62-foot yachts declined 28.8 percent, to 42 boats.

“The fiberglass sterndrive business remains softer than all of the aluminum segments, but it’s better than last month,” Rosen said.

Sales of personal watercraft rose 1.7 percent in January, to 361 units. Sales of jet boats rose 37.5 percent, to 55 units, but sales of ski boats dropped 15.9 percent, to 69 units.

Sales of sailboats fell 6 percent, to 78.

Click here for January sales figures.

— Jack Atzinger

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Wal-Mart has regained its footing by turning back the clock.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer reported a 5.8% increase in net sales in the fourth quarter 2012 and a similar gain for the entire fiscal year ending Jan. 31.

Dick Spezzano, president of Monrovia, Calif.-based Spezzano Consulting Inc., said Wal-Mart has re-established itself as an “everyday low price” leader of national brands after dabbling with a private-label approach.

“Wal-Mart is known for national brands at the lowest possible price,” Spezzano said. “It wasn’t known for the lowest price on private labels,” he said.

Net sales for 2012 were $443.9 billion, up 5.9% over fiscal year 2011, according to a Feb. 21 news release from Wal-Mart. The chain reported comparable store sales were up 1.5% in the 13-week period ending Jan. 27, compared with a 1.8% decline for the same period last year.

Along with an improving economy, Spezzano said food inflation may have helped the chain boost sales.

“We are pleased with Wal-Mart’s earnings performance for both the fourth quarter and the full year,” Mike Duke, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. president and chief executive officer, said in the release. “Today, every segment of our business is stronger than it was a year ago, and we’re in a great position for fiscal year 2013.”

Duke said Wal-Mart has enjoyed two consecutive quarters of positive comparable stores sales. “Our price leadership is making a difference across the United States, as many families are settling into a new normal,” Duke said in the release.

Charles Holley, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said in the release that first quarter 2013 earnings per share could range from $1.01 to $1.06, up from 98 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

For the entire year, Wal-Mart’s earnings per share for fiscal year 2013 is projected between $4.72 and $4.92, which is up from the $4.54 per share reported for the fiscal year 2012.

After food prices rose about 4% last year, escalating gas prices could contribute to food inflation again in 2012, Spezzano said.

“More than likely, we are going to see food inflation in that 2% to 4% range,” Spezzano said.

 

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As this past weekend was the last of the Michigan Boating Industries Association 54th Annual Detroit Boat Show, a journey to Cobo Center to check out the newest addtions was definitely in order.

Entering Cobo Center, we found the mood of the arena very upbeat.  Everyone was smiling and the crowds were steadily making their way through the many fantastic sights.

Because of scheduling, our first stop was to see Jeremy VanSchoonhoven.  What a treat that turned out to be be.  Jeremy’s talent is awesome and, apparently, a lot of people felt the same as they gathered around all sides of his arena to watch him perform.

Jeremy’a talent is that of a cyclist so atuned to his machine that he has mastered the ability to make his bike jump, twist, climb and balance precariously on one wheel, and he uses  his bike as a form of entertainment.   For a long shot comparison, think skateboarding in a pipeline.

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To become this proficient, and eventually be a 5 time National Champion Bike Trials rider along with a finalist on NBC‘s “America’s Got Talent!,”  Jeremy shares that he practiced every day at least 2-3 hours per day.  One year when he was competing, he took one day off in the whole year.  Talk about dedication to your sport, Jeremy was certainly “all in.”

People were mesmerized as Jeremy climbed a series of wooden boxes, flew through the air, and performed a series of jumps over a willing participant, Dylyn Nichols.   Dylyn laid perfectly still on the groud as Jeremy “walked” and jumped his bike over her.  A very brave lady, for sure.

And, Sabrina Dungan was the actress/model who helped Jeremy with introductions, explanations and encouraged crowd participation.  Once the crowd was encouraged, the noise level definitely moved up.

Moving on, our path took us over to the technical side of boating.  The United States Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security-U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of State, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Power Squadron and the Macomb County Sheriff Marine Division were all very well represented as we progressed through the Boat Show.  Each of the representatives in the displays were knowledgeable and friendly.  All were more than helpful in their explanations and very proud of their service.

Proud was exactly the word to describe the feelings expressed by the vendors we encountered.  They were proud to be a part of the MBIA’s 54th Annual Detroit Boat Show, proud of their particular product or service, and proud to be a part of the continuing uptick in the local economy.

Speaking of the local economy, it definitely must be improving as Jibber Waters of Lands’ End Yacht Sales shared with us that they had sold a “couple of them here at the Boat Show.”  A couple of them were those fabulous Monterey yachts.  Talk about state of the art and uptown lixury, those Montereys could be your answer.

Jibber went on explaining, “The Show has really been great and there has been a lot of traffic.  You can definitely tell the economy is making a change.” 

If six figures is past what you were thinking of spending, the Monterey Sports Boats are “our most popular,” according to Rick Wilson, who was there on behalf of Wonderland Marine West.  He also told us they had “sold a couple today.” 

Sales seemed to be going well at the Colony Marine Sales as Lori Beauregard paused for a few moments to chat with us.  She shared that, “Colony is a family business and has been in business 52 years.  With my nephew coming on board, it will be the fourth generation to become involved, as my grandfather, Hector, started the business.” 

Father, Pete Sr., who Lori refers to as “the best father and very down to earth,” and brother, Pete Beauregard Jr. continued on in Hector’s footsteps. 

Lori reminisces that, “My first job was sweeping showroom floors.”  From sweeping them to presenting and selling fantastic boats on top of them, Lori has really moved along in her career.

The next career paths we crossed were those of Ed Zaborowski of Performance Fiberglass Services LLC, and Nick Finazzo of Pier 500 Marina in Wyandotte.  Nick commented that it was “a nice show and it feels good.  There is a different energy from the people.  And the traffic is good.” 

Ed continued saying, “There has not been this type of feeling here in the last six years.  I’m glad I came.  It’s been a good show.”

And if you have considered reversing the trend in rising energy bills and possibly earning some income, or eliminating your shore power charges or land power charges and corresponding costs, or powering your golf carts with state of the art renewable technologies then Unconquered Sun has your answers.

Ryan Nygaard and David Binder spent a few minutes sharing the facts and benefits of  solar technologies.  “No plugging in; no energy bills,” says David.  Of course that is after the initial design and set up.  But there could be a way that your energy company would send you money for use of your energy.  It is a thought that could turn into a plan.

Additionally, Ryan tells us that, “Sailboats are perfect applications for our kits.  No plugging in on the shore.”

Binder went on to say that, “It is very worthwhile to be here (at the show).  Three other companies have come in and wanted to sign up as distributors.”

Silver Spray Sports has lined themselves up to be in position to distribute the new Air Nautique 230E, after it moves from prototype into production.  Sales Consultant, Adam Wensink, feels that will take a few more years, “as battery type technologyimproves, that’s when the prototype will become a production model.”

Already out of production and on their shelves in the Silver Spray Sports Store, where they specialize in Water Ski/Wakeboard Equipment abnd Accessories, were hundreds of items to assist with these sports. 

Whitney Burnash, Erin Benge and Hannah Lord were available to assist with the sales and questions from customers.  Their set up is eye catching and makes you long for an 80 degree day. 

And what 80 degree day is complete without a new pair of shoes.  Wolf’s Marine, Inc., the Midwest’s Largest Marine Accessory Store according to their card, undoubtedly had plenty of examples of fabulous footwear, which first caught our eye.

Fabulous footwear in boat shoes, you wonder.  Oh yes, definitely.  From color, to design, to sizes, Wolf’s had many, many, amazing answers.

Warren Wolf tells us that, “Traffic seems to be up.  There are more boats and vendors and customers coming in.  There is a great mood and a lot of joking.  We’ve done the show for 20 years and it has always been a good show.  That still is the case this year.” 

Echoing those words, Chris Rising, Sales Manager of Devil’s Lake Water Sports, remarks that, “This has been the best traffic of true buyers in the last five years.  We have already outsold the previous two years and hope the buyers take advantage of the Boat Show’s incentives.”

Winding our way towards the exit, we ran into Nicki Polan, MBIA Director of Communications Promotions, who confirmed what we had heard from the exhibitors.  “We are happy when are exhibitors are happy.  The consumers are in a better frame of mind.  We have sold out our bulk space and space sales (booths) are up 25%.”

Concluding, Polan said, “We have 3 times as many boats in the 30 foot and up category from last year.  And our ‘Queen of the Show’ is a 45 foot Sea Ray, which is 3 foot larger than last year.”

Lastly, doing a little Monday afternoon quarterbacking today after the Show with MBIA Immediate Past President, Steve Remias of MacRay Harbor, he shared that, “The MBIA did a good job.  The Show had good attendance, which was clearly evident in juat walking around.  The people were very interested in all aspects of boating.”

Finishing, he siad, “A lot of the dealers that I saw told me the Show was good to great.  And some of the people that have been out of the Show for a few years are back in.  It’s been a good experience, with definite energy.  And whether buying or looking, the people felt a bit better about life.”

What a positive ending for a great Boat Show.  Stay tuned as the MBIA’s 20th Annual Spring Boating Expo will be held at the Suburban Collection Showplace March 15 through March 18, 2012.

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