Alissa Bumpus said she’s bringing “girl power” to the marina industry.

She and her husband Ben, who live in Sycamore, bought the marina between Ottawa and Utica.

“When we were doing research about the marina, we couldn’t find hardly any in the United States that were women-owned or managed,” Alissa said. “So we’re unique in that I’m the one doing the day-to-day management of the marina while my husband keeps his day job.”

Alissa said it’s her husband Ben’s dream to own a marina.

She said they’ve received inquiries from people interested in docking at the marina in part because of the change in ownership but also because people are getting ready for the summer, which is reflected in the market for boats.

“I’ve learned all kinds of crazy things in the last two weeks,” Alissa said. “I haven’t watched people pull boats in and out of the marina. We always had smaller boats, so when you see these guys take huge, 40-foot houseboats and put them in and out of the water, that’s pretty incredible, the skill and machinery it takes to do that.”

Alissa said obtaining boating equipment has been difficult this season. She believes boating manufacturers won’t sell boats until the end of the boating season, and even getting a kayak into the water is difficult to obtain, because of the lack of boating available for sale.

The Bumpuses had a small inventory of used boats that sold within the first weekend they took over the marina.

“We’re super excited and enthusiastic,” Alissa said. “We’re there every day of the week making improvements. It’s going to be slow but steady at first but we’re investing money and some elbow grease and hiring new employees. I think people will be surprised in a couple of years when they see how nice the marina starts to look.”

Alissa said the Illinois River gives river communities, such as Ottawa, Utica, and others a great advantage to become a mecca for boaters and she’s looking forward to having a woman-owned-and-operated business become part of that.