Fort Myers contractor goes global with marina storage niche technology

When Gulf Star Marina in Fort Myers Beach was completed in late 2020, it became much more than just a place to store boats. It also earned the distinction of being the first marina in the world to use the new ASAR automated storage solution developed by Fort Myers–based GCM Contracting Solutions in conjunction with Austria-based LTW Intralogistics.

The hydraulic, electric-powered, automated storage and retrieval system replaces the traditional forklift or crane method of storing and retrieving boats, for a faster and more efficient process. LTW Intralogistics, which already had an automated system for moving pallets, is the manufacturer of the machinery, and GCM co-developed how to apply it to the marine industry. ASAR was set up as its own company under the GCM umbrella.

The project cost between $10 and $20 million. 

Six years on, CGM is finding that, even at the high price, there are growth opportunities in this niche. GCM is currently in the permitting process for a second Southwest Florida smart marina in the Isles of Capri. Another marina project is already in permitting in Corpus Christi, Texas, and GCM is close to signing a design contract for a smart marina in Newport Beach, California.

GCM also recently launched another company, Marina Partners, that focuses just on high-performance marina development and operations. 

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“The launch of Marina Partners is about taking what we’ve already proven in the field and scaling it,” says Robert Brown, founder and CEO of GCM Contracting Solutions and ASAR. “With Gulf Star Marina, we demonstrated how automation and integrated delivery can transform marina operations. Now, we’re applying that same model to help the industry meet growing demand with smarter, more efficient infrastructure.”

The ASAR automated storage solution is also being incorporated into the upcoming 5th Avenue Car Club auto condominiums project in Naples. Additional auto storage projects in the U.S. and Middle East are highly likely.

GCM has a long history in marina construction that began with the Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club Dry Storage Facility and Boat House in Naples. That was the first solid concrete tilt-wall boat storage facility of its kind in the world, and that method of constructing marinas makes use of a system like ASAR possible.

“It takes a lot of structural integrity to move 47-foot boats side by side and up and down a lane at 60 feet in the air,” says Brown. “That’s where our expertise married up with LTW’s expertise.”

The ASAR automated storage system can safely store boats two or three deep on one level and can even store the heaviest vessels on the top rack with a ceiling height of up to 65 feet. That increases a marina’s rentable cubic space by 30% to 50% without needing to increase the facility’s footprint.

It also requires a much smaller turning radius than a traditional forklift, dramatically decreasing the size of the drive aisle needed. With a forklift, the marina’s drive aisle needs to be about 1.6 times the length of the biggest boat. With ASAR, it only needs to be two feet larger than the biggest boat.

“All that wasted empty space turns into rentable or sellable space for the developer and project owner,” says Brown, 62. “In certain conditions, we’re able to put away more than three times the amount of boats in the same building footprint. So with the constraints on available waterfront properties, that’s a huge advantage for the project owner and developer.”

And Brown points out that when a marina is solid concrete as opposed to steel, it has a superior fire rating that makes amenities like rooftop restaurants, bars, pools and even condos a possibility. “So we bring a huge advantage for upside potential to waterfront properties,” he says.

LTW already works with Ikea, and Brown also sees further applications for the ASAR system in manufacturing and distribution facilities. “Believe it or not, we’re in discussions with someone in the fruit business to automate their shipping pallets,” he says.

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Incorporating the ASAR technology does come with upfront costs. “If you want more, you’re going to get more, but you’re going to pay more,” says Brown. But the return on investment is typically at least double over a traditional marina, he says.

Careful analysis on the front end — often led by Brown’s sons, Max and David — helps determine if ASAR is a good fit for a project. “Our ASAR system does really well with expensive land and high rent rates,” says Brown. “It is not so helpful with cheap land and low rent rates. In that case, we have other systems that we can employ. Our ASAR product is a premium product that, like everything in life, has a place.”

Being able to assess that fairly quickly benefits everyone. “We like to find out if the project can make money for the client or not very early on,” says Brown. “There’s no sense in wasting the customer’s time or our time.”

Developers and land owners often hear about the ASAR system and reach out about it. But it doesn’t work if the project’s land size is too small or if a project doesn’t have enough height. “It has to get to a certain size and have enough rental income potential to pay for the land and the system and the building, or the deal doesn’t work,” says Brown.

And when it doesn’t work, GCM and ASAR don’t hesitate to say so. “Our motto for our customers is their success is our success,” says Brown. “So we don’t want to walk them into a losing proposition, because it’s not good for them or for the industry to have a failed project either mechanically or financially.”