Port Charlotte boat dealer to acquire Longboat Key marina

A boat dealer headquartered in Port Charlotte has entered into an agreement to acquire a marina on Longboat Key. Closing for the acquisition is “imminent,” Ingman Marine says in a Sept. 24 statement about its plan to buy Cannons Marina. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Cannons Marina, a family-owned business on Gulf of Mexico Drive since 1955, serves as a boat and yacht brokerage and preowned powerboat dealer plus offers boat maintenance and a boat rental program. It has represented the Grady-White fiberglass boat brand for nearly five decades, according to a statement.

“Our hallmark foundation is that we are a highly customer-centric service brand,” Cannons Marina co-owner Lucile Capo-Miller says in a phone interview with the Longboat Observer, sister paper of the Business Observer. “We are known to be approachable and here, and our relationships are more than just a transaction. Our customers are more like family and best friends.”

Staff will remain in place at Cannons Marina, according to Capo-Miller. She and co-owner David Miller, who is her former husband, will be the only employees to leave once the acquisition is complete.

Both Cannons Marina and Ingman Marine are longstanding family businesses. Ingman Marine, which has more than 40 years of experience, operates four other locations selling boats in Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Sarasota and Placida. It has been a Grady-White dealer for more than 15 years, according to its website.

“When legacies merge, customers win,” Ingman Marine CEO Mike Brimer says in a statement. “That means unmatched expertise, trusted service and award-winning partnership with Grady-White — all continuing for generations to come.”

Cannons Marina had offers from publicly traded companies and venture capitalists, according to Capo-Miller, who noted the owners quickly set those aside. They had a personal relationship and "level of trust" with Brimer.

The acquisition of Cannons Marina will represent the entry for Ingman Marine into Manatee County.

S.T. Cardinal of the Longboat Observer contributed to this article.

This article was updated to include comment from Cannons Marina co-owner Lucile Capo Miller.