Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X X I I I A good day, says Front Street Shipyard President JB Turner, is when he's working on "some kind of fun project with a good group of people. Everything goes well, there are no stumbling blocks and the employees are not unhappy." By that defi nition, Turner's days as the managing partner of the six-acre shipyard on Belfast's water- front have been decidedly "good." In just six years, Front Street Shipyard has reached $14 million in yearly revenues and created 100 jobs. It's transformed a once-derelict prop- erty abandoned by Stinson Seafood into a bustling working waterfront that's marketed by the city as a "hidden gem for boaters" sailing in Penobscot Bay. Its marina's 46 slips sell out every year and the shipyard's refi tting and repair capabilities bring in vessels literally from around the world. e busy-ness of the shipyard is evident to anyone strolling along Belfast's $1.5 million Harbor Walk linking the city's Steamboat Landing Park with the Armistice Foot Bridge. Boats of all sizes and in various stages of completion undergo refi t- ting inside several open-bayed buildings. Turner acknowledges that even six years into their shared venture, his ownership partners still express amazement at how busy the shipyard and its marina continue to be. ey include a veritable Maine boatbuilding dream team of Taylor Allen, owner of Rockport Marine Inc.; Steve White, owner of Brooklin Boat Yard; and Kenneth Priest II, former owner of Kenway Corp. and a pioneer in composite boatbuilding. His take on their shared success is a modest "I'm not surprised." "I can believe it," he says. "I had no doubt we'd be here six years later. I knew that if we focused on the highest of standards for service and craftsmanship — at our marina, in storage, refi ts and boat-building — we'd be successful." From Day 1, as Turner and his partners plotted the confi guration of buildings needed at their six- acre Belfast yard, they made sure it would support their four-pronged business plan of production and customized boat-building, refi tting yachts, general dock-and-boat-yard services and special projects related to off shore wind and ocean energy. e P H O T O / T E D A X E L RO D, A X E L RO D P H O T O G R A P H Y. C O M JB Turner President and managing partner Front Street Shipyard, Belfast Belfast's waterfront gem JB Turner helping Front Street Shipyard transform a working waterfront B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y Front Street Shipyard 101 Front St., Belfast President and managing partner: JB Turner Founding partners: Steve White, Taylor Allen, Kenneth Priest II, JB Turner, Lucia Michaud and Jack Rettig Founded: 2011 Investment to date: $15 million, including two travel lifts that are leased Revenues: $14 million Employees: 100 Contact: 207-930-3740 www.frontstreetshipyard.com O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 1 7 30 Our projects tend to be challenging. People like the challenges. They get a chance to be creative. JB Turner, president and general manager of Front Street Shipyard

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