Zimmerman Marine in Mathews, now entering its 40th year in business, has grown significantly over its four decades, with 65 employees who now own the company themselves.
Owner Steve Zimmerman said the business he started those many years ago continues to both service and custom build boats at the Mathews site on the East River, but most of the company’s growth has not been local. Instead, Zimmerman has established maintenance and repair facilities at four other locations along the Eastern Seaboard—in Deltaville; Annapolis, Maryland; Southport, North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Expansion to other areas began years ago when Zimmerman, stymied by local resistance to his request for a zoning permit to work on RVs at the Mathews site, decided his best bet for growing the business would be to look outside the county for opportunities.
“The Mathews site is now 20-25 percent of the company,” he said. “Boat maintenance and repair is the heart and soul of the business.”
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