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www.BoatingIndustry.com INDUSTRY NEWS 10 | Boating Industry | March 2017 Vista Outdoor Inc., in Overland Park, Kan., a $2.3 billion designer, manufacturer and mar- keter of consumer products in the outdoor sports and recreation markets. "We are pleased to have recruited a senior executive with the industry knowledge and experience to lead Hatteras Yachts through its next phase of growth," said Gregory Se- gall, chairman of Hatteras and CEO of its shareholder Versa Capital Management, LLC. "Kelly Grindle is an acknowledged leader in the outdoor sports and recreational marine industries, and will have a positive impact on our ability to deliver the best qual- ity yachts to Hatteras customers today, and to continue the company's long tradition of pioneering innovative design and technology in the future." Prior to Vista Outdoor Inc., Grindle spent 15 years as senior group vice president, ma- rine electronics, watercraft and diving at John- son Outdoors, Inc. in Racine, Wis., maker of Minn-Kota, Humminbird, SCUBAPRO and Old Town. MDCE sets dealer attendance record The final attendance numbers are in, and or- ganizers of the 2016 Marine Dealer Confer- ence & Expo – which took place Dec. 5-8 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando – are thrilled with their results. In total, 640 marine dealers attended MDCE 2016, which represents an increase of more than 5 percent compared to last year and a new record for the event. The 2016 MDCE featured 30-plus educational sessions, including four Educational Tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus, and 11 Pre-Conference Workshops. Organizers also added a Breakfast Keynote speech to the traditional Opening and Clos- ing Keynote addresses, more than two-dozen Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtable Discussions, an Innovation Spotlight and more Learning Lab experts than ever before to this year's event. Taking the stage to present this educa- tion were 36 presenters, including experts in nearly every facet of marine retailing. "While we are delighted that the show at- tracted record numbers of retailers, the real measurement of MDCE's success is in the re- sults dealers achieve in the year ahead," said Liz Walz, vice president and director of edu- cation for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which co-produces the annual event with Boating Industry magazine. "We are optimistic about those results as attend- ees' session evaluations – which ask about the usability of what they learned – also hit a record high this year." In addition to its educational offerings, the 2016 MDCE featured more than 100 booths in its expo hall, staffed by more than 436 manufacturer and supplier representatives. "What dealers, exhibitors and speakers are telling us," said Boating Industry Editor-in- Chief Jonathan Sweet, "is that MDCE 2016 brought them together to learn and build connections like never before." Brunswick grew revenue 9 percent in 2016 Brunswick Corp. grew revenue by 9 percent in 2016 and expects 6 to 8 percent growth in 2017. "We target 2017 to be another year of outstanding growth," Chairman & CEO Mark Schwabero said in an earnings call. The company is expecting solid market growth in U.S. and Europe, with some recov- ery in the rest of the world this year, he added. Early boat shows are showing "real en- ergy" after some uncertainty heading into the U.S. election last fall. "As we look at dealer sentiment, con- sumer sentiment, attendance at the shows … we just think there is some renewed strength that goes beyond the boat market," Schwabero said. For 2016, Brunswick had strong growth in both fiberglass outboard boats and marine parts and accessories, as well as "solid per- formance" in aluminum boats, outboard en- gines and fiberglass sterndrive/inboard boats, Schwabero said. "The U.S. marine market exhibited solid fundamentals and growth, which are supported by stable boating participation, favorable replacement cycle dynamics and in- novative products being introduced through- out the marketplace," he said. "Overall, international marine markets were challeng- ing, including weak demand in certain mar- kets such as Latin America, the Middle East and Africa as well as Canada. Our product successes in both our engine and boat seg- ments have enabled continued market share gains and mix benefits." For the year ended Dec. 31, 2016, the company reported net sales of $4,488.5 mil- lion, up from $4,105.7 million in 2015. For the year, operating earnings were $409.0 million, which included a $55.1 million pen- sion settlement charge and $15.6 million of restructuring, integration and impairment charges. In 2015, the company reported operating earnings of $331.7 million, which included an $82.3 million pension settlement charge and $12.4 million of restructuring and impairment charges. "Our outlook for 2017 is generally con- sistent with our three-year strategic plan and reflects another year of outstanding earnings growth, with excellent cash flow generation," said Schwabero. "Our recent results reflect the continued success of our strategy and we believe we are well positioned to gener- ate sales and earnings growth consistent with our three-year plan."