Leadership Pathway
Dealer Week | Dec 7 - 10, 2025 | Tampa Convention Center
Real-world leadership training that helps you run a better business.
In a fast-changing market, strong leadership isn’t optional. It’s essential. These sessions are designed to help you guide your team, your operations, and your strategy into the future.
Every session in the Leadership Pathway is grounded in the realities of running a marine dealership today.
See it, Solve it: Harnessing Ownership and Order to Elevate Your Leadership
Pete Smith, Smith Impact
Get WISER: More than 33 Practical Ways to Improve Your CX
Dan Gingiss, The Experience Maker
7 AI Tools that will Revolutionize Your Dealership
Marcus Sheridan, IMPACT
Rethink Dealership Operations for a Loyalty-Driven Future
Max Materne, Ownex
7 Levers to Boost Efficiency and Margins
Dave Newell, Evolve Leadership Consulting
For the Doers, the Leaders, and the Outperformers.
General managers, service managers, owners and future leaders who want to run better teams and stronger businesses. If you’ve been figuring out leadership as you go, this is your chance to build confidence, gain clarity, and leave with a better plan to lead what’s next.
Pathway Host: Bernie DeGraw
Bernie DeGraw is a lifelong educator and natural leader with a distinguished career spanning education, business and industry development.
He currently holds the position of Senior Education Developer at the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), where he plays a pivotal role in advancing professional development within the industry, and is a marine dealership co-owner.
Bernie has cultivated deep expertise in coaching, leadership and front-line operations. His career includes experience as a guidance counselor, director of guidance, and dealership co-owner, where he seamlessly filled roles such as salesperson, service manager and service advisor.
Throughout his career, Bernie has directed multiple college programs at prestigious institutions, including the University of Connecticut, the University of Vermont, the University of Michigan, the University of California San Diego and the University of Texas at Austin. His ability to develop and implement impactful educational initiatives has helped shape countless students and professionals.
An influential voice in the boating industry, Bernie serves as the past president and remains a dedicated board member of the Boating Industry Association of Central New York.