Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW), a vessel construction and repair company based in San Diego, has been acquired by its co-founder and president Todd Roberts, alongside Chip Besse and Skye Callantine. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Roberts will now serve as chief executive officer. Besse, a longtime MGBW customer and investor, will serve as chairman of the board. Callantine is principal of Vigeo Investments.
The acquisition includes MGBW’s two waterfront facilities: its primary shipyard in Chula Vista, Calif., and a boatyard in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. The deal also includes Marine Group Global Services, a consulting and marine services division that manages the Fifth Avenue Landing superyacht marina in downtown San Diego.
An MCBW statement noted all 250 employees across both sites will remain with the company, along with the existing management team. The company anticipates hiring additional personnel as part of its growth plans.
“This investment represents an incredible opportunity for us to make our vision a reality,” said Roberts. “With the resources that they bring to the table, the sky is really the limit for us now.”
Roberts said near-term changes will include facility upgrades at the Chula Vista yard, expanded Navy repair capacity, and growth of the company’s construction division. The company also plans to increase engagement with the superyacht industry and support domestic boatbuilding.
This announcement follows the company’s recent in-house conversion of the yard tug Marco V at its primary shipyard. The tug was repowered from diesel to battery-electric propulsion, part of MGBW’s broader push into electrification and low-emissions vessel technologies.
