Gaining Ground in Traverse City

Gaining Ground

in Traverse City

By Kate Conlon

To say that 2020 was an exciting year would nearly be the understatement of the century, but amidst the chaos and reopening directly in the middle of launching season, early last summer we closed on the acquisition of the former Traverse Bay Marine in Traverse City and began the process of onboarding staff, customers, and vendors. We happily welcomed the fantastic existing staff into the Walstrom fold, including a certified master Yamaha technician. General Manager, Joel Shoemaker, spent the summer working out of the new office to get a lay of the land and familiarize everyone with the Walstrom systems. Service Director, David Lesh, also spent time working at the new office having gained the most staff in the transaction and bringing a new parts manager onboard to join the team.

The addition of service and storage capabilities to our already present sales department has been a transition we have been looking forward to making for a long time. When Traverse Bay Marine, an established business with over 40 years of service, became available we knew the fit was perfect. Though there have been the anticipated bumps of transitioning any established business, we know that bringing the level of excellence in boating we require from all of the Walstrom staff to the Traverse area was something that would be beneficial to customers new and old. With the addition of Crest Pontoons and Lund Boats to our already impressive list of Pursuit, Tiara, Chris Craft, and Sea Ray we have a boat for everyone and three expert service departments to keep you safely on the water no matter where you might be boating in Northern Michigan.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our presence in the Traverse City area boating community and excited to offer our unparalleled level of service to more boaters on both the Great Lakes and many surrounding inland lakes. Traverse Bay Marine proudly served the boaters of Traverse City for 40 years, and with the passing of the torch to Walstrom Marine we look forward to elevating the customer experience even more. It’s been a great success thus far and we look forward to many more years of service in the Traverse City area.” Tom Ervin, President.

We are open 24-hours a day online at walstrom.com and available by phone at (231) 426-2141. Stop in and see us at our new Traverse City location at 228 US-31 South. We look forward to serving you soon.

CHUCK NEW Boat Sales

Chuck has worked in the marine industry for 18 years. He has worked in all facets of the business and the experience has moved him from Ohio to the Chicago harbors and, most recently, to Traverse City, where Chuck has been a great asset as we grow our new location.

JASON SHAMEL Service Technician

Jason is our Master Yamaha technician, beginning his marine career in 2000 before coming to the Traverse City location in 2014. He also holds certifications in Honda and Suzuski and has begun training in Volvo. Jason is from Houghton Lake where he still resides with his wife and three children.

KRISTI MORAWSKI Boat Detailer

Kristi has been with Traverse Bay Marine for the last five years and originally hails from Sterling Heights, MI. She is a perfectionist and is in charge of detailing vessels as well as the showroom. Kristi enjoys spending time in the woods and on the water and is an avid jet skier.

MATT MARCOUX Service Manager

Matt is the Service Manager at our Traverse City location and has worked in the marine industry for over almost 20 years, spending the last six at Traverse Bay Marine. He was born and raised in Saginaw, MI and is the youngest of six children. Matt grew up playing sports and still plays in a competitive men’s hockey league today. He looks forward to growing customer relationships and sharing his passion for boating as a member of the Walstrom team.

MATT TARSNEY Parts Manager

Matt (Tars) Tarsney is the Parts Manager in TC. He has been with Walstrom since July of 2020, joining our team directly following the acquisition. He comes to Walstrom with 10 years of experience in the marine and powersports industry. He was born and raised in the Traverse City area where he returned after living in the Upper Peninsula for over 10 years. He is an avid snowmobiler, maintaining a collection of vintage snowmobiles. He enjoys cruising the lakes around Traverse City with his children and is excited to grow in his position with Walstorm.

MITCHELL BEAR Service Technician

Mitch is a resident of Houghton Lake where his lives with his wife and new daughter. He is an Air Force Veteran and served our country for four years. Before joining the Walstrom team, Mitch worked on several different parts of the assembly line at Four Winns. He has extensive knowledge of boats both inside and out. When he is not at work he enjoys spending time with his family, bird hunting, and fishing.

SANDY FRYE Boat Sales

A native of Harbor Springs, Sandy has spent a lot of time with family boating on Little Traverse Bay as well as the area’s many inland lakes. After graduating from Hope College, he moved to Traverse City and worked in public education. Sandy joined the Walstrom team in March 2018 and is excited about the opportunity to help others grow their love of boating.

TOMMY MAYES Service Technician

Tommy Mayes is the Walstrom Marine TC rigging specialist with 15 years of marine experience, six and a half of which have been with Traverse Bay Marine. He is an outdoor enthusiast who loves jet skiing in particular. Tommy is extremely passionate about his job and looks forward to continuing his marine certifications and education as a member of the Walstrom Marine team.

TRAVIS BECKETT Service Technician

Travis has been with Traverse Bay Marine for 23 years and holds Master certifications in SeaDoo, SkiDoo, and Can-Am. He is from Traverse City where he still lives with his wife and six children. They love exploring the outdoors together as a family.

JOE CURTIS, JR. Yard Crew

Born and raised in Traverse City, Joe has been in the boating industry for the last 6 years bringing his love for the water to the job. He is the smiling face you will likely see dropping off your boat in the spring, one of the big components of his position with Walstrom Marine. He is currently studying Freshwater Science at Northwestern Michigan College.

ERROLL BECKETT Service and Parts Advisor

Erroll has been at Traverse Bay Marine for 32 years. In that time, he has held almost every position at the company, from Service and Parts Manager to Sales. Originally from Petoskey, he loves the Northern Michigan area and is an avid outdoorsman. He now can be found in the yard and office assisting where needed with a smile on his face. Aside from the business of the office he is occupied by his three children and nine grandchildren, six of who live in the area.