Bob Chester, president and CEO of Tiki Water Sports, stood on the side of the July 1 ribbon-cutting gathering for his company’s reopening and looked like a proud papa.
“This is a great turnout,” he said, looking around at the party, which was attended by Key Largo and Islamorada chamber members and staff, as well as friends and family. Revelers were there to celebrate the expansion of Tiki Water Sports with its TCB Boat Sales and Service division. It was co-founded by Chester’s new partner, chief operating officer Alexis Alba.
“Alex has been a tremendous addition,” Chester told Keys Weekly. “We’re trying to open it up. Before, we sold only kayaks, stuff to repair boats and Tohatsu outboards. Now we’re going to sell HFC Sea Chaser and Carolina Skiff powerboats as well.”
And Chester was also feeling a bit sentimental. “My father and I bought this business in 1982,” said.
At that point, the operation was called Glander Boats, run by a man named Dooley Glander who made sailboats so meticulously that 40 or 50 years later, you can still find them on the water. After they purchased the business, the Chesters still made sailboats, but they added a small craft called the Tiki Wave Rider to its inventory. In the 1990s, the family had to get scrappy, as the sales for sailboats were down and different kinds of kayaks were becoming popular. So the company brought in the production of other fiberglass products such as dock boxes and piling caps in order to keep their staff employed.
And now comes Tiki Water Sports 2.0: Powerboats. Otherwise known as TCB Boat Sales.
Back in March, hastened by a pandemic-inspired furlough, Alexis Alba retired as director of operations for Cheeca Lodge. And he was looking for another venture.
“I’ve always had an interest in boating before this,” Alba explained. “I have a 100 ton captain’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard, and I’ve always had boats and captained yachts.”
He had been friends with Chester for years, as they had met at a chamber event and Chester had also provided the watersports equipment to the area hotels. The duo clicked. They have a similar disciplined work ethic: Chester is a retired Navy man who served in Vietnam, and Alba has merchant mariner credentials through the USCG.
“So Bob and I started working on getting contracts with Sea Chaser and Carolina Skiff, and now we are the exclusive dealers in the Florida Keys,” said Alba. “Bob only sold sailboats, paddleboards, and kayaks before. We’re both very structured and disciplined, both the same way and with the same business goals. We’re focusing on great service and a great product.”
Back at the party, the multi-talented Alba ran around and took photos of the attendees with a huge camera (he’s also a photographer). Both Chester and Alba happily chatted with guests, who numbered 70 or 80. They noshed on food, drank beer and even took time to climb aboard a Sea Chaser or two to check them out.
The future looks bright for Tiki Watersports and TCB Boat Sales.
“We’re grateful to all the vendors who came out, as well as the Islamorada and Key Largo chambers,” said Alba.
