Riding the waves of a profitable niche

Rough Notes, May 2001 by O'Hare, Edward

New York State, among others, has taken an equally proactive approach. Alan James, deputy public information officer for New York State Parks, says that Home Rule legislation enacted last year allows local municipalities to strictly regulate the use of PWCs or ban them altogether. Along with the safety issue, this legislation is also aimed at environmental concerns, including noise and emissions, raised by residents. And by 2004, says James, under a program being gradually phased in according to year of birth, everybody will be required to take a safe boating course and earn a safety certificate to operate a PWC in the Empire State.

For Howard Reiff and Ski-Safe, these efforts are a harbinger of even greater efforts to come to make PWCs safer and more fun and a nice niche for any agent or broker.