NMMA to sponsor Great Lakes Conference

The National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) will enjoy a significant presence at the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Governors & Premiers 2019 Leadership Summit this weekend as a presenting sponsor of the bi-national event.

Founded in 1980, the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Governors and Premiers (GSGP) is a North American trade organisation led by the heads of governments representing two Canadian provinces and eight US states bordering the Great Lakes/St Lawrence River region. The group’s 2019 Leadership Summit, to be held in Milwaukee on June 14 through 16, is designed as a thinktank for growing the area’s US$6 trillion economy while simultaneously protecting the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.

“The Great Lakes is among the most important boating regions in North America, if not the world,” notes NMMA Canada president Sara Anghel, who will represent NMMA at the conference with vice president of state government relations, David Dickerson, and director of federal government relations, Clay Crabtree. “We’re there to represent the interests of the recreational boating industry during the formal panel discussions, while enjoying the opportunity to meet face-to-face with state governors and provincial premiers and their legislative staff.”

GSGP executive director David Naftzger notes that the 2019 conference builds upon more than 30 years of international cooperation. “We are planning an action-packed Summit program focused on protecting our region’s waters, growing our regional economy, boosting tourism, and fostering maritime trade, among other topics,” says Naftzger. “We have an excellent foundation to build on, and will look to our governors, premiers, and partners to help us drive this exciting agenda in coming weeks and months.”