Anchored in Community
By Emmy Phillips | Executive Assistant
At Walstrom Marine, we’ve spent more than 75 years not just building a business, but nurturing a community rooted in tradition, service, and something deeper: a desire to give back.
From our home harbor in Harbor Springs to our locations in Traverse City, Bay Harbor, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Holland, and Algonac, we’ve seen firsthand how generosity builds something stronger than any seawall. It builds connection. It builds resilience. It builds legacy.
And while our boats may be the first thing people see, our true foundation is, and always has been, the people we serve and the communities we belong to.
Each year, Walstrom Marine quietly supports dozens of organizations, programs, and events across Michigan. From school fundraisers to food pantries, medical foundations to marine education, youth sports to historical preservation, our giving touches every shoreline we call home. But for us, it’s never about the number of donations or the size of a check.
It’s about impact.
It’s about intention.
It’s about showing up where we’re needed most, in the ways that matter most.
In Harbor Springs, where our story began, we’ve helped support the local band boosters, food pantry, youth sports associations, and schools. We invest in the futures of the very children who run barefoot along our docks in summer. We’ve opened our storage buildings to host events like the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society’s Howl at the Moon, transforming a space built for boats into a space filled with music, love, and purpose.
In Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Petoskey, we’ve stood alongside organizations that uplift families, preserve natural beauty, and strengthen community pride. From the Charlevoix Trout Tournament to the Cheboygan Salmon Tournament, from youth clubs to local chamber events and beyond. These aren’t just causes; they are reflections of the people and passions that make these towns whole.
Traverse City and Bay Harbor have their own rhythm, their own needs, and we’ve listened. Whether it’s supporting local medical initiatives or investing in waterfront events that bring people together, our role remains simple: to be part of the solution. To give where giving strengthens the community, even if no one notices but the people it helps.
In Holland, based out of Yacht Basin Marina on Lake Macatawa, we’ve found both joy and purpose supporting events like the VanderLeek Cup Hospice Regatta. This is an event where compassion meets competition in service of something greater. We’ve also partnered with the Holland Police Department, quietly backing those who serve with courage and care.
And on the southern edge of Michigan’s waterways, our team at the historic Algonac Harbour Club continues the proud tradition of supporting the Michigan Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, the Algonac-Clay Township Historical Society, and the Lions Club. These groups keep history alive and service at the center.
What ties it all together isn’t just our name or our footprint. It’s our people.
Across every location, team members are empowered to advocate for the causes closest to their hearts. We trust them to lead with compassion, because they know their communities best. And when they raise a hand and say, “This matters,” we listen.
Because that’s what this has always been about: the people. Yes, we’re in the business of boats. But more than that, we’re in the business of connection. Boats bring people together. Communities keep them coming back. Supporting those communities isn’t a line item, it’s the lifeblood of our company. A quiet, steady current beneath everything we do.
For many families, Walstrom Marine isn’t just a marina—it’s a memory. A tradition. A chapter in their family’s story. It’s the place where kids learn to respect the water, where generations gather to toast the end of another perfect day, where the wheel is passed from grandfather to grandchild with equal parts joy and reverence.
And for us, giving back is just another way we honor that legacy.
We don’t give for attention. We give because we’ve been given something, too. And that is a community that trusts us, supports us, and allows us to do meaningful work in the place we love most.
This is a company built by families, for families. A place where kindness still matters. Where tradition holds weight. Where giving isn’t a campaign, but just simply our way of life.
At Walstrom Marine, we believe our responsibility extends beyond the harbor. And we embrace that responsibility with humility, gratitude, and a deep sense of purpose.
Because in the end, success isn’t measured by the boat you own. It’s measured by the lives you’ve touched, the communities you’ve strengthened, and the legacy you leave behind.
And that legacy, for us, will always be rooted in giving.
