Harbor Page: Harbor Mistress Leslie Page

Redondo Beach Marina property manager Leslie Page and Gabby at the marina’s boat hoist. Photo by Harry Munns

Business owners often say there’s nothing more valuable than loyal, reliable employees. So when Mar Venture, Inc. sold the Redondo Beach Marina’s (RBM) leasehold to Decron Corp. in 2008, the transaction documents should have listed Leslie Page far above the standard restaurant sub-leases and golf carts normally catalogued as assets in that kind of real estate deal.

“I was lucky. They asked me to stay on after Decron bought the marina,” said 20-year RBM property manager Page. Ask any of her legions of friends and supporters in and around the marina and they’ll tell you it was the other way around.

When you get past the basics of boats and proximity to the water, marinas have less in common than meets the eye. The four marinas in King Harbor are a prime example. King Harbor Marina has a boat yard. Portofino has a hotel. Port Royal has only boat slips and a yacht club. RB Marina operates a boat hoist and six restaurants. The list goes on.

In the real estate world, these unique characteristics make acquisition and management of boat-related properties more of a challenge than buying and running apartment buildings and office complexes. Page sees that as one of the most difficult things to explain to people who aren’t familiar with the concept. “Sometimes it’s hard to make people understand that this is not just a piece of property. It’s a living, breathing entity. I know that sounds funny but I think it has its own personality,” she said.

Lots of people say they like a job that’s different every day, but Page’s job might test the limits of that kind of diversity.

“We had the lobster festival this weekend. I’m also director of community services for the Chamber of Commerce, which put on the festival. After that Monday night I get call from the harbor patrol saying we have a tsunami watch,” she said.

Of course, there’s the everyday business of accounts receivable and payable, backed up plumbing and trying to keep the businesses that pay rent from going broke.

“In a down economy it’s hard to keep the businesses on the property open,” she said.
On a bright, sunny weekday in September, the situation was illustrated by the expansive parking lot that borders Harbor Drive.

“You could fire a cannon through here without hitting a car,” she said.

For all its mundane, labor-intensive chores, Page’s job also gives her the opportunity to bump up against the glitter and glamour of Hollywood, if only occasionally.

“I negotiated yesterday to have “Bones” (the TV show) come in and use this as their base camp,” she said.
You’ll also see her on TV broadcasts of City Commission and City Council meetings. Most recently, she campaigned vigorously against the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative that threatens to close Rocky Point to all fishing.

What prepared Page for all of this? She was an independent financial consultant and a proposal and pricing manager at Hughes Aircraft.

“My most fun job before this was as a restaurateur and disk jockey in Steamboat Springs, Colo. What could be more fun than skiing all day and playing music all night?” Page said.

While it might be hard to figure out exactly how her previous life brought her to marina management, Page is clear about the parts of her personality that make her a match for her job.

“I’m honest, sometimes to a fault, I’m a tomboy. I’m passionate about what I do. I’m tough. There isn’t a job on this property that I’d ask anyone to do that I wouldn’t do myself, from picking up trash to launching a boat. They probably do it better, but I’m willing to get right in there and do it with them.” She said.
That kind of dedication pays dividends in employee loyalty. Just ask senior hoist operator Ron “Wolfie” Jensen. “Leslie treats us like we’re her own kids,” he said.

With a brace on her knee from a fall during set-up for the Lobster Festival, Page paces the Decron property trying to find a solution to her next big problem.

“We have a 125-foot and a 145-foot tall ship coming in (Oct. 14-30) and we don’t have a lot of dock space. We have to figure out how to get people on and off these things all weekend,” she said.

Nearly everything Leslie Page does at the Redondo Beach Marina revolves around recreation and entertainment, whether it’s on boats, in restaurants or simply providing a place for sightseeing.

“I want everyone in the world to enjoy my home and front yard just like I do. I’ll share it with the planet,” she said.
Comment on this or any other King Harbor topic at www.kingharborboater.com click on the “blog” link.

Comments:

comments so far. Comments posted to EasyReaderNews.com may be reprinted in the Easy Reader print edition, which is published each Thursday.