Seakeeper purchases new facility to support growth

Seakeeper, has purchased a new, larger facility in Leesport, Pennsylvania to support its rapid growth. The 25.4-acre property will house Seakeeper’s core manufacturing and engineering operations and has a 249,504 square-foot facility already on site.

The purchase comes after a search for the right facility that would allow the company to retain its current workforce of more than 150 of its global staff based in the Pennsylvania headquarters. The new location, previously owned by Schneider Electric, is just 15 miles from the current factory and ensures the difference in commute is feasible for all employees.

“Seakeeper is rooted in Berks County, Pennsylvania, just like our employees are,” said Seakeeper Vice President of Manufacturing Bob Moser, “We’re excited to find a new facility that supports our rapid growth that allows us to stay in the community we love so much.”

The current Seakeeper manufacturing campus holds a lot of memories for the company as its first real home in the state. After acquiring Joma Machine Company in 2011, Seakeeper has continued to expand on the campus into six different buildings. As the company has grown, a limited, multi-building, space on an older campus has been an increasing challenge to the manufacturing efforts. This move will eliminate those complications and greatly increase efficiency and production capacity.

At the close of 2021, production will be up more than 80% YOY. With the added capacity and overall growth throughout the company, Seakeeper has increased its staff by more than 77% in 2021, with more than 80 of those new positions based in Pennsylvania. More than 60% of Seakeeper’s global staff based in the Pennsylvania location, with more than 40 additional planned positions in 2022 to be based at the Pennsylvania facility. Seakeeper credits its rapid growth with a growing leisure market, product acceptance and its expanded reach into the small boat market since the launch of the Seakeeper 1 in February 2020. The company now makes products for boats 23 to more than 200 feet in length.

“The purchase of this building is good news for a lot of us,” said Seakeeper President & CEO Andrew Semprevivo, “It’s good for our growing team and it’s one of many indicators of the success of our product and the health of the marine industry.”