Accelerate Orlando delivers clarity, discipline and hard truths for 2026
Accelerate Orlando brought dealers, industry leaders and solution providers together for a candid look at the economic, operational and cultural forces shaping powersports and marine retail as the industry moves deeper into a margin‑sensitive, post‑pandemic market.
From macroeconomic outlooks to dealership turnarounds, leadership development and AI‑driven tools, the event reinforced a central theme: sustainable profitability in 2026 will come from discipline, process and intentional execution — not volume alone.
A resilient economy, with pressure points beneath the surface
Economist Elliott Eisenberg opened the conference with a data‑driven but measured assessment of the U.S. economy, pushing back against persistent recession narratives while cautioning dealers to watch emerging risks.
GDP growth in recent quarters has remained solid, Eisenberg noted, driven largely by consumer spending, which accounts for roughly 69% of economic output. Despite higher interest rates, inflation fatigue, and political noise, consumers continue to spend — including on big‑ticket items. Auto sales, which Eisenberg described as one of the most reliable real‑time economic indicators, are tracking near 15–15.5 million units annually, a “B‑minus” performance given today’s pricing and financing environment.
Business investment has also remained strong, fueled in part by more than $100 billion in AI‑related spending across data centers, infrastructure, and construction. Meanwhile, nonresidential construction continues to benefit from federal legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act.
Housing remains the weakest sector, but Eisenberg downplayed its broader economic impact, noting that low transaction volumes have been entrenched for years. With many homeowners locked into sub‑4% mortgages, renovation and remodeling activity has helped offset slower sales.
Still, Eisenberg flagged concerns around slowing real disposable income growth and historically low personal savings rates. Productivity gains are masking softer labor conditions, leaving less margin for error if conditions deteriorate. His conclusion was clear: the economy is holding up — but businesses must stay alert.
Turning around a dealership by managing the entire customer lifecycle
Few sessions resonated more strongly with attendees than Max Materne’s “The Turnaround Project,” a brutally honest account of rebuilding a failing dealership from the inside out.
Materne, a multigeneration dealer and co‑founder of the Onus Project, detailed how customer lifecycle thinking — not transaction chasing — became the foundation for transformation. Drawing from years of DMS‑level research across powersports and marine dealerships, Materne showed how loyalty, service engagement and timing — not unit count — drive long‑term profitability.
That philosophy was put to the test in 2025, when Materne returned to a dealership he had previously sold, stepping in as it lost nearly $500,000 in six months and faced closure. Given 90 days to turn it around, Materne and partner Danny French publicly documented every decision.
Their diagnosis revealed deeper issues than inventory alone: underutilized labor, negative service contribution margins, misaligned staffing and a lack of accountability. Service emerged as the fastest path to recovery, forcing uncomfortable changes around utilization, leadership and performance tracking.
Execution, Materne emphasized, mattered as much as analysis. Weekly all‑hands meetings, transparent communication, clear 90‑day goals and relentless focus on fundamentals drove momentum. The takeaway: “Going back to basics” doesn’t mean reverting to pre‑pandemic habits — it means aligning people, process and opportunity around customer lifetime value.
Women in the Power Trades: Leadership that delivers results
The Women in the Power Trades Panel delivered a fast‑paced, practical conversation on leadership, self‑advocacy and business execution, featuring senior executives from across the industry.
The session included Shannon Aronson, president and CEO of ABYC; Kim Sweers, president of FB Marine Group; Courtney Bernhard, buy‑sell adviser with Performance Brokerage Services; and Vicki Norman, CEO of Digital Throttle — representing standards, manufacturing, brokerage and digital marketing.
Panelists emphasized preparation, clarity and accountability as the foundation of effective leadership. Aronson highlighted the role of education and standards in building credibility, while Sweers shared insights on leading brands through margin pressure and operational complexity.
Bernhard addressed confidence and advocacy, urging professionals to own their expertise and set boundaries without apology. Norman focused on adaptability, noting that data, technology and changing consumer behavior now define competitive advantage.
The consistent message: leadership doesn’t require changing who you are — it requires intention, discipline and the willingness to speak up.
Finance, technology, and the fight for attention
Additional sessions expanded on the operational realities dealers face in 2026. A Powersports Industry Panel featuring leaders from Sea Ray, Moto Morini and Anthem Marine examined OEM expectations, inventory risk and evolving buyer behavior across segments.
Multiple sessions addressed finance and market trends, with speakers from Morgan Stanley, Synchrony and Foothills Motorsports discussing credit availability, interest‑rate pressure, floorplan risk and emerging consumer payment behaviors. Panelists stressed disciplined inventory management, realistic pricing and proactive risk mitigation as essential in a higher‑cost capital environment.
Technology and process innovation were recurring themes. Sessions on e‑commerce automation explored how end‑to‑end digital checkout — including F&I and registration — can expand reach and improve customer satisfaction. Pied Piper’s Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) presentation examined how AI and human interactions intersect, revealing where automation succeeds — and where it fails without oversight.
Sales strategist David Gee closed the loop with his “3 Second Selling” session, challenging dealers to rethink first impressions. In an attention‑scarce market, Gee argued, customers form trust judgments in seconds — making clarity, relevance and emotional connection decisive from the first interaction.
Discipline over volume
Across sessions, Accelerate Orlando reinforced a hard‑earned industry lesson: growth without discipline is risk. Dealers who succeed in 2026 will be those who manage inventory intentionally, leverage data and AI thoughtfully, invest in service efficiency and focus relentlessly on customer lifecycle value.
In a tighter market, Accelerate’s message was clear — the path forward isn’t louder marketing or more units. It’s better fundamentals, executed with precision.
