Shared military, boating background fosters service excellence at Arrow Marine

FOX LAKE – Jack Irvin and Mike Trinski had a lot in common long before they began working together at Arrow Marine in Fox Lake.

The two built rafts, fished and boated as boys growing up in Fox Lake. Both started working at marinas at a young age, Trinski at the age of 7 after his father, Robert, mother, Shirley, and grandfather, Phillip Trinski, bought a marina with upstairs living quarters at 32 N. Pistakee Lake Road – now Dick’s Marine – where they started Arrow Marine in 1959.

Irvin, now the general manager at Arrow Marine’s location on Route 12, said he was 15 when he started moving boats and performing other odd jobs at a Pistakee Lake marina.

“We grew up like Huckleberry Finn, there’s no question,” Irvin said of himself and Trinski. “It was freedom. Growing up on the Chain was like having a couple of hundred acres of backyard.”

As young men, each also would cross a far larger body of water to share a much less tranquil experience.

Both served in Vietnam. Irvin was a U.S. Army infantryman from 1969 to 1970. Trinski served from 1972 to 1973 as a Navy airman in a helicopter mine-sweeping squad.

Flash-forward to today. Irvin, 70, and Trinski, 68, again are living the marina life, and have a shared devotion to rolling out the red carpet for U.S. military veterans. Trinski owns Arrow Marine at 82 Route 12 in Fox Lake. He drew Irvin out of retirement from the industry to take on the GM role.

“Jack and I knew each other growing up,” Trinski said, “and he had run this marina when I leased the property to Great Lakes Yacht Sales.”

Irvin’s wife, Cheryl, and son, Jackson, were working at the marina when Trinski transitioned it back to Arrow from Great Lakes in 2019.

Jack Irvin’s decadeslong success in the marina sales and service industry includes being ranked as a top Carver dealer in the 1990s and a top Chris-Craft dealer in the 2000s.

“I studied architecture when I got back from the service,” Irvin said. “But I could never get away from boats. I like this business.”

Given the duo’s shared history not only as industry pros but combat veterans, it’s no surprise that Arrow Marine is a top choice for veterans interested in boating.

Starting this month, there is a 10% discount for any veteran with a boating service-related need.

Arrow Marine is a full-service marina on seven acres between the boating passageways below the Route 12 bridge at the heart of the Chain O’Lakes. Sales in 2020 topped 50 boats ranging in price from $10,000 to $150,000, Irvin said.

The property has 175 boat slips ranging in price from $1,600 to $3,500 for the season, and also offers boat sales, consignments and a top-tier service department. Twelve full-time staff members work at Arrow Marine year-round, with an additional four to five part timers hired during the boating season.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and by appointment Monday.

“This crew in the service department is the best I’ve been blessed to work with,” Trinski said. “We also have a wheelchair access ramp here to help our wounded warriors – or any disabled person – get into and out of boats. We as a company want to take that extra step in providing the best possible service to all of our customers.”

Veterans are advised not to be shy about mentioning their service to the country.

“If someone’s a vet, it’s all done,” Trinski said. “Just tell us what you need, and we’ll make sure you get it.”

“Mike is so supportive of veterans and veterans’ causes,” Irvin said. “Vets get treated top-notch here.”

Earlier this year, Trinski, who graduated from Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in 1971, planned to invest between $40,000 and $50,000 into an Armed Forces Day celebration at Arrow Marine. Plans were well underway to offer catered food, live music, a Color Guard, guest speakers and more to hundreds of area veterans May 15. A permit was denied based on COVID-19 mitigations in place at the time of the request.

The marina owner hopes to make it happen in May 2022.

For information, call Arrow Marine at 847-587-0100 or visit thearrow100.com.