NMLA Conference Sees Record Attendance

The National Marine Lenders Association (NMLA) wrapped up their 2023 conference in Hilton Head drawing the largest number of attendees in over 10 years. 

Headliners for the National Marine Lenders Association (NMLA) event included Bill Yeargin, CEO and president of Correct Craft, who presented the economics of culture within an organization. He noted that implementing a positive culture should not be realized as an expense, but rather as a high-end return on investment. Matt Gruhn, MRAA president, shared the current mindset of U.S. boat dealers and highlighted examples of how a successful dealership can survive and thrive during challenging times by demonstrating resiliency, creativity, and maintaining a “never-give-up” attitude. 

A panel discussion on cyber security, fraud mitigation, and loss prevention highlighted top-down tips for organizations and individuals on ways to protect themselves amid the evolving world of AI. Panel member Matthew O’Neill, U.S. Secret Service, reminded attendees that corporate systems can be “hacked” via one person, thus driving home the need for bottom-up fraud policies. Additional breakout sessions and panel discussions covered marine portfolio protection, e-contracting, delinquency, collection recovery, marine industry advocacy issues, and Gina Martin Adams’ (global head of portfolio strategy and ehief Equity strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence) economic update.

The conference is one of the major highlights of the year for NMLA members and the marine finance industry. Next up on NMLA’s educational calendar is their Annual Marine Lending Workshop (March 10-12, Orlando, Florida), a two-day interactive program offering attendees the opportunity to increase their knowledge base with experts possessing over 200+ years of combined marine experience.