Marina assets company based in Charleston names new CEO

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A Charleston-based owner, operator, developer and acquirer of marina assets has named a new leader.

Jonathan Langer, 32 Marinas LLC  chairman and Fireside Investments founder, has appointed Austin Schell as CEO of PORT 32 and as a member of the company’s board of directors, according to a PORT 32 news release.

PORT 32 owns eight marina properties in premier markets across both coasts of Florida, according to the release. The company’s long-term strategy allows for value-added redevelopment of aging coastal facilities, such as the PORT 32 marinas in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the release stated. 

The company recruited Schell to build PORT 32 Marinas into an industry leader, drawing on his 20 years of professional experience building three sector-leading companies in a variety of industries, the release stated. By leveraging commercial thinking and best practices from both inside and outside the traditional marina industry, the team Schell has assembled at PORT 32 aims to provide leading waterfront experiences that create value for PORT 32 members, and in turn, its shareholders and employees, the release stated.

“I am thrilled to join the PORT 32 Marinas team and bring my business experiences to an industry I am passionate about,” said Schell in the release. “The purpose of everything we do here at PORT 32 is grounded in long-term value creation for our members, our shareholders, our valuable employees, and the waterfront communities we serve.”

Prior to joining PORT 32, for six years, Schell was the president and chief operating officer of XOJET, the largest on-demand private jet services platform in North America, the release stated.  His other senior executive roles include COO of Modern Fertility and CFO of Wildlands.

 Prior to his experience building businesses as an operating executive, Schell served as a private equity investment professional at Parthenon Capital in San Francisco, and began his career in investment banking at UBS Investment Bank in New York City, according to the release.

“Austin comes to PORT 32 after helping to build three successful companies across different industries,” said Langer in the release. “His proven ability to build a winning team, cultivate a customer-focused culture, and deliver industry-leading returns to investors is tailor made for PORT 32’s next phase of growth.  I am confident Austin will ensure that PORT 32’s growing membership base will enjoy the exceptional level of service they have come to expect. In addition, Austin has quickly assembled an entrepreneurial team of high-character professionals to identify promising coastal marinas to add to the PORT 32 family.”

Schell is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.