The American Boat & Yacht Council is calling on dealers and other members of the marine industry to join in a national celebration of the skills and accomplishments of service professionals. It’s the fourth annual International Marine Service Technician Week, which kicks off next Monday for five days, April 21-25.

There are so many good reasons to recognize our techs. After all, the upfront team — salespeople, accessories and parts people, receptionists — are readily visible to visitors and customers. But the techs that keep customers happy make things happen in the back.

Dealers are invited to join this national celebration by posting about their technicians on social media, hosting special recognition events, presenting awards and finding other ways to say thank you.

“Marine technicians are the backbone of safe, reliable and enjoyable boating experiences,” says Shannon Aronson, senior director of marketing and communications at ABYC. “We’re excited to celebrate alongside the boating community and highlight what is a rewarding career path.”

The timing couldn’t be better, given our industry’s need for workforce development. Throughout the week, Aronson says, ABYC will spotlight technicians on social media, host daily technical challenges with prizes and provide online educational opportunities. The celebration will include the presentation of the Outstanding Technicians and New Achiever awards. Winners will be announced April 24.

“The week is dedicated to recognizing the exceptional skills and commitment of marine service professionals,” Aronson says. “No matter how you choose to celebrate, the most important thing is to take this opportunity to recognize the many marine technicians who keep boating safe, enjoyable and reliable.”

Click here to see how you can get involved.

Ohio Budget a Step Backward

It’s budget time, and in Ohio, cutting is on the front burner. A program called H2Ohio is facing a nearly 45% chop in the state House of Representatives. H2Ohio is a program that aims to improve water quality statewide, with a special emphasis on Lake Erie.

Since its inception, H2Ohio has been dubbed a game-changer. It helps fund expensive farming programs aimed at reducing the nitrogen and phosphorus runoff that fuels Lake Erie algae blooms. It also expands and builds wetlands, helps communities with infrastructures, and funds two key research-oriented programs.

From boating’s perspective, H2Ohio — launched in 2019 by Gov. Mike DeWine — is a key move for improving Lake Erie, the world’s 11th largest freshwater lake. Not only is it a huge boating and fishing market, but millions also rely on it for drinking water. My wife, Kay, I and our three kids boated and fished on Lake Erie for 39 years.

Matt Fisher, vice president of the Lake Erie Foundation (of which I am a member), told veteran outdoor writer Tom Henry at the Toledo Blade: “It’s devastating. We’re all stunned.”

The proposed $120 million cut in the state’s next biennial budget would reduce the two-year funding for H2Ohio from $270 million to $150 million.

It makes no sense. Given the economic benefit of boating, fishing and tourism, not to mention drinking water, it defies logic to cut a budget that’s entirely dedicated to improving one of the Great Lakes. It is an environmentally sensitive body of water — once a symbol of the nation’s polluted waterways — that triggered the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Lawmakers in the Buckeye State need to understand the downside of any such budge cut.