Jabbour family sells Tonka Bay Marina

The Jabbours have owned Tonka Bay Marina for 32 years. Gabriel Jabbour is a former mayor of Orono.

“We are excited to announce Jay and Randy as the new owners of Tonka Marina, although it is also a bittersweet moment,” Gabriel Jabbour said. “After so many years together at Tonka Bay, our customers and employees have become like family to us.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it was announced that the Jabbours will be staying on through a transition period for a smooth handover of the operation, which includes a service department and boat storage facilities. No major changes are planned for the business in the short term. The current staff also will remain in place and support the sale and are positive about the future under new management.

As part of the transition, the former and new owners announced Glenn Bowman as marina manager. Bowman is a veteran marina operator with 14 years managing Afton Marina.

Gigi Jabbour said that they had received several unsolicited offers to sell the marina location over the years, but never acted on them.

“With Jay and Randy and now Glenn in place, we feel confident that they will allow the marina to seamlessly continue services for the lake community as a family-owned, full-service marina and boatyard for years to come,” Gigi Jaggour said.

The Jabbours aren’t going anywhere and will remain in the marina business as they will continue to own and operate three other marinas on Lake Minnetonka - Shorewood Marina, Excelsior Bay Slips and St. Alban’s Bay Slip - although they will be operated under a new name, Minnetonka Marina. Minnetonka Marina will office out of the Shorewood clubhouse at 23500 Smithtown Road Shorewood.

A personal letter announcing the ownership sale and service issues went out to Tonka Bay Marina customers recently, with note from Gabriel and Gigi: “Whether you’ve been with us for 32 years or for a shorter time, we can’t thank you enough for your patronage. As we enjoy this opportunity for additional time with our loved ones, we hope to see you on the lake.”