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Bellingham Marine history
Bellingham Marine company history timeline
On January 3, 1959 Alaska became the 49th state, making MV Chilkat the first state-owned ferry.
On January 23, 1963, MV Malaspina arrived in Ketchikan causing a traffic jam as residents clamored to see their first ferry.
In 1963 the Division of Marine Transportation was formally established, founding the Alaska Marine Highway System, three ships were added to the fleet and five communities gained service.
In 1964, Kodiak, Cordova, Homer, Seldovia, Valdez, and Seward were added to the system and serviced by the MV Tustumena.
In 1964, the first year of service for both Southeast and Southwest Alaska, AMHS had a total of 5 ferries and 16 ports of call and provided service to more than 100,000 passengers and nearly 22,000 vehicles.
By 1967, the state of Alaska was looking to expand service down to the "Lower 48." The southern terminus of the original route was Prince Rupert and the state was not interested in expanding further south since the Canadian ferries served this purpose.
In 1968 Port Lions, Tatitlek and Whittier were added to the system and on May 21, MV Chilkat began a Valdez to Whittier run.
In 1968, the state purchased a new ocean-going vessel for just under $7 million to run between Seattle, Washington and Southeast Alaska.
In 1969, the MV E.L. Bartlett was added to the fleet and reached Prince William Sound on July 1.
On July 5, 1974 MV Columbia was acquired with a homeport of Ketchikan.
In 1979, MV Tustumena initiated service along the Alaska Peninsula to False Pass, King Cove, and Sand Point.
Tina came to Bellingham Marine in 1983 as a member of the administrative staff following a two-year tenure as a paralegal.
After opening the new shop, “Sea Sport” boats were born in 1986.
After a long history serving the communities of coastal Alaska, the original "Blue Canoe", the MV Chilkat was sold in 1988.
Steve joined Bellingham Marine in 1988 in the Jacksonville, Florida Southeast Division office as a Marketing Representative for the Florida and Gulf Coast states.
On September 29, 1989, MV Columbia made its last sailing from Seattle's Pier 48.
Into the 1990’s Sea Sport boats expanded further, developing relationships with several local dealerships and again expanding their fleet adding the 32’ Pacific Catamaran.
In the 1990’s, his firm saw an opportunity to apply the hospitality model of management to the marina industry and started a marina management company called BellPort Group.
He joined Bellingham Marine in 1994 as a general laborer and worked his way up through the company.
Eric joined Bellingham Marine in 1996 as the Manager of Project Development for the Southwest region.
Joe initially joined the board of Bellingham Marine in 1997.
Gary has worked in the maritime and marina construction industry since 1997.
In 1998, MV Kennicott was commissioned with the homeport of Valdez.
Due to the addition of the Cross Gulf route, the community of Yakutat gained service in 1998.
Ed Heaton began his career with Bellingham Marine in 1998.
Chris joined Bellingham Marine in 1998 as a Project Manager with Bellingham Marine New Zealand, before being promoted to Operations Manager, where he oversaw all aspects of production and project management.
Previous to his current role at Bellingham Marine, Gary spent five years as the Bellingham Marine Queensland manager constructing over 40 marina projects totaling nearly 2000 marina berths, during that time.
MV Wickersham was scrapped in 2001.
In 2002, he was named Manager of Project Development for projects in the Florida, Caribbean, Eastern Mexico and Central American regions.
In 2003, MV E.L. Bartlett was decommissioned and sold to All Alaskan Seafoods on eBay.
MV Columbia is the largest vessel of the fleet, and until 2004 was also the fastest.
Then in 2005, FVF Chenega was commissioned with a homeport of Cordova.
He opened his doors in 2005 to provide structural engineering, testing and prototyping services to the marine design and construction community.
In 2006, he acquired Bellingham Marine and became its Chairman.
Kevin joined the company in 2008 as General Manager of the Drystack Division.
In 2009, Joe took the Company private, allowing the Company to focus its vision on long-term investments and strategies.
Elena joined Bellingham Marine in 2009 and worked as management accountant and financial controller of Bellingham Marine Australia and Bellingham Marine New Zealand before she was promoted to her current role of Vice President of Finance.
The group who purchased Sea Sport boats had acquired the rights to produce C-Dory, Osprey, and Skagit Orca boats and moved to a smaller facility in Ferndale, WA. In 2011, that group made the decision that it was time to close the doors at their facility.
And, on June 18, 2012 Old Harbor, an area that is thought to have been inhabited for nearly 2,000 years, also gained service.
He joined the company in 2012 as the area manager for Australia’s southern territories including Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.
Paul was awarded the CMM (Certified Marina Manager) Certification from the Association of Marina Industries in 2012 for his over 18 years of marina management experience.
The keels were laid at the Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan on December 13, 2014.
The Taku was taken out of service on June 23, 2015.
Bryce Fisher joined Bellingham Marine in 2016 as a member of the company’s sales team.
In 2018 the MV Taku was sold to Jabal Al Lawz Trading Est.
In 2022, Jim was promoted to the position of General Manager for the company’s Northwest Division before serving as the Manager of Project Development for seven years.
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Bellingham Marine competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson Industries | 1926 | $230.0M | 750 | - |
| Enclos | 1946 | $175.8M | 500 | 11 |
| Cavalier Home Builders, LLC | 1984 | $150.0M | 450 | - |
| Clark Pacific | 1963 | $130.0M | 250 | 32 |
| ENCON Heating | 1969 | $100.0M | 375 | 32 |
| Champion Homes | 1953 | $2.6B | 5,000 | 348 |
| Mobile Modular Management Corporation | - | $19.0M | 350 | - |
| The Companies of Nassal | 1984 | $5.7M | 50 | 5 |
| Lane Supply | 1950 | $23.8M | 100 | - |
| Metromont | 1925 | $140.0M | 347 | 49 |
Bellingham Marine history FAQs
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Bellingham Marine may also be known as or be related to Bellingham Marine, Bellingham Marine Industries and Bellingham Marine Industries Acquisition, Inc.