arına M DOCK AGE Bridge Marina Lake Hopatcong, N.J. WINNER: April 2011 $8.95 The magazine dedicated to marina & boatyard management

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1 arına M DOCK AGE April 2011 $8.95 The magazine dedicated to marina & boatyard management Prizes sponsored by Article sponsored by WINNER: Bridge Marina Lake Hopatcong, N.J.

2 Bridge Marina may be small in size but it s large in accomplishments Prizes sponsored by by Jerome A. Koncel Article sponsored by M arina managers, owners and operators looking to find a real-world example of how a small marina should be run need to look no further than Bridge Marina Inc. in Lake Hopatcong, N.J., the winner of this year s Marina of the Year award in the small marina category. Bridge Marina Inc. epitomizes the best of small businesses in the United States. Owned and operated for three generations by the Fernandez family, Bridge Marina provides exceptional and innovative customer services, while also supporting and enhancing the local community and the environment. The marina adds amenities on a regular basis, undertakes sophisticated marketing and advertising activities to recruit new customers, and is very involved in community and government efforts to protect the future of Lake Hopatcong. While other marinas in the region have suffered drops in either sales or revenues, and in some cases both, Bridge Marina has achieved 10 percent growth year over year for the past five years. Ray Fernandez, the owner/operator of the marina, said this growth did not come easily. Fernandez attributed this success to hard work, good planning and perseverance. By combining outstanding customer service efforts with an aggressive marketing/advertising plan, continuous improvement program and sustainable environmental practices, one can easily see how Bridge Marina was selected Marina of the Year. The 96-slip Bridge Marina in Lake Hopatcong, N.J., wins the MDA Marina of the Year award for the small category. Services Spanish immigrants Carmen, Salustiano and Joseph Fernandez founded Bridge Marina in the 1950s. For more than 50 years, the Fernandez family and Bridge Marina have served boating on Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey s largest freshwater lake, along with marine sales and repair services. Over the last five years, the third generation of the Fernandez family has pushed the marina forward, transforming it into a premier, full-service, customer-oriented operation that has become the quality standard for marinas operating on Lake Hopatcong. Asked what s the secret behind the marina s success, Fernandez said there is no secret. It takes hard work, perseverance and lots of goal-setting to accomplish all these things, he said. Bridge Marina offers 96 wet slips on four docks, one of which has been constructed within the last year. The new dock offers water, utilities, high-grade dock bumpers and space for larger boats. The other three docks have been refurbished within the past three boating seasons as part of the marina s annual capital expenditure plan. In addition to the docks, Bridge Marina has a 100-foot fuel dock that offers ValvTect Marine fuel. Fernandez said he selected this fuel, even though it costs more than other fuels, because it s worth the extra costs to have satisfied boaters. There is also a PWC fueling area and a boat-side convenience store with ice, refreshments and other necessities for boaters. To handle boat repairs and services, Bridge Marina has an on-site Volvo-certified service department with two bays that can handle boats up to 35 feet and up to 10,000 lbs, and the marina can service all makes and models of boats and engines. Recognizing that marina customers have a limited amount of time to enjoy boating, Bridge Marina also offers an on-water repair service and towing to its marina. Customers commented that Fernandez and/or his staff are always there to help distressed vessels in times of need.

3 such as a dinner or simply leisure time. To keep the service technician up-to-date with the latest technology, Bridge Marina pays for multiple training sessions during the winter season. To reward exemplary customer service and performance, Bridge Marina gives monetary rewards and bonuses during the season. It also awards a $200 educational scholarship to one of its dockhands for outstanding work ethic and customer service. Fernandez pointed out that this award is based not only on input from management but also from customers. In 2006, Bridge Marina started a Boating Club, in which members don t even have to park the boat. Staff members take care of all the work. Perhaps the most innovative customer change at Bridge Marina occurred in 2006, when Fernandez moved away from selling boats and established a Boating Club, a concept that at the time was an unknown service to most boaters in northern New Jersey. When asked why he decided to make this move, Fernandez said it was part business analysis and part intuition. We saw too many obstacles for boaters to get the most out of boating, namely costs, time and hassles. In my own case, I owned a cabin cruiser that was nice but not terribly useful to me. But I couldn t afford to deal with every type of boat I wanted to have. That made us think of a shared use format. Of course we researched it and found there were other businesses with similar ideas. After almost two years of planning, we launched the boating club, and its launch timing was very good considering what happened to the new boat market, Fernandez said. Today, the Boating Club has about 25 members sharing four boats, ranging from 21- to 28-foot LOA. It has been instrumental to the marina s survival of the recent economic recession. Staff Bridge Marina prides itself on providing exceptional service to its customers with a well-trained staff, which Fernandez described as a small but nimble team that requires few management directives. Bridge Marina s staff includes an owner/operator, office administrator, service technician, service assistant and a fluctuating number of dockhands that increase during the prime boating season. The marina s staff requires few directives, relying more on simple systems that are instilled in staff during training sessions. This allows our staff to achieve a wide array of thorough services in a rapid manner with minimal labor, said Fernandez. Recognizing that the marina s success depends on his people, Fernandez rewards them in different ways. Fernandez schedules staff days, which involve either some type of recreational activity, Constant updates Bridge Marina makes improvements every year because one of its core beliefs is to enhance the client s experience and improve its environmental efforts Facility improvements included the addition of a new picnicking area and tables, as well as enhanced landscaping and gardening The service department expanded with two new service bays, a new technician s office and parts room, and additional staging areas Private, keypad-access bathrooms with air-conditioning and showers were added. The interior and exterior of its marine store and administration building were upgraded and renovated. Other activities A point-of-sale system was implemented that manages sales and inventory and allows the marina to offer a customer rewards program to increase customer loyalty. A new webcam/digital camera on the fuel dock allows customers to share their boating experiences with other marina members. Fernandez said that because of the marina s recent efforts, customers are now expecting yearly changes and often ask about new plans at the beginning of the boating season. Advertising/marketing Bridge Marina s target market is existing and potential boaters in New Jersey, Western Pennsylvania and New York City areas. It uses tried and true methods, such as direct mail or online advertising, to attract existing boaters, but it also uses broader methods to attract new boaters. We do have a marketing plan, and we do have a marketing budget, Fernandez said. What we don t have is a marketing/advertising plan that s set in stone. Fernandez noted that while the marina has a system that precisely measures its marketing/advertising efforts, he sets aside some extra money for what s working this summer. Whether it radio commercials, newspaper advertisements, Ad word buys or e- mail blasts, Bridge Marina s efforts are aimed at bringing in clients. We carefully plan out our marketing each winter prior to the upcoming season. We have different projects that are designed to produce a result, each one having its own targets, dates and so forth. However, we ve found the need to be somewhat flexible with all aspects of projects, perhaps tweaking them as we go along, understanding that some advertising may not be as effective as we planned, Fernandez said.

4 As part of its marketing efforts, the marina added videos to its Web site this year. The videos are customer testimonials telling people what they like about the marina, Fernandez said. Though it s too early to determine whether the videos are successful or not, he s always open to new ideas, and all the customer videos testify to the family-atmosphere at Bridge Marina, the friendliness and courtesy of the employees, and the willingness of Fernandez to help them out by working far beyond normal operating hours. To attract new customers and retain existing ones, the marina also holds special events throughout the boating season, including: Customer appreciation events held at least once a month during the boating season, these free events provide customers with barbecue foods, drinks, T-shirts, hats and more. National Marina Day the marina has celebrated this event for four years. It includes free vessel safety checks, free boat rides for the public, free refreshments, giveaways, guest speakers and more. Network on the water sponsored and hosted by Bridge Marina, this evening event brings together approximately 150 members of the Chamber of Commerce and their clients for an evening of networking, cocktails, light fare, live music and a guest speaker. In addition to these events, Bridge Marina has worked with the State Dept. of Travel and Tourism to create the Visit Lake Hopatcong Campaign, which focuses on promoting the Lake Hopatcong region. In 2010, the marina developed and printed for free a visitor s map that highlights recreational activities on the lake. The map is distributed to local restaurants, Chambers of Commerce, public parks and other businesses to help guide and attract visitors to the area. Customer outreach Personalized attention to the customer is the core business philosophy at Bridge Marina, according to Fernandez. There s little that can t or won t be done to improve the customer s boating experience, he added. To keep customers aware of upcoming events, new products, service reminders and other pertinent information, Bridge Marina delivers printed newsletters. It also does periodic blasts for specific events. To determine how it s doing, the marina sends out customer satisfaction surveys seeking client feedback on current operations and input for future improvements. The most recent survey indicated that 95 percent of the respondents view their overall experience at Bridge Marina to be good-excellent, and the other 5 percent forgot to answer the question. To ensure that Boat Club members feel safe and secure in their boating, the marina provides one-on-one boat training for all members. It also issues vessel report cards that are extensive reports on the boat s condition as part of the Bridge Marina staff member Denny McCormick plants native species along the shoreline as part of the marina s Clean Marina program. winterization and spring recommissioning services. Bridge Marina believes that customers play an important role in keeping the marina a Clean Marina. Through its newsletters, informational brochures, signage and one-on-one interaction, Bridge Marina customers learn about the importance of Clean Marina practices. Environmental responsibility Bridge Marina takes its environmental responsibility very seriously. Of the more than 40 freshwater marinas in New Jersey, Bridge Marina is the first and only Clean Marina. Fernandez said it took several years and thousands of dollars to ready the marina to receive this award but it s something he wanted to do as a marina business. When it comes to running a marina, I m convinced that we must be stewards of the environment first and foremost, Fernandez said. Boating has an effect on our natural environment, and we feel it is our job at Bridge Marina to limit that effect as much as we can. For its part, Bridge Marina limits its impact on the environment by following the principles of the Clean Marina program, such as: It educates staff and customers about Clean Marina practices and the positive outcomes these practices have on the environment. It recycles paper, plastic, cardboard, filters, shrinkwrap and other materials.

5 It implemented a stop the drops program at its fuel dock. It participates in the Keep America Beautiful campaign by providing free ashtrays to customers and putting cigarette disposal receptacles around the property. Annual bilge inspection and cleaning are mandatory for all clients beginning in Although the state owns Lake Hopatcong, Fernandez said that it isn t very active in safeguarding Lake Hopatcong s water and environment. In a lake community of 65,000 people with 5,000 boats, someone had to safeguard the water level and quality. If the state wasn t doing enough, we needed to do it, Fernandez said. That s why he and others founded the Lake Hopatcong Alliance (LHA), a coalition of more than 500 citizens and businesses dedicated to protecting and sustaining the lake not just now but well into the future. As volunteer president of LHA, Fernandez and his board of directors were able to secure grant funds from the state for a multifaceted program that includes several projects to enhance and encourage boating on Lake Hopatcong by improving the water quality, environment and economy. It also secured funds to better manage weeds, protect against invasive species and raise funds for future lake management. Ref lections As far as Fernandez is concerned, it s much better for marinas to cooperate with one another than to compete with each other when it comes to improving their community. Local businesses need to overlook their competitive natures sometimes and get together to help protect their shared environment, Fernandez noted. For his part, Fernandez believes it s important to be proactive in improving the economy and the environment. That s why he s on the board of directors of the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, is an active member of the local Chamber of Commerce, and as noted earlier, is a founder and current president of the Lake Hopatcong Alliance. You re either part of the problem or part of the solution, Fernandez said. Bridge Marina enjoys a strong relationship with New Jersey Sea Grant, which has been a big help in decreasing the marina s impact on the environment. Through this relationship, Bridge Marina has attained its Clean Marina certification, obtained a pumpout system and washwater system that will be installed in 2011, and implemented a series of best management practices. The marina has received six federal and state grants over the last three years. The secret to his grant success? Hard work and perseverance. For the immediate future, Fernandez is proud of what the marina has accomplished but never satisfied. We have to admit our shortcomings and work to build a more sustainable industry that promotes the boating lifestyle and Clean Marinas, he said. It s precisely this attitude, combined with a pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality that has made Bridge Marina our 2010 Marina of the Year for small marinas. Bridge Marina has a 100-foot fuel dock. Marina staff fill up customer s boats, always looking out for safety.