About Andy: Launching Bristol Marine

After graduation from the University of Michigan and working as a Naval Architect for Ted Hood, Andy Tyska saw an advertisement for the local boatyard in Bristol, Rhode Island that was going up for auction.  After decades of waterfront privatization to the detriment of the maritime trades and traditions, this closure in 1998 signified the potential demise of Bristol’s working waterfront. Would the shoreline default to condos and retail space, displacing the businesses and employees who customarily occupied those spots? Andy had a different vision. Never afraid to take chances, he partnered up with friend, philanthropist and sailing enthusiast H.F. Gerry Lenfest to acquire what would become Bristol Marine.

Andy immediately got to work by leveraging contacts, hiring friends and investing in the facility. There, he created a team that became the foundation of Bristol Marine and continued on to acquire neglected and abandoned inland commercial space in Bristol, the beginning for the Franklin Street Marine Corridor, where education was to be embedded into the marine trades. This allowed Andy to grow his business but also give opportunities for others within the marine trades to set up and thrive. 

The bold acquisition of the Somerset yard in 2012 became a turning point for Bristol Marine, giving Andy the facility to grow his team of passionate, committed employees and establish the company as a destination for boat owners that wanted a unique level of relationship driven service. When the rare opportunity to acquire and preserve the historic Boothbay Shipyard in Maine arose in 2017, it was a natural fit. Then in the middle of a decade-long restoration of the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, Andy was able to merge his passion for classic wooden sailboats with his ongoing quest to Preserve the Working Waterfront.

What are Andy’s plans for Bristol Marine’s future? “Our goals are very much growth-centered,” he asserts, “geographically and also with our people and the services we provide.” One thing that’s not changing is the level of quality and passion Bristol Marine puts into every service and interaction. “I’m incredibly proud of the team we have built and the culture we encourage… We are committed to quality and to the people who consider our facilities home,” he concludes.

Today, Andy leads Bristol Marine while balancing his time between his family, community efforts and multiple organizations including the Coggeshall Farm Museum, Bristol Art Museum, Rhode Island Marine Trades Association and Rhode Island Sailing Events Commission. He continues manifesting his vision, keeping the working waterfront alive through acquisition, fellowship and a commitment to workforce development.

About Patrick: Growing the Business

Patrick McLoughlin has been on and around the water his whole life, and credits his father with developing his love for boats. ‘I would go out on his charter fishing boat Mataura starting when I was about 8 years old.’ In his mid-twenties, after graduating from Dartmouth College and nearly a decade as a first mate and captain on the Mataura, Patrick left to pursue an increasing interest in yacht design at The Landing School. His education provided him with the opportunity to begin his journey in working in the marine trades at Alden Yachts in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

As a project manager at Alden, Patrick worked with experienced builders and gained an appreciation for the highly skilled craftsmen building quality yachts. His next stop at Pearson Marine Group began in engineering & product development but later evolved into operations management before leaving for Bristol Marine in 2013.

Since joining Bristol Marine, Patrick has played a key role in its evolution from a DIY yard to a network of quality full-service boatyards. His early years focused on refining processes and enhancing service for loyal customers in Bristol and Somerset. Today, leading a dedicated team, Patrick emphasizes employee development, thoughtful growth, and refining the overall customer experience

Away from work, Patrick spends as much time as possible on the water around his home in Noank, CT with his wife Tina, and two kids Brooke and Ben.

About Joe: Leading the Community

For Joe Mariani, the elements of his career share a common thread. “Boating has always been a part of my life, “ explains the Niantic, Connecticut native now residing in Wakefield, RI.  A passionate recreational fisherman, Joe’s career has included working on local charter boats, serving as a captain for Rhode Island non-profit Save-the-Bay, running education and research vessels; to working as a manager in local marinas.

Joe, who had worked for Bristol Marine for three years directly out of college in 2009, rejoined the company 10 years later in the fall of 2022. What brought him back? “When I visited the facility, I was so impressed by the level of pride everyone had in their work” he explains. “As soon as I left that day I knew that was a team I would be honored to be a part of”

Joe describes his responsibilities as including “a little bit of everything” and enjoys jumping in to help out in the yard whenever he can. However, he leans on his background to help Bristol Marine elevate its customer experience through improved processes and company culture. Furthermore, Joe plays a key role in Bristol Marine’s future through employee recruitment & development, capital improvement plans and researching other growth opportunities. As Bristol Marine’s footprint continues to grow, his ongoing relationship with Save-the-Bay and other environmental organizations has also helped Bristol Marine move waterfront expansion projects forward without compromising sustainability.

Key Contributors: Integral Architects of Our Trajectory

Recognizing a Group Effort

If philanthropist H.F. Gerry Lenfest hadn’t taken a chance by partnering up with Andy Tyska back in 1998, where would Bristol Marine be now? From Richard Husband, who served dual-duty out of the gate in 1998 as an accountant and yard hand, to Brittney Barbato who joined in 2022 and has quickly become a key part of Bristol Marine (most notably for her work with our website), many players have contributed to our current iteration. However, Nick King and Jill Doyon stand out above all others for their contributions to Bristol Marine along this 25+ year journey.

Buying Buildings and Building Culture

Nick King joined Bristol Marine in 2005, and quickly got to work with Andy to grow the business and has been key ever since his arrival. Starting with the revitalization of Franklin Street area in downtown Bristol, through the acquisitions of the Somerset, Boothbay and Southport properties, Nick has been central to growth, property acquisitions and development from the moment he paired up with Andy. “The more we branch out, the more we grow, there is always something new and exciting happening, an opportunity to get involved.” His contributions, however, extend well beyond property, and into the development of all aspects of the business and its unique culture. Among Nick’s many notable accomplishments, his dedication to his employees stands out above all else. “I’m a big proponent of investing in people and giving them the opportunity to take it where they want to go.” Now serving in an advisory capacity, the real estate expert helps strategize and implement continued growth while protecting the organization’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Nurturing Employee Growth

Jill Doyon joined the organization with Andy to help with the logistics of administration and acquisitions, manage human resources duties and implement practices to build and maintain Bristol Marine’s culture. Few embody Bristol Marine’s core values of “pride, commitment and having each other’s back” more than Jill and she has been vital to the close, family atmosphere fostered first at the Bristol yard and now the company in general. She describes the culture as a top-down phenomenon, built on Andy and his team’s “devotion to their employees”. Because the management “show through example, the employees feel very much respected and cared for by them”. Jill’s role throughout her tenure expanded throughout the organization, managing the finances, payroll, HR, real estate and charity work. As Bristol Marine grew, Jill also worked with and coached new employees to instill the same skills and commitment that made her so successful. Though Jill retired from full-time work in 2022, she just can’t help herself and still contributes almost daily in our Bristol office.

Acknowledgements

There are many contributors to the development of this website, which took well over a year and required persistence and patience from all involved. However, Halsey Fulton, Bob Mitchell and Patrick Sikes were essential to the overall presentation of the site. Their work is featured throughout the site, and were both a pleasure to work with throughout the process.

Halsey Fulton, a Bristol native and former employee of Bristol Marine, has been capturing activity at our Bristol and Somerset yards for many years. Many of the pictures of employees and projects there were taken by Halsey, and his passion for the marine industry comes through in his work. He has a unique ability to combine still photos, videos and drone footage in a way that encapsulates the character of Bristol Marine and pride of our employees.

Bob Mitchell has been photographing boats, scenery and events in Maine for most of his life. He has a close relationship with our Boothbay Harbor yard, and has done a fantastic job shooting projects there for many years. His photos of the Ernestina-Morrissey restoration are incredible and span the entire decade-long project, culminating in some truly spectacular shots of the launch on that beautiful day in September, 2022. Other projects and refits, such as the Bowdoin (2019) and Fraulein (2023) replanking projects would not have been featured on this website without his work.

Patrick Sikes‘ incredible drone footage allowed us to portray Boothbay Harbor events with a unique perspective, showing off the historic facility and surrounding coastline. He, too, was present at the Ernestina-Morrissey launch and gave us incredible aerial views of our pier and wonderful portraits of employees and guests alike. Among other contributions to our website, Patrick also provided the stunning video footage of the dock party for the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Annual Regatta and Shipyard Cup Classics Challenge in August, 2023.

There were many other contributors. Ben McLoughlin’s photography and consultation helped us fill some key spots as we neared completion, and Valerie Heine’s marketing acumen and enthusiasm were invaluable in getting to the finish line with a successful launch. However, none of it would have come together without the creativity, flexibility and patience of our web designers from Beth Motta Design & Marketing.

Bristol Marine has a fantastic team of employees, but also at times relies on an incredible network of supporting companies and organizations. The creation of this website certainly would not have been possible without their help.