GPYC Desmond Marine
1
GROSSE POINTER e 19 SAILORS AND CRUISERS ARE unanimous: Desmond Marine and the River Street Marina on the Black River in Port Huron have raised the bar on quality service and amenities. Whether you’re heading north into Lake Huron or south on your way back to GPYC, Desmond and River Street are conve- niently located and ready to serve when you make Port Huron your port-of-call. It’s been an amazing turnaround for these two businesses with the arrival of the experi- enced management team from Acheson Ventures. ey invested heavily in upgrading facilities and retraining personnel at Desmond Marine and River Street Marina. e results have been positive in every respect. Under the direction of Dave Brown, Ache- son’s director of marine operations, a culture change has taken place within both facilities. “I’m at the helm to make sure the ship is going in the right direction,” Brown said, but he puts a heavy burden on the marina staff to live up to what he calls the standards of excellence. “We have one of the best management teams on the Great Lakes,” Brown is proud to mention. “We are driven to uphold the highest standards.” ese standards of excellence to which Brown refers relate in part to adding amenities for boaters. Desmond Marine’s facilities have undergone significant upgrades and offer world-class amenities for Great Lakes boaters. ey have seven Diesel, four Regular and two Ethanol-Free high-speed pumps featuring Mobil Oil fuel and lubrication products, and boaters are offered a complimentary pump-out when purchasing fuel. Desmond also has an impressive Valet Rack and Launch service with dedicated docks, and this summer they became the home of the Huron Lady II and their popular Lake Huron boat tours. ey also offer winter and summer storage, mechanical services, a canvas repair shop and boat detailing. When Acheson Ventures took over management at River Street Marina, in part- nership with the city of Port Huron, it renovated the bathrooms, including adding air conditioning and new fixtures, and repaired the docks. Perhaps most impor- tantly, the level of personal service received the most attention. Dock attendants, or Ambassadors as Brown calls them, are paramount to the marina’s standards of excellence. It’s known at Acheson Ventures as 5-star treatment. Using the model of the best hotels, the belief is that customer service must be superb. No stone is leſt unturned. Boaters are met at the dock and welcomed with a handshake by courteous attendants fully trained on how to properly tie up a boat. e River Street Marina Ambassadors will also make dinner reservations for boaters, pick up their garbage and hand deliver newspapers or coffee. Another important factor in Acheson’s success with Desmond and River Street relates to its interaction with the local community of Port Huron. All parties involved know that the more collaborative the relationship, the better it works for everyone. e local business community has embraced the riverfront operations, fully under- standing that the tourism opportunities cultivated by impressive and well run river- front facilities naturally spill over to downtown businesses. It’s no coincidence that Port Huron’s revitalization parallels Acheson’s local investment in the riverfront. Next time you’re headed up the St. Clair River, make sure Desmond Marine and the River Street Marina are part of your trip’s itinerary. n Desmond Marine and River Street Marina — the GOLD Standard on the Black River & CULTURE Learning It’s no coincidence that Port Huron’s revitalization parallels Acheson’s local investment in the riverfront. Please Accept Our Heartfelt Apology TO: Acheson Ventures, and the management and staff of Desmond Marine and the River Street Marina. FROM: The Executive Management and Board of Directors, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. Please accept our apology for the unfortu- nate dissemination of false information about your business. In particular, we regret the erroneous report of “bad gas” being sold at Desmond Marine. This reported incident couldn’t have been further from the truth. It should be pointed out that in a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey completed by permanent and tourist boaters and published earlier this year, Desmond Marine’s Staff Interaction, Facilities & Services, Members Appreciation, and Affiliated Services all graded out with well over 90% Excellent or Very Good ratings in all areas. In particular, their Fueling Station received 74% Excellent, 22% Very Good and 4% Good responses … with zero Below Average or Poor responses. We want our GPYC members to know that Desmond Marine, and the River Street Marina, are top-of-the-line facilities that will exceed their expectations on every level. Their management and staff are dedicated to delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction and we hope you will not hesitate to take advantage of their services next time you’re visiting the Port Huron area. Thomas G. Trainor General Manager Commodore Robert L. Rader Jr. BY MICHAEL TRUDEL
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Transcript of GPYC Desmond Marine
Grosse PointerThe 19
SailorS and cruiSerS are unanimous: Desmond Marine and the River Street Marina on the Black River in Port Huron have raised the bar on quality service and amenities. Whether you’re heading north into Lake Huron or south on your way back to GPYC, Desmond and River Street are conve-niently located and ready to serve when you make Port Huron your port-of-call.
It’s been an amazing turnaround for these two businesses with the arrival of the experi-enced management team from Acheson Ventures. They invested heavily in upgrading facilities and retraining personnel at Desmond Marine and River Street Marina. The results have been positive in every respect.
Under the direction of Dave Brown, Ache-son’s director of marine operations, a culture change has taken place within both facilities. “I’m at the helm to make sure the ship is going in the right direction,” Brown said, but he puts a heavy burden on the marina staff to live up to what he calls the standards of excellence. “We
have one of the best management teams on the Great Lakes,” Brown is proud to mention. “We are driven to uphold the highest standards.”
These standards of excellence to which Brown refers relate in part to adding amenities for boaters. Desmond Marine’s facilities have undergone significant upgrades and offer world-class amenities for Great Lakes boaters. They have seven Diesel, four Regular and two Ethanol-Free high-speed pumps featuring Mobil Oil fuel and lubrication products, and boaters are offered a complimentary pump-out when purchasing fuel. Desmond also has an impressive Valet Rack and Launch service with dedicated docks, and this summer they became the home of the Huron Lady II and their popular Lake Huron boat tours. They also offer winter and summer storage, mechanical services, a canvas repair shop and boat detailing.
When Acheson Ventures took over management at River Street Marina, in part-nership with the city of Port Huron, it renovated the bathrooms, including adding air conditioning and new fixtures, and repaired the docks. Perhaps most impor-tantly, the level of personal service received the most attention. Dock attendants, or Ambassadors as Brown calls them, are paramount to the marina’s standards of excellence.
It’s known at Acheson Ventures as 5-star treatment. Using the model of the best hotels, the belief is that customer service must be superb. No stone is left unturned. Boaters are met at the dock and welcomed with a handshake by courteous attendants fully trained on how to properly tie up a boat. The River Street Marina Ambassadors will also make dinner reservations for boaters, pick up their garbage and hand deliver newspapers or coffee.
Another important factor in Acheson’s success with Desmond and River Street relates to its interaction with the local community of Port Huron. All parties involved know that the more collaborative the relationship, the better it works for everyone. The local business community has embraced the riverfront operations, fully under-standing that the tourism opportunities cultivated by impressive and well run river-front facilities naturally spill over to downtown businesses. It’s no coincidence that Port Huron’s revitalization parallels Acheson’s local investment in the riverfront.
Next time you’re headed up the St. Clair River, make sure Desmond Marine and the River Street Marina are part of your trip’s itinerary. n
P h o t o g r a P h b y t o d d S ta n t o n
Desmond Marine and River Street Marina— the Gold Standard on the Black River
&CULTURE Learning
It’s no coincidence that Port Huron’s revitalization parallels Acheson’s local investment in the riverfront.
Please Accept Our Heartfelt Apolog yTo: Acheson Ventures, and the management and staff of Desmond Marine and the River Street Marina.
FRoM: The Executive Management and Board of Directors, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.Please accept our apology for the unfortu-nate dissemination of false information about your business. In particular, we regret the erroneous report of “bad gas” being sold at Desmond Marine.
This reported incident couldn’t have been further from the truth. It should be pointed out that in a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey completed by permanent and tourist boaters and published earlier this year, Desmond Marine’s Staff Interaction, Facilities & Services, Members Appreciation, and Affiliated Services all graded out with well over 90% Excellent or Very Good ratings in all areas. In particular, their Fueling Station received 74% Excellent, 22% Very Good and 4% Good responses … with zero Below Average or Poor responses.
We want our GPYC members to know that Desmond Marine, and the River Street Marina, are top-of-the-line facilities that will exceed their expectations on every level. Their management and staff are dedicated to delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction and we hope you will not hesitate to take advantage of their services next time you’re visiting the Port Huron area.
Thomas G. TrainorGeneral Manager
Commodore Robert L. Rader Jr.
by M i c h a e l t r u d e l
