Founded in 1981 by Doug Traina, T.E.I. Industries began with the purchase of Park Marina on Lake Allatoona in Cartersville, Georgia.  A talented Engineer by trade, Doug began designing and manufacturing docks on-site at the marina, allowing highly efficient and cost effective facility expansion. Park Marina prospered quickly at an average rate of 24% throughout the 1980’s through slip leasing and a small boat rental operation.

As the 1980’s came to an end, Doug, with long time friend, David Barrett, began a partnership and purchased two additional marinas on Lake Allatoona: First, Victoria Harbor, followed shortly by the purchase of Harbor Town in 1990. Implementing the same winning philosophy, the team began on-site dock construction on both marinas, resulting in a combined storage of over 1,000 boats. Today, the two additional marinas, both corporations in their own right, thrive under the T.E.I. umbrella.

 

The next Lake Allatoona acquisition came in 1994 with the purchase of Wilderness Camp, which added another 284 lease customers to the already growing T.E.I. portfolio.  To date, T.E.I. occupies four of the eight marinas (over 2,100 leases) housed on Lake Allatoona.

Having a modest fleet of rental boats at Park Marina since 1984, the decision to expand this logical area of the business was fruitful. In 1995, T.E.I. aggressively targeted and amplified the rental operation at Park Marina by taking on new boat sales, allowing the rental fleet to be purchased at dealer cost. Consequently, since 1995, the original 7-boat fleet has increased 10 fold to over 70 currently on Lake Allatoona. With the addition of the Port Royale marina on Lake Lanier, the T.E.I. rental fleet in Georgia consists of over 120 boats and personal water craft.

 

Nineteen-ninety five brought a new entity to T.E.I. by way of outdoor advertising. Outdoor Media Group was formed to complement all facets of the business: new boat sales, marinas and boat rentals. Beginning with only 5 structures, OMG expanded quickly to 35 structures with 70 lease-able faces by 1999. 

 

OMG and T.E.I. then began executing the sale of these assets to national outdoor advertising companies but chose to retain all land sites and ground leases. OMG continues with this profitable strategy today.

 

The decision to expand in the retail boat sales arena, outside the marina itself, came in 1998 with the building of Park Marine Boating Center in Kennesaw, Georgia, which also houses T.E.I. and OMG headquarters.  In March of 2000, Park Marine Boating Centers launched its 3rd retail showroom purchasing Boating Center of Gainesville, located in close proximity to Lake Lanier, Georgia. As retail sales continued to grow, in May, 2001 Rocket Marine in Marietta, Georgia was added. Later that year, Brown’s Bridge Marine in Gainesville was acquired as the Park Marine Boating Center group continued to expand.

 

In August, 2001, the Fourwinds Resort & Marina on Lake Monroe in Bloomington, Indiana, joined the family. The multi-million dollar investment included not only the largest marina in the Midwest, but a 123-room hotel and conference center, 795 marina slips, currently expanded to over 900 plus over 50 boats in rental as well as an active growth plan in place. The property also included boat sales and service, a restaurant and lounge. Capital investments exceeding $6MM have been completed and expansion plans continue for the property.

The largest and most recent T.E.I. acquisition took place in September, 2006 with the purchase of Lan Mar Marina on Lake Lanier, Georgia. The purchase of this property brought 583 wet slips, 464 dry slips, a service center, gas island, 30.5 acres of residential land and 8.3 acres of commercial land for future development. The purchase also increased T.E.I. slippage by over 1,000, and added an additional boat sales location to the mix, and a new rental fleet put into operation in Spring, 2007.  T.E.I. has assumed the existing lease for 24 years with the option to extend for an additional 25. Master growth plans include an additional 578 docks, a hotel (125 rooms), 53 cottages and a conference center.

T.E.I. continues to grow and seek out new opportunities. Currently, T.E.I. and its sister companies enjoy over 4,000 slips and contractual customers with potential growth to 7,000. Company revenues birthed in 1981 totaled $100,000. By the end of 2007, expected revenues will exceed $33MM.

 

T.E.I.’s strong commitment to improving its operations, planned strategies of growth and its opportunities continues to improve the financial stability and performance of the company now and for years to come.

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