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Aspinwall Marina Gets New Life
Sunday, November 13, 2011
 Instead of providing “parking” for boats, Aspinwall Marina was almost bought by UPMC St. Margaret’s Hospital and torn down to provide parking for the hospital employees. Fortunately, local resident Susan Crookston saw the value of the marina and adjacent property to the community and made it her personal goal to save this local asset.
“When I thought of the idea to buy the Aspinwall Marina, UPMC had an option to turn the property into a 650 car parking lot. I really think that our rivers are a treasure and I wanted to preserve the property to be enjoyed for many generations to come. Fortunately, our whole community pulled together to make that happen,” said Crookston.
“Pulled together” might be an understatement. In less than 10 months she was able to rally the community and drum up corporate support in an effort to raise the $2.2 million asking price by the marina’s past owner, David Kushon. In mid-October, the non-profit organization Friends of the Riverfront took ownership of the marina and property saving it from eminent closure.
Although the marina was saved, this was just the beginning for Crookston, who raised the money on an entirely volunteer basis. She now has the challenge of operating a marina while she continues to raise money to turn the wooded areas of the marina into a community park.
To accomplish her goals of operating the marina, Crookston is calling on several sources for a little help. She and her husband have formed a management company, Allegheny Development Partners to pick up with marina operations where Kushon left off. The company has been hired by Friends of the Riverfront to both operate the marina and develop the park.
“My husband Currie is focused on the marina operations itself. He was a Navy SEAL for 10 years and was responsible for everything from Zodiacs to 82 foot cigarette boats. Maintenance and service support was critical, and he really understands that. Currie is an engineer and majored in Naval Architecture at the Naval Academy as an undergrad. We met while in business school at the University of Virginia where we were both scholarship students. Currie grew up on a ranch repairing Cummins engines and he loves the service part of the business,” added Crookston.
In addition to help from her husband, Crookston also tabbed Howard Baldwin Jr., to operate the boat sales at the marina. Baldwin, the son of the former Pittsburgh Penguin’s owner and a successful entrepreneur in his own right, has a strong back ground in marina operations and yacht sales.
“I love the legacy that the Kushon’s built at Aspinwall Marina,” said Baldwin. “This is such a great location and Pittsburgh is a great boating market.”
Aspinwall Boat Sales is already the Pittsburgh area’s official Rinker boat dealer and they hope to add two more quality boat manufacturers to their line-up. In addition they plan to have a strong presence in the brokerage market. Baldwin hopes to win over boat buyers with special deals and a new approach to customer service.
“We are going to provide incentives such as a $500 gas card with new boat purchases. We are also going to dedicate ourselves 100% to customer service. We are going to make boating more convenient for our customers,” added Baldwin.
To help with operation of the marina and dealership, the Crookstons and Baldwin will also retain Kushon and his staff, including Earl Faust, the former owner of Allegheny Marina.
Now that the major pieces are in place for operating the marina, Crookston has some big plans for the future of the marina.
“We want to build on the Aspinwall Marina’s great reputation for service, and the family atmosphere that the Kushon’s have built here. We plan to have events throughout the year that bring boaters and their families together,” said Crookston. "We hope to expand the options people have to relax and enjoy a meal at the marina."
In addition, their plans for a park on the marina property should add significantly to the boating experience.
 “Aspinwall Marina has always been a great place for families and the park will only enhance that. Boaters will be able to come off the water, sit under a tree and have a picnic, throw the ball around with their kids or walk on the trails we plan for the property. We’re the only marina on the Allegheny that will have a park in its back yard, and we see that as a tremendous asset,” said Crookston. “Also, people don’t realize just how big the property is. I took a boater who had been at the marina for 20 years, and she was really amazed at just how much space there is.”
Because of the unique ownership situation, boaters that patronize the marina will also be helping out their community.
“Boaters who dock with us, get their boats repaired by us, or buy a boat from us will be contributing to help Friends of the Riverfront build the Aspinwall Riverfront Park and create trails from Erie to D.C. Every single dollar that we make goes towards that. When people choose to give us their business, they are helping our community, and improving our riverfront property.”
To learn more about the fundraising efforts and future plans, check out the Aspinwall Riverfront Park website and the Friends of the Riverfront site.
Submitted by:
Staff
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