Shoreline Contractors, Inc. was originally founded as a search/salvage and diving company. Owners Bud Edwards and Tom Murowsky were members of the Aqua Amigos Scuba Club and, with two other guys, began to look for old shipwrecks. With the aid of a 16 foot and an 18 foot boat, they found some wrecks and recovered some bells, whistles, china, and other items, but not enough to really pay the bills. By a combination of being in the right place at the right time coupled with Lake Erie's unpredictable weather, the company was able to leverage a chance occurrence in 1979 into their growth as Northeast Ohio's premier full-service maritime contractor. We visited the offices of Shoreline Contractors, Inc. recently and listened as Bud described that incident and the services they now offer;
In 1979 we were working part-time and managing to pay our dockage at Edgewater Marina where we had our salvage boat, when two sewage treatment tanks washed off a barge in Lake Erie during severe weather as they were being transported to the regional sewer district in Cleveland. These huge, steel tanks were 20 feet in diameter, 35 feet high, and weighed approximately 68 tons. We made some calls, were awarded the job of finding and salvaging them, and after searching around the clock for two weeks, located them resting in 70 feet of water. The tanks had sunk when some of the covers had come off, so we rented an air compressor, patched the holes, and pumped the tanks full of air. They popped to the surface and we dragged them ashore. With the proceeds from that project, we bought our first barge and tug, and in 1980 went into the business full time.
As we spoke with our insurance and bonding company, they pointed out that as we really didn't have experience, we wouldn't be able to get a bond for any construction job. They suggested that maybe we should concentrate on building breakwaters for people, so we started doing erosion control and building breakwaters which have grown into becoming the major thrust of our work.
Shoreline Contractors, Inc. works for marinas, yacht clubs, new developments, and performs erosion control for private individuals. Almost all of our work is performed for the private sector. We do welding, pile-driving, and any type of shoreline construction that utilizes barges, tugboats, cranes, and excavators. We built Battery Park Marina in Sandusky, the Sandusky Yacht Club, Cedar Point Marina, and we're presently installing the new floating docks at Bay Point.
We build offshore breakwaters and groins to build beaches and provide erosion control with large rock. Even for the homeowners, we utilize the same design used by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Ohio. We use only large limestone rock which we source through an exclusive arrangement with Hanson Aggregates in Sandusky. We load and sell all the big rock out of quarry and, as we buy it wholesale, we also sell it wholesale. We realize the value of a dollar and we know our customers' funds are not unlimited. We work for real people who are enhancing their properties, primarily through erosion control, beach building, and lake access, and we strive to find economical ways to complete their projects while maintaining our traditional high standards. Every time we provide people with Armor stone, they receive the actual weight ticket from the trucks so they know they're paying for exactly the amount of stone they receive.
Shoreline Contractors, Inc. has been around for twenty-five years now because we give everybody a fair shake. We're absolutely committed to quality and every job we do is a showcase. Most of our staff has been with us for at least fifteen years and they're very dedicated professionals. We can assist you through the maze of paperwork and permits required by the state and federal governments, and, if you wish, your project can be performed turn-key, from concept through completion including engineering and permits.
The most expensive system you can install is the one that fails. Do it right the first time by calling Shoreline Contractors, Inc. today and telling them that The Advocate sent you!
