Customer Satisfaction Takes the Helm As Industry Ramps Up Service, Benefits for Boaters

FROM NATIONAL MARINE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
200 E. Randolph Dr., Suite 5100
Chicago, IL 60601-6528
312-946-6200

CONTACt Ellen Hopkins (ehopkins@nmma.org; 312-946-6249)

Marine Industry CSI Announces 2009 Award Recipients

Customer Satisfaction Takes the Helm As Industry Ramps Up Service, Benefits for Boaters

CHICAGO – July 29, 2009 –The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) today announced recipients of the 2009 Marine Industry CSI Awards. A total of 72 boat and engine manufacturers were recognized for excellence in customer satisfaction, as part of NMMA’s Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) program.

Award recipients will be acknowledged during the 2009 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), taking place October 12-14 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The Marine Industry CSI Awards program honors participating manufacturers that actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve the customer. Award recipients achieved and maintained an independently-measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine during the period between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Participating manufacturers must survey all new boat buyers during this period. For this reporting period, an impressive 60,000 customer responses were collected.

“As we work to strengthen our industry, customer satisfaction and retention will always be our foundation for growth,” said NMMA president Thom Dammrich. “This year’s Marine Industry CSI Award recipients are at the forefront of our industry’s growth potential and are helping ensure the experience of purchasing and owning a boat add value to the overall enjoyment of the boating lifestyle.”

The following companies were honored in 2009 for their efforts to increase customer satisfaction levels in the boating industry.

Albemarle Boats
Inboard Fishing Express Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Aqua Patio
Pontoon Boats

Avalon\Tahoe
Pontoon Boats

Bayliner
Deck Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Beneteau USA
Sailboats

Bennington Marine
Pontoon Boats

Boston Whaler
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Bryant Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats

Carver Yachts
Inboard Flybridge Sedan and Convertible Boats

Century Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Champion Boats
Fiberglass Bass Boats

Chaparral Boats
Deck Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Chris Craft Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Cobalt Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Crestliner Boats
Pontoon Boats

Cruisers Yachts
Inboard Express Cruiser Boats

Ebbtide Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats

Edgewater Power Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Fisher Boats
Pontoon Boats

Forest River Marine
Pontoon Boats

Formula Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats

Four Winns
Deck Boats
Inboard Express Cruisers
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

G3 Boats
Aluminum Outboard Boats

Glastron
Deck Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats

Grady-White Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Grand Banks
Inboard Motor Yachts and Trawlers

Harris FloteBote
Pontoon Boats

Honda Marine
Outboard Engines

Hurricane
Deckboats

Hydra-Sport
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Indmar Products
Inboard Engines

Kayot Boats
Deck Boats

Larson Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy & Express Boats

Leisure Pontoons
Pontoon Boats

Lowe Boats
Pontoon Boats
Aluminum Outboard Boats

Malibu Boats
Inboard Watersports Boats

Manitou Boats
Pontoon Boats

Meridian Yachts
Inboard Motor Yachts and Trawlers

Monterey Boats
Deck Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Moomba
Inboard Watersports Boats

Nautique
Inboard Watersports Boats

Palm Beach Marinecraft
Pontoon Boats

Parti Kraft
Pontoon Boats

Polar Kraft
Aluminum Outboard Boats

Premier Marine
Pontoon Boats

Pursuit Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Regal Marine
Inboard Express Cruiser Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express

Regulator Marine
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Robalo Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Sailfish Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Scout Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Sea Ray Boats
Deck Boats
Inboard Express Cruisers
Inboard Fishing Express Boats
Inboard Flybridge Sedans and Convertible Boats
Inboard Motor Yachts and Trawlers
Fiberglass Outboard Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats
Sterndrive Cuddy and Express Boats

Seaswirl
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Skeeter Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Southwind
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Starcraft Marine
Aluminum Outboard Boats

Stingray Boats
Sterndrive Bowrider Boats

Stratos Boats
Fiberglass Bass Boats

Sumerset Houseboats
Sterndrive Houseboats

Supra
Inboard Watersports Boats

Suzuki Motor Corp.,
Outboard Engines

American

Sweetwater
Pontoon Boats

Sweetwater Tuscany
Pontoon Boats

Tiara Yachts
Inboard Express Cruiser Boats
Inboard Fishing Express Boats

Tige Boats
Inboard Watersports Boats

Tracker Boats
Aluminum Outboard Boats

Triumph Boats
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Trophy Marine
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Volvo-Penta
Sterndrive Engines

Wellcraft
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

World Cat
Fiberglass Outboard Boats

Yamaha Outboards
Outboard Engines

“It is extremely important that our industry have access to timely and meaningful insight on the customer so we can work together to create the best possible marine retail experience,” noted Terry Leitz, NMMA director of CSI programs. “The 2009 recipients understand that investing in the customer now has substantial long term dividends.”

NMMA launched its CSI program in 2001 to provide boat and engine manufacturers with an independently-measured, cost-effective means of improving customer satisfaction in the boating industry. Since the program’s inception, more than 600,000 surveys have been sent out to new boat and engine customers, allowing participating manufacturers to monitor customer satisfaction on an ongoing basis, and to benchmark themselves against the industry and their competitors. There were a total of 105 boat and engine brands that participated in the 2009 program.

About Marine Industry CSI: The Marine Industry CSI program meets the CSI requirements of the NMMA Boat/Yacht Certification program. For manufacturers that are full participants in the Marine Industry CSI process, the included reporting also fills the dealer level CSI requirements of the Marine Industry Dealership Certification program. For more information on CSI Award recipients, or to get involved with the CSI program, contact Leitz at (312) 946-6212; tleitz@nmma.org.

About NMMA: National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is the leading association representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters in North America. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy advocacy, market statistics and research, product quality assurance and promotion of the boating lifestyle.