Craven County, NC – Local and family owned company, Coastal Boat Lift Repair, LLC (CBLR) has been awarded the title of Small Business Member of the Year by The New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce. This recognition comes after a productive and philanthropic year in recovery from Hurricane Florence.
At the beginning of 2019, CBLR’s main focus was helping their current and new customers with repairs to their boat lifts caused from the devastation of Hurricane Florence. As the year went on, business started to level out and that’s when CBLR stepped up to sponsor multiple events, including the Trent River Raft Race. They donated the use of a floating dock while the city docks were still in the process of being repaired from the hurricane damage.
Toward the end of the year, Coastal Boat Lift immediately jumped in to host a Chamber Business After Hours days before the scheduled event was to take place when another business had to suddenly drop out. They were also a sponsor for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain’s annual fundraiser, Denim and Diamonds as well a top sponsor for New Bern’s holiday tradition, Beary Merry Christmas by donating their extensive volunteer efforts and funds to ensure that New Bern and Craven County had a spectacular season.
Coastal Boat Lift Repair was started in 2015 by Douglas Banks after he worked independently in construction for numerous years. When asked about his decision to transition from construction to lifts, he says, “It seemed appropriate as it was a need in Eastern North Carolina and surrounding areas at the time. I filled a void and it just made sense.”
As business continued to grow, his wife Amanda was still working a full-time position in downtown New Bern. As business rapidly picked up for CBLR, she made the decision to turn it into a true family venture by assisting Doug in an administrative and sales role. She came on board in 2018 and hasn’t looked back, saying “When Doug really got going, business was increasing with dozens of new customers per week and for me to come into the mix, it really made things easier and more efficient.”
The award from The New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce was icing on the cake, “Being recognized like this makes our hard work and dedication to our community more than worth it. We are overwhelmed and so grateful.”
Coastal Boat Lift Repair, LLC is a family-owned local contractor company providing boat and cargo lift repair services, including installations, annual inspections, adjustments, repairs and preventative maintenance. Please call 252-635-8494 or send an email for more information.
Submitted by: Doug Banks