Englund Marine anchors the Port’s industrial area
nglund Marine was founded in Astoria by
Axel Englund in 1944, at the foot of 15th St.
over the water in a 50-by-50-foot building.
He had three employees and was up
against three other marine chandlers in the
city. From this modest location he outlived
all his competitors and served the needs of
mariners in the Columbia Pacific region for more than 60
years. In 2006, this family-owned business finally moved into
a new 40,000 square foot modern retail building with ample
space to display most of its huge inventory of nautical gear,
tools and all-weather clothing.
The current location opposite the Port of Astoria's boat
yard also gave the company a highly visible presence in the
port district. Despite the modernized and sophisticated
environment of the new building, the staff yet retain the
“hometown” atmosphere that barely hints at Englund
Marine's growth over the last 50 years. Today, Kurt Englund,
the third generation of the family, is president of a company
comprised of eight retail stores and three distribution
centers--developed by his father (Axel's son) Jon Englund.
The branches extend up and down the west coast from
Westport, WA to Eureka, CA and are supported by three
wholesale operations based in Portland, Phoenix, AZ and
Missoula, MT. The Portland facility became the central
warehouse for all of Englund’s retail stores and in addition to
controlling costs, gives them control of the supply chain from
manufacturer to customer. In 2002 they acquired Fisher
Brothers, a 100-year-old supply house and landmark in
downtown Astoria, allowing Englund to expand their
inventory to include industrial tools and products.
“The crab season is still our busiest time for commercial
fishing gear, and those fishermen will probably come to one
of our stores to check everything out before they buy it,” Kurt
explained recently, “but we also need a professional web site
for company branding and selling specialty items that are
unique or hard to find”. He re-designed the site last summer
and fine-tuned it during the fall, with separate pages for
boating, sports, commercial supplies, rigging and hydraulic
workshops, and the life raft certification center.
E
Kurt now reckons that anyone can quickly and easily find
what they want online. “If it isn't in stock, our warehouses can
generally get it to us within a week,” he added. With the
recent acquisition of the former Columbia Pacific Marine
Works just a few yards from the back of their Astoria building,
they now have another 10,000 square feet of space to stock
bulk items like fishnet and drums of rope.
Jon Englund, who is nearly 80 years old, has continued in
the role of CEO and still spends several hours in the store
almost every day, keeping a watchful eye over the company
he built. He likes to stay informed about new developments,
like software-based book-keeping, invoicing and inventory
control. His eldest son Jay joined the business full time in
1986 and manages the raft shop in Warrenton. Kurt joined in
1991 and manages the Astoria location, while two cousins
manage the locations in Newport and Coos Bay.
Englund Marine now employs about 125 people, many of
whom have been with them for 20 years or more. “They are
the foundation of our success, and we value their service and
loyalty,” Kurt stated. Back in the 80's, Jon organized the first
weekend gathering for all the employees. Everyone involved
felt It was a great success," he recalled, ”so we decided to
make it happen every five years."
They have to plan well in advance to book rooms for
about 100 people in a local hotel; they also pool their
frequent flyer miles to help bring in all the staff from Phoenix
and Missoula. The rest arrive by road. "We close all 11 outlets
for a day or two in January and the entire company gets
together. It's great to meet in person, discuss the business,
and relax together. This has become a real tradition that I'm
proud to continue,” Kurt concluded.
For the future, Kurt sees the commercial fishing fleet as
“the backbone of our business” and hopes that a fourth
generation of Englunds will join the workforce in due course
and learn the ropes. He feels there will always be a demand
for quality goods sold by knowledgeable staff and is
confident that the company will be able to steer a course to
meet the challenges that might lay ahead, from new
technology, changing tastes in recreation, or the politics of
fishing.
PORT OF ASTORIA
2018CRUISE SHIP SCHEDULE
Arrival
Vessel
ETA
ETD
Passengers
Sept. 4
Celebrity Infinity
10:30
19:00
2170
Sept. 11
Disney Wonder
10:00
18:00
2500
Sept. 12
Silver Explorer
10:00
16:00
130
Sept. 14
Coral Princess
8:00
19:00
3000
Sept. 15
Celebrity Solstice
10:00
18:00
2850
Sept. 20
Island Princess
11:00
20:00
3000
Sept. 20
SS Mariner
10:00
19:00
700
Sept. 22
Explorer of the Seas
9:00
18:00
3114
Sept. 23
Ruby Princess
10:00
18:00
3080
Sept. 24
Oceania Regatta
9:00
15:00
684
Sept. 25
Grand Princess
7:00
16:00
2600
Sept. 26
Amsterdam
12:00
20:00
1970
Sept. 29
Explorer of the Seas
9:00
18:00
3114
Oct. 3
Norwegian Pearl
8:00
17:00
700
Oct. 6
Oceania Regatta
9:00
18:00
594
Oct. 9
Grand Princess
7:00
16:00
2600
Oct. 18
Eurodam
12:00
20:00
2104
Oct. 20
Emerald Princess
11:00
20:00
3080
* Schedules are subject to changes and updated as needed.
Go to www.portofastoria.com for latest updated schedule