TopSide Marinas Buys Bay Marine

TopSide Marinas has acquired Bay Marine of Sturgeon Bay and Bay Marine Chicago, bringing its ownership to a total of 10 marinas across six states. The family-owned company aims to elevate the offerings at each marina while maintaining their unique charm and character.

“With the acquisition of Bay Marine service, storage, and marina operations, TopSide Marinas will now be running two of the finest marinas and boatyards in the Great Lakes,” says Ryan Skiles, regional vice president of operations at Topside Marinas. “Bay Marine’s Waukegan facility is an outstanding service and storage facility with deep water access to the downtown Chicago harbors. Bay Marine of Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor facility was completely remodeled in 2022, which brought one of the Great Lake’s most historic marinas back to the prominence it had in the 1950’s. The acquisition of Bay Marine reinforces TopSide’s mission of fostering a high-quality environment where our members and guests can create lifelong memories while maintaining an enjoyable waterfront experience for the avid boating communities in Wisconsin and Illinois.” 

Matt and Mark Felhofer will continue to own and operate Bay Marine Yacht Sales in both locations, leasing back showroom and office space.

“This is an exciting transition for Bay Marine and our entire team of over forty employees in the Midwest,” adds Matt Felhofer, president of Bay Marine Yacht Sales. “The marine industry has seen dramatic consolidation over the past several years and TopSide Marinas presented a unique opportunity for us to bring in a partner that has the knowledge, expertise, and capital to take our existing service, storage, and marina businesses to the next level while allowing our sales team to focus on growing our key brands throughout the Great Lakes market.” 

“Matt and Mark Felhofer have built an impressive business at these two outstanding locations. We regard them highly and are excited to partner with them as they grow Bay Marine Yacht Sales to one of the largest yacht brokerage firms in the region.” says Jacob Boan, cofounder and chief investment officer of TopSide Marinas.

To learn more, visit topsidemarinas.com or baymarine.net.