{"id":255799,"date":"2022-02-14T19:10:48","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T19:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/?p=255799"},"modified":"2024-01-17T20:33:33","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T20:33:33","slug":"northshore-marina-sets-its-sights-on-being-a-destination-on-lake-travis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/northshore-marina-sets-its-sights-on-being-a-destination-on-lake-travis\/","title":{"rendered":"Northshore Marina Sets its Sights on Being a Destination on Lake Travis"},"content":{"rendered":"

As boaters arrive at\u00a0Northshore Marina<\/a>\u00a0on Lake Travis in Jonestown, Texas, a massive 12-foot-tall steel statue greets them as they make their way to their slips. The abstract piece depicting a boat rooster tail, was the brainchild of recently retired Northshore Marina general manager Billy Neel. Neel envisioned the artwork as the centerpiece of the marina, which he had overseen since the facility was built back in 2001. He wanted to create a sense of community, where every staff member and boater would feel welcome and comfortable.<\/p>\n

Over the last two decades, Neel\u2019s vision for Northshore Marina has come to life. In 2016, Austin Cameron, owner of VIP Marinas, acquired the marina with the intention of retaining Neel\u2019s core values and beliefs for the facility.<\/p>\n

Cameron shares those same principles as a marina owner. \u201cOur vision is to be a destination marina where people create positive memories that last a lifetime,\u201d he said. \u201cWe strive to exceed our customer\u2019s expectations every day and ensure every boating experience they have is a great one.\u201d<\/p>\n

In just a few short years, the facility has flourished, expanding from 194 slips to 337 covered slips and more than 100 personal watercraft (PWC) ports. A series of carefully planned updates and additions, a meticulously trained staff, and a dedication to supporting the surrounding waterfront community has culminated in awarding Northshore Marina the Marina Dock Age 2021 large Marina of the Year.<\/p>\n

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20 Years in the Making<\/strong>
\nNorthshore Marina is located within The Hollows, a master-planned residential community northwest of Austin, Texas on the north shore of Lake Travis. The facility is the only truly deep water marina on the lake, sitting along more than 150 feet of water. The depth allows the marina to stay close to shore and keep the walk for tenants to a minimum through flood or drought. \u201cWhen the marina was built in 2001, the residential development was just getting started. Billy used to joke that he couldn\u2019t give a slip away,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cBut as the city of Austin grew and The Hollows became a popular destination for vacation homes, business at the marina started to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, the collapse of the housing market in 2008 forced The Hollows and Northshore Marina into bankruptcy. Another investment group bought the marina in 2012 and subsequently sold it in 2016 to Cameron, who currently owns 12 other marinas in Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. \u201cWe saw the potential to transform the marina into a destination,\u201d he added. \u201cToday, the subdivision is booming with big estate homes popping up all around the marina.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The new 1,600-square-foot ship\u2019s store was built in 2019 and includes four fuel pumps, a pumpout station, and freshwater fill up.<\/p><\/div>\n

General manager Charlotte Jacunski said 70% of Northshore Marina\u2019s members are residents of The Hollows. \u201cWe also have members coming in from the surrounding communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, and Cedar Park, which are all within 30 minutes of us,\u201d she said. \u201cWe even have people from Houston and about 10 families from Colorado, who bring more people with them every year. We love being able to accommodate boaters from all over the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expansions at the marina started in late 2017, with phase one including 71 new covered slips and a new pumpout station. The following two years saw multiple renovations and additions including a new parking deck for golf carts and bikes, 59 additional slips, a new kayak deck, and a new work barge and welding machine to be used for in-house anchoring and maintenance.<\/p>\n

Transforming the ship\u2019s store into a profit center for the marina was also a top priority. In 2019, the ship\u2019s store was moved to a different dock and expanded to 1,600 square feet. Offering four fuel pumps, a pumpout station, fresh water fill up, and a variety of drinks, food, and clothing, the ship\u2019s store has become one of the most profitable elements of the marina.<\/p>\n

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Another big investment was the addition of a second tram in 2018. Due to the marina\u2019s location at the bottom of a cliff on Lake Travis, the docks are only accessible via tram. \u201cEveryone was using the same elevator, and if it broke, they were all using the stairs,\u201d Jacunski said. \u201cWe installed the second tram because we were adding all the new slips. We didn\u2019t want our members to get frustrated by having to wait in line to get down to their boats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emphasis on Employee Training<\/strong>
\nWhile upgrading and improving the facility is an essential part of the business model at Northshore Marina, having a reliable, well-trained, and attentive staff is equally important.<\/p>\n

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Northshore Marina donated $30,000 to Folds of Honor following a fundraiser at the facility in 2021.<\/p><\/div>\n

Each team member hired at the marina participates in MY MARINA, an internally developed training program focused on customer service.
\nThe program highlights the importance of creating positive relationships with each customer and then focuses on the fundamental training needed to work at the marina. Rachel Gauspohl, a team member at VIP Marina, another VIP Marinas facility on Lake Travis in nearby Leander, Texas, created the MY MARINA program. The program is company-wide and then tailored to fit each marina. \u201cThe theory is that all of our employees, whether they have been employed with us for 12 weeks or 12 years, know everything about the facility, our philosophy, and our vision,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cService starts the moment a boater pulls up or arrives at a slip. It could be a staff member pumping gas or catching the line. The front of the line person truly makes or breaks that first experience for a boater.\u201d<\/p>\n

The training program also gives management the opportunity to speak to their seasonal employees about future careers in the marine industry. Jacunski makes sure her staff understands that a marina career is an option. \u201cWe realize that they might want to go to college, but we encourage them to come back and see us. We might have a position that could lead to a future here,\u201d she said.
\nFelecia Ongley, chief operating officer of VIP Marinas, pointed to Jacunski as a prime example of why a career in the marine industry is a viable option.<\/p>\n

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The expanded ship\u2019s store has become an important profit center for Northshore Marina.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Jacunski started out as a dockhand at VIP Marina when she was 19 years old. A few years ago, she transferred to Northshore to start training with Neel, who had plans to retire. \u201cCharlotte was a standout immediately. She has been Billy\u2019s right hand for the last few years and took over as general manager in October,\u201d Ongley said. \u201cShe has gained the respect of her peers, she can handle any crisis, and by being mentored by Billy, she will take Northshore to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Sense of Community<\/strong>
\nThe entire team at Northshore Marina takes customer service to heart when it comes to developing relationships with their members and the surrounding community. \u201cBilly started this marina with zero boats and retired with 100% occupancy and a waiting list of over 100 people,\u201d Jacunski said. \u201cThat sense of community was particularly important to him. He thought of many ways to make members happy. He made sure that boaters with similar personalities were placed in the same section of the marina. Those little things helped to build Northshore into what it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The marina organizes several events throughout the year, including a Start of Summer party where they have live music and food on their amenity deck. Although the pandemic forced Jacunski to cancel most group events, over the years the marina has hosted cardboard boat races, salsa competitions, chili cook offs, and Fourth of July fireworks viewing parties. \u201cCharlotte and the whole staff do a tremendous job bringing everyone together. It has become such a close-knit community that even our members use our social media page to post their events,\u201d said Jenny Cameron, Austin Cameron\u2019s wife and co-owner of VIP Marinas.<\/p>\n

Since 2018, Northshore has incorporated fundraising initiatives into a few of their events. The marina and staff supports local organizations in the community, as well as Mission of Hope, which provides relief for Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and Folds of Honor, a national nonprofit foundation that provides the families of fallen and disabled service members educational scholarships. Earlier this year, Jacunski organized an online silent auction where members were able to bid on donated items including boat cleanings, a weekend getaway at a nearby condo, and parking spaces at the marina. \u201cWe ended up raising $15,000, which the marina matched,\u201d Jacunski said. \u201cOur fundraising events tend to be our members\u2019 favorite events. Everyone enjoys being involved in a great cause. And to be able to donate $30,000 was a huge achievement for everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conquering Challenges<\/strong>
\nOperating the marina does present a few challenges, with the biggest obstacle being the fluctuating water levels. Lake Travis plays a vital role for the city of Austin and the surrounding communities. The lake is dammed on both sides and the water is used for irrigating farmland in south Texas. It also supplies drinking water for the city of Austin, as well as Cedar Park and Leander. This demand leads to wildly fluctuating water levels, sometimes as much as 65 feet. The historical minimum to maximum water height change for the lake is 100 feet. In 2018, the marina dealt with a 20-foot increase in a 24-hour period. Jacunski credits Northshore\u2019s maintenance team, led by Nick Clifton, for protecting the marina from these dramatic changes. \u201cWe have floating docks with a Chapman anchor cable system. The maintenance team manages the 250 anchor points, and they hand crank all of them when needed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Since 2017, the maintenance team has had to combat the potentially damaging effects of zebra mussels. These invasive freshwater mussels are originally native to lakes in Russia and Ukraine but have been accidentally introduced to countries around the world. The fingernail-sized mollusks filter out algae that native species need for food, and they attach to utilities and other surfaces underwater. The maintenance crew is consistently in the water, wiping off the underwater electrical and gas lines to eliminate the extra weight caused by the mussels. \u201cIt has become a profit center for our diver because he will scrape the bottoms of tenants\u2019 boats and boat lifts,\u201d Jacunski said. \u201cWe are also selling a lot more boat lifts than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/strong>
\nIt is those unexpected things, such as the added maintenance that is now required to deal with the zebra mussels, that the Northshore crew constantly prepares to tackle. Cameron credits the success of the marina to the entire staff\u2019s camaraderie and teamwork mentality. \u201cWe are positioning ourselves to weather the next storm,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cThe marina business is booming, something we did not expect the pandemic to produce. We are seeing a much more diverse group of new boaters coming in, which is great for the marina industry. And it is our job to welcome those people, so they continue to return to the water for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As boaters arrive at\u00a0Northshore Marina\u00a0on Lake Travis in Jonestown, Texas, a massive 12-foot-tall steel statue greets them as they make their way to their slips. The abstract piece depicting a boat rooster tail, was the brainchild of recently retired Northshore Marina general manager Billy Neel. Neel envisioned the artwork as the centerpiece of the marina, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255799"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255799\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vipmarinas.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}