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This title sounds like one of
our MarineEXPO seminar titles, but these topics/questions are heard
daily and can’t wait until November 8th & 9th in
New Bern. Most business owners now realize that there is something called the
Internet out there and that it can help them market and provide exposure to
and for their business. But for a lot of small-to-medium size businesses
whose owners are pinched for the combination of money and time it takes to
figure it all out, it is still an arm’s length away. Our SBTDC Marine Trades
Services representatives are offering to sit down with the owner or
designated employee of marine businesses, go through the basics, and estimate
the least costly ways to get your business “on the web” with e-mail options.
We will have “how to” information, provide you with suggestions and lists of
potential start-up web-related vendors and help you cost out the manpower and
cash it will take to get started. We will also help you begin a marketing
strategy to better use the opportunities that are available once you are up
and running. And we will tell you when it doesn’t make sense to spend the
money. To find out more and set up meetings starting in mid-to-late April,
call Mike Bradley at the Beaufort office (252) 728-2144.
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The Coastal Resources
Commission recently met and accepted final public comment on the proposed
Urban Waterfronts Rules that are to be the “replacement” rules for the
existing, but terminating HB 1059 rules. The importance of this topic to
boating and boating services is little appreciated but extremely important.
How stringently these rules are formulated play a crucial role in our efforts
to promote destination boating, eco-tourism, and the appropriate growth of
many of our waterfront communities. At the heart of this issue are
restrictions that will prevent historical waterfront towns and cities from
having much, if any, leeway or say in designing their waterfronts to
accommodate and attract both the transient boats and the
important waterfront tourism trade that these boats draw.
The proposed rules allow
little non-water dependent commerce in over-the-water or close-to-the-water
areas. Although these CAMA-regulated towns have to submit town-approved plans
for all building along the waterfront, these Urban Waterfront Rules go
further and essentially prohibit the building (or building up) of public or
private uses that are not water dependent. Many states with equal
environmental concerns have logically altered stringent buffer and
water-dependent rules to accommodate boating-related and boater-serving
businesses like cafes, restaurants, and inns that are as important to the
boater as having sufficient water under their keel. The limited number of
historical waterfront towns and cities that fall under the Urban Rules should
have the leverage and opportunity to attract the public and private funding
essential to build, build up, or build out their waterfront – if it falls
within the approved town plan.
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Cars versus boats is a common conundrum in Florida and
now Beaufort is entering the fray. The Town of Beaufort adopted a resolution
to further regulate the scheduled openings of the Beaufort Bridge,
eliminating the 7-9AM and 4-6 PM openings and reducing the remaining openings
from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes: effectively reducing potential
daylight boat access from 36 times day to just 16. Boaters have another, much
longer route to take, but an extended no-wake zone is proposed for that
corridor, considerably lengthening the time of transit. The Beaufort bridge
is low – all fishing vessels, commercial and recreational, must wait for this
bridge as well as the barges, derricks, and construction equipment that
frequent this route. Representatives from local marinas, boating communities,
commercial fishing boats, boatyards, marine construction firms, and North
Carolina Marine Trade Association members are writing the Office of Bridge
Administration to oppose this restrictive action. Interested parties can
write Ann Deaton, Chief of Bridge Administration at Commander (aowb), 5th
Coast Guard District, LANTAREA, Federal Building, 431 Crawford Street,
Portsmouth, VA, 23704-5004.
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A
Workshop, “Selling Services and Products to Federal, State, County and
Municipal Agencies”, will be held Tuesday, April 18th from 4:30 PM
– 6:00 PM at the Maritime Museum Auditorium in the center of Beaufort. The
target audience is business representatives who want to sell the services of
their machine shop, dive service, marine construction firm, fiberglass
fabrication business, metal shop or boatyard …and for those businesses that
want to sell products such as boats, floats, and bolts. This no-cost workshop
will provide the basics; let you know what tools are available to help you,
what the real opportunities are, and how much effort and expense might be
involved to get the job. Doug Bowlsby, a counselor in the Procurement
Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) of the Small Business Technology and
Development Center (SBTDC), will present this workshop. Doug has over 30
years of experience in purchasing management, developing and assisting small
and minority businesses and construction management in both DOD, state,
civilian agency and commercial operations. He is retired from the US Army.
There will be no charge for attending. To arrange for this same seminar in
your area, call us. To register, call Mike Bradley in Beaufort (252) 728-2144
or email him at Mbradley@SBTDC.org.
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North Carolina boatbuilders
have been the usual participant of this annual congressional event sponsored
by the National Marine Manufacturers Association. However this 2000 event
encourages participation by marina, boatyard, trade association, and
supporting business representatives. It’s expensive, you have to wear a suit,
every minute is taken up with sessions by legislators, Federal regulators,
and industry pundits, but you get to meet your congressional representatives
and network with peers from about every state in the country. And you have an
opportunity to express your concerns for your business at levels that often
have results. Deadline for the early cost breaks is April 3rd.
Call NMMA at (202) 861-1180 for a packet of information.
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In a notice sent out March 3, 2000, the NC DENR
Division of Waste Management reminds all facilities with underground storage
tanks that the tanks must
have double-wall construction and interstitial (between the walls) leak
monitoring systems in place under almost all circumstances. This notice also
contains information critical to marinas and boating facilities that have
public water supply wells or that have USTs located within 500 feet of High
Quality Water, Outstanding Resource Water, Shellfishing Waters or Water
Supply waters. Secondary containment is required in almost all
circumstances. To
determine nearby freshwater classification, call DWQ central office in
Raleigh, (919) 733-5083, extension 564 or go to http://h2o.ehnr.state.nc.us/strmclass/classes2.html
on the Internet.
If water (drinking fountain, coffee, tea, etc.)
from wells is made available to your customers, you have a public water
supply well. DENR Waste Management offers a set of criteria on how
your business can gain compliance. In short, you have two steps to take. 1.)
You must install a continuous automatic tank gauging system for each UST and
an electronic line leak detector for each pressurized piping system … and conduct
at least one test per month for the UST and one per year for each suction
piping system. And 2.) You must sample each well once per year if the UST is
located within 500 feet of the public water supply. Your only options if you
cannot comply are to 1.) close the water supply well, 2.) prevent public
access to the water (shut down your public bathrooms and access to the well
water), or 3.) permanently close the UST system(s). To find out your options
and deadlines, call the Raleigh UST Section (919) 733-8486.
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NC has a boating population of 2,422,405 with
328,594 registered boats.
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We spent $170,494,000 in boat sales, $75,472,000 in
outboard motors, $45,207,000 in accessories, and $95,272,000 in fishing gear
for a total of $389,445,000.
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EPA data indicates that all recreational marine
engines contribute just 3% of all hydrocarbon emissions in the U.S.
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Every
$40,000 invested in a boat results in the creation of one new job. Boats and
related products alone amount to more than $19 billion in total annual
retails sales.
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78 million Americans – about one in every three – consider
themselves boaters.
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Boating provides for jobs for 550,000 workers nationwide,
and marine consumers pay nearly $400 million in taxes and fees annually.
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The
boating industry is achieving the same level of engine emission reduction in
10 years as the auto industry accomplished in 25 years. In the last 10 years,
the number of registered boats increased by about 20% and the fatalities
dropped by about 20%.
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The average boat owner is 48-years old with a median
household income of $48,000.
[above NMMA data]
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And, Of the 1200
water-oriented tourist that ordered requested a free NC DOT Coastal
Boating Guide from the www.NCWaterways.com
website in the past two months, over 750 planned to use a boat during their
stay.
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Have
marine trades related question or problem? The NC Marine Trades Services is a
service of the Small Business and Technology Center and available to all
small businesses without charge. Marina related - call (910) 962-3351.
Boatbuilding and Boatyard related - call (252) 728-2144. The headquarters of
the SBTDC is located in Raleigh and can be contacted by calling (800)
258-0862.
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Editors
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Mike
Bradley, Director
SBTDC
Marine Trades Service
Beaufort
Office
P.O.
Box 406
Beaufort,
NC 28516
(252)
728-2144 and (252) 962-6988 (fax)
MBradley@SBTDC.org
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Wendy
Larimer, Marine Specialist
SBTDC
Marine Trades Services
UNCW
Center Office
601
South College Road
Wilmington,
NC 28403
(910)
963-3351 and (910) 962-3014 (fax)
WLarimer@SBTDC.org
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