Marina Dock Age, November/December 1998

Your Peers Can Help Solve Problems
by Dennis P. Kissman

I recently returned from a trip to Northern Italy and Croatia on the Adriatic Sea where the International Boating Facilities Committee of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations met and of which I am a member. The IFBC is probably best known for its organization of the International Marina Conference that is held every three years. The next conference, called IMC 99, will be held here in the United States this Feb. 15 and 16 in Fort Lauderdale.

This will be the first of these conferences to be held here in the United States and offers each of us an opportunity to meet and understand the problems and solutions our peers have encountered both in this country as well as in other parts of the world. I would like to encourage everyone to attend this conference if at all possible. From being involved in the previous conferences, I can honestly say I believe it will be very rewarding and well worth your time. If you would like more information or would like to register for the conference, please contact Ron Stone, the current chairman of our committee at (202) 721-1645.

During one of the informal gatherings at the IBFC meeting, a group of us were discussing the rising cost of electricity and how marina owners are trying to recoup their cost. I know this is a problem here in the United States where we are restricted from making a profit on reselling electricity to our customers. Interestingly enough, most other countries have the same restrictions we have in this country and are addressing the problem in the same manner we are. Continue »