Pennsylvania’s new Office of Outdoor Recreation is the state’s single largest investment in parks and forests in decades to the tune of $112 million in the FY23-24 budget. The office is the 20th State Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC) created across the United States. Outdoor recreation generates $13.6 billion for the Commonwealth’s economy, is 1.6% [...]

Registration is now open for the Marine Fabricators Association (MFA) Great Lakes Regional Workshop taking place Nov. 17–18, 2023, at Chicago Marine Canvas in Chicago, Ill. This event offers exclusive educational opportunities as well as hands-on training in a shop setting. Education topics include shop safety, patterning, preparing a digital pattern for a bimini top [...]

Registration is open, and the full conference schedule is available for the annual Marine Fabricators Conference being held Jan. 25-27, 2024, at the Tradewinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach, Fla. This year’s conference takes place at the lovely Tradewinds Island Grand Resort. All conference activities, except shop tours, will be held on hotel property, [...]

The Marine Fabricators Association (MFA) provides resources and programs for marine fabricators and establishes standards of excellence for business practices, products and craftsmanship. The MFA is a division of the Advanced Textiles Association, formerly known as IFAI. Join the only trade association today that represents the entire specialty fabrics and advanced textiles industry in the [...]

The entry deadline for the 2023 National Boating Safety Awards is Friday, Sep. 1, 2023. Sponsored by the Sea Tow Foundation, a boating safety non-profit, the awards recognize efforts to promote boating safety within the for-profit sector of the boating industry. This year, the Sea Tow Foundation has announced two new award categories. The full [...]

The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), North America’s largest trade event for marine industry professionals, announced the schedule of technical education included in the IBEX Education Conference to be held during the show, October 3-5, 2023, at the Tampa Convention Center. The IBEX Education Conference includes a technical Seminar Series that offers training and [...]

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), a trade association representing the North American recreational boating industry and 1,300 member companies, has relocated its headquarters to Washington D.C. as the association continues to expand its advocacy work. The NMMA’s previous headquarters were in Chicago, Ill, which will continue to serve as a strategic hub for key [...]

Fasnap Corporation, which has been serving the industrial fastener industry for more than 40 years, announced changes in management positions at several levels of its corporate office in Elkhart, Ind. Jeff Kendell, a key salesman for Fasnap for more than 20 years, will assume the role of president and CEO. Kendell graduated with an MBA [...]

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has designated two new Marine Highway Routes, as part of the U.S. Marine Highway Program (MHP). The newly designated M-11 and the M-79 routes will help speed up the movement of goods, strengthen supply chains and support local economies in Alaska, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These designations allow any eligible [...]

At the 2023 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX), running Oct. 2-4, 2023, at the Tampa Convention Center, will be a special free session focused on sustainability, titled The Carbon Conundrum. The program is intended to help marine professionals navigate current boatbuilding trends between more horsepower and efficient, alternative propulsion and hull design. The session [...]