Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Schraedly.
Hi Andrew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
The story of our business starts in 1972 – my dad, Bob Schraedly, and my grandfather, Bob Sr, purchased Clearfork Marina and Campgrounds in Lexington, Ohio. Since then, we have continuously operated marinas for over 50 years throughout the state of Ohio and provided our customers with the best boating products and experiences possible.
I got my start in the boat business as a kid in the 90s and early 2000s, working my way from “primary paper cutter” to “garden maintenance” to “dock boy” and eventually to being our primary boat salesman after graduating from Ohio State in 2009. After 3 years in this role, I made a career change and made the decision to move to Chicago to put my college degree to work and work for a large corporation.
The intervening years had me traveling internationally for work, which the pandemic put an immediate stop to. Stuck behind a desk and feeling increasingly disconnected from the impact my work was making, I began considering a return to our family business. My dad, while not ready for full retirement, was ready for someone else to accept the responsibilities of leading our business.
My professional growth allowed me to take a more strategic view of our business and develop a vision for what it could become, while my experience growing up within that same business gave me a deep understanding of what made it successful at its core.
Since late 2020, I’ve had the pleasure of rediscovering our family business and helping to grow it. I have the privilege of leading a dynamic, passionate team that has modernized and re-invigorated our business. I’m fortunate to draw from the deep knowledge of my dad and our many long-term employees while also bringing a new perspective on how to run our business.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our largest challenge in the past 3 years has been scaling our business in the face of unprecedented demand for boating during the pandemic. The general public flocked to the water, either buying or renting boats in record numbers in 2020 and 2021. Boating and fishing provided a safe, outdoors, and socially-distant activity that could be enjoyed with the entire family.
This increased demand strained our business, which relied on the hard work and dedication of our team to meet an often-overwhelming amount of activity. Our new boat deliveries spiked, our rentals were sold out, and we scrambled to keep pace.
In the face of these obstacles, we made a significant effort to streamline our processes and reduce our reliance on manual processes. We converted our rental reservation process from a three-ring binder and phone calls to a website-based booking that allowed our customers to book online 24/7.
We modernized our accounting practices to reduce manual errors and increase visibility to key metrics.
We shifted our marketing strategy away from traditional advertising and focused on digital marketing, increased our use of videos, and adopted a text messaging platform to make it easier for our customers to connect with us.
As the pandemic has receded, our challenge becomes retaining public interest in boating – there are seemingly more ways than ever to spend money on family entertainment, whether it be trips, concerts, or sporting events. We believe that time spent on the water is the best way to genuinely connect with family and friends – away from life’s distractions and day-to-day stresses.
Every single team member we have at our company works hard to make sure our customers have access to the water. From our service teams making sure boats and motors are in tip-top shape to our dock crew helping customers rent boats to our office staff that keeps everything glued together and running smoothly, we have a singular focus on making sure that boating is fun, carefree, and enjoyable.
We are proud to be named a Top 100 Dealer in North America by Boating Industry for 2020, 2021, and 2022, and have gone through an extensive accreditation process to be named a 5-Star Certified Dealership.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Schraedly Marine Inc has been family-owned and family-operated for over 50 years, owning marina and boat sales locations throughout Ohio. Our business is focused on providing access to the great inland waterways of Ohio, whether that be through boat sales, service, docking, boat rental, parts sales, storage, and even boat building and renovation.
Our family-operated philosophy family extends from our ownership all the way through the company, employing fathers, mothers, daughters, and brothers to create a true family atmosphere. We are lucky to have several employees who have worked with our company for over 30 years, providing our customers with unparalleled experience.
The boat manufacturers whose products we offer for sales and rentals, Smokercraft and Qwest, are both family-owned and operated, rather than many corporately owned competitors, and embody the values we seek.
We pride ourselves on providing personalized customer service in a friendly and welcoming environment. We aren’t a “boat warehouse” where you are a number, not a name. When you buy a boat from us, we are there after the sale to answer questions and provide support.
We currently operate four different marinas in Ohio. Our flagship remains Charles Mill Marina in Mansfield, Ohio, which is open year-round, offers boat sales, docking, boat rentals, service, parts, storage, and a marina store. Pleasant Hill Marina, located in Perrysville, OH, is a seasonal location that offers docking, boat rentals, parts, and storage. Pymatuning Boat Rentals, located in Andover, Ohio, and Mosquito Lake Marina & Boat Rentals, located in Cortland, Ohio, are our two newest locations, offering boat rentals, docking, bait sales, and a marina store.
We also have a boat building and renovation business, Mid-Ohio Boat Builders, that build our Pleasure Isle line of pontoon boats and will refurbish older boats.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
My personality now is quite different from my early days – I was a quiet, reserved second child with a deep reserve of patience. I definitely did not exude “Type A Personality” energy and enjoyed exploring the woods around our house just as much as playing on youth sports teams. I ran cross country and track in high school and enjoyed swimming and skiing as well.
I have nurtured a lifelong pursuit of adventure, traveling throughout the world and even living abroad in Dublin, Ireland for 6 months.
I’m a passionate sports fan, growing up rooting for the Buckeyes, the Cavs, and the Indians/Guardians. Some of the best moments of my life (outside of my wedding and birth of my son) are witnessing Ohio State win national championships in 2002 and 2014, along with being in Cleveland the night the Cavs won the 2016 NBA Championship.
I now have a 21-month-old son who keeps my wife and I very busy and entertained. I’ve enjoyed introducing him to many of my interests and helping him discover his own (mostly trucks, balls, and birds at this point!).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CharlesMillMarina.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charles_mill_marina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlesMillMarina
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@charlesmillmarina1
