It's a pleasure to have you here.
I'll just politely request everybody check their cell phones and make sure they're on stun mode.
We don't want to have any disruptions during our speakers.
Except for me, in addition to our dais, I'd like to just quickly welcome Tom Anderson, Economic and Neighborhood Development with the Mayor's Office.
Max Budovich, First Deputy of Business and Neighborhood Mayor's Office Development.
Guy Ciparoni, to Chicago.
Welcome.
Randy Connor, Commissioner of the Department of Water Management.
Kathy Justison with the Office of Grant Management with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Jose Mendez, Chicago Police Marine Unit.
Kristen Reynolds, to Chicago.
Maya Rodriguez, Chief of Staff, Office of Senator Robert Peters.
And Mike Walsh, the Chicago Police Marine Unit.
For those of you who may not recognize me, it's because I've aged quite a bit since this project started.
Wendy does remind me that I had hair and it was black in around 2015 when this dream started.
I'm Randy Podolsky. I'm born and raised native of Chicago, and I'm the founder and developer of Navy Pier Marina.
I did not see that coming.
Look, in short, Navy Pier Marina is a recreational boat marina to bring unique visitors to Navy Pier.
They're unique because they'll be coming by water.
Nobody's ever been able to do that from the recreational boat side of the community.
And that boat community extends far beyond Chicago.
This is a completely privately funded marina, licensed here at Navy Pier.
We estimate that we'll bring about $10 million. This is an older study, by the way, so with numbers today, $10 million of economic value to the city of Chicago each year, and upwards of 100 jobs from construction up and down the food chain, literally through the food chain, because people will be eating all the time as well.
What you get is direct access to Navy Pier like no other.
So, that brief introduction said, please welcome me in joining Marilyn Gardner.
Marilyn Gardner is the President and CEO of Navy Pier.
Thank you, Randy.
Well, I'm so thrilled to see that a little rain doesn't dampen our spirits here.
This is such an incredible milestone to be celebrating with all of you.
So, thank you, Randy.
The phrase, it takes a village, has never been more true than it is in this moment.
The magnificent marina that we celebrate this morning represents the culmination of a decade of tireless work and tens of thousands of people power hours.
What started as a decades-long dream by June 14th will become a bustling reality when we proudly welcome the inaugural group of boaters from across the city, suburbs, and Great Lakes.
The enthusiasm has been overwhelming.
More than 200 slip reservations have already been booked through the end of June.
And that does deserve applause.
And the weekends of the Chicago Air and Water Show and Chicago International Boat Show are currently wait-listed.
Another big round of applause, right?
But fear not, recreational boaters.
there's plenty of space and time for all.
This marina is not going anywhere.
On behalf of the Navy Pier board and team,
I'd like to thank you, Mayor Johnson, for your leadership
in helping make this marina a reality.
We appreciate you being here today
in support of what the marina means to our entire city.
Not to steal any of your thunder,
but according to our most recent economic impact report,
The marina is expected to attract 83,000 incremental guests to Navy.
and ultimately Chicago.
And that's in addition to the 8.5 million guests we welcome on an annual basis.
We extend a huge debt of gratitude, obviously, to Randy Podolsky
for his patience, persistence, and unwavering commitment over the past decade.
His singularly focused efforts ensured that this marina became a reality.
I'd also like to acknowledge Chief Operating Officer Brian Murphy
for his tenacity in advancing our shared vision.
Thank you, Brian.
Like Randy said, never before have transient boaters
had a place to tie up for an hour, up to a week, two weeks.
So we're thrilled.
We recognize our Navy Pier Board of Directors
for their leadership and support.
Eric Smith joins us here today.
Thank you, Eric, for your leadership.
Our partners at Choose Chicago,
our new CEO, Kristen Reynolds,
and our incoming chair, Guy Ciparone, thank you,
and the agencies whose partnerships made this possible.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard,
Chicago's Department of Transportation,
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources,
and the Illinois Office of Tourism.
We are truly grateful for their partnership and support.
Today marks a pivotal moment in our continuing transformation of Navy Pier
into a dynamic civic space embodying Chicago's spirit of innovation, culture, and community.
This iconic nonprofit stands as our city's front porch,
welcoming all to experience its vibrant offerings and spectacular lakefront.
I can't think of a more fitting next chapter than opening boater access
to this world-class civic space and with the world-class city at its doorstep.
It's now my privilege to introduce Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Dang, y'all, come on, man.
That's how my kids greet me when I go in their rooms and wake them up.
Good morning, everyone.
Good morning.
Thank you to Ms. Gardner for that introduction and your leadership.
Thank you for everything that you do.
I am excited to be here today.
You know, the president and CEO of Maryland really is one of the most humble servants that I've met since being in this capacity.
and her vision that aligns with my vision for the city of Chicago
is just so refreshing to have someone who has the same level of grit
and tenacity and love for people.
So thank you again for everything that you do.
I also just want to really shout out the developer of the Navy Pier Marina,
Randy Podolsky.
When I had a chance to greet him on the way in,
And you could just feel and experience the love and conviction that's behind this project.
And I just want you to know I'm just grateful that I was able to do something without my hair turning gray.
So just for the record, I got you, right?
This little part here, but I came with this.
I came with this.
And to the Impact Fund founder, I'm grateful for Israel.
Donna Jay, thank you for everything that you do.
and making the city of Chicago your absolute final destination.
So thank you, sir.
And to, yeah, let's give it up for Israel Adonijah.
Thank you.
And to all of the partners and investors, to Guy and Kristen,
what an incredible combination at Choose Chicago.
They are the one-two punch that's going to continue to expand the reputation of our global city.
So thank you both at Choose for everything that you all are doing already.
People usually clap when I thank people.
I just, I mean, if you all want me to hurry up, I'll just say it.
But sincerely, for decades, Navy Pier has been a major lakefront attraction.
It has drawn countless tourists from around the world to experience everything that this space has to offer.
And Navy Pier has attracted amazing events and spectacles from award-winning shows to bowl
Boat races, celebrations, and, of course, the fireworks that we display on a weekly basis.
But today we are celebrating a new chapter for Navy Pier, our boating community, and for all of Chicago.
This new marina will open a new realm of opportunities for Navy Pier, but it's more than just a place to dock.
It will be a gateway for visitors, allowing them to have easier access to dock and to explore Navy Pier in all of Chicago.
I know that once they dock and they get a chance to see the incredible skyline
and they get a chance to taste the world-renowned foods that we have across this city,
It's only a matter of time that if they are a visitor, they will be a permanent resident in the greatest freaking city in the world, the city of Chicago.
But it's also a resource for our neighbors and our entire vibrant boating community.
And more importantly, it will be an opportunity, a hub for our young people to connect with the water through seasonal jobs and workforce development.
And that's the part that I was so moved by with Randy, making it very clear that investing in today is an investment for posterity.
And the development and opening of this new marina shows what civic partnerships truly look like.
In closing, through visionary development and community investment and access for every Chicagoan,
we are building the safest, most affordable big city in America.
And we're doing that for generations to come.
Most importantly, we're doing it together.
God bless you all, and congratulations.
Randy?
Thank you, Marilyn, for your faith in me and for sharing the vision of reimagining the north side of Navy Pier.
And thank you, Mayor Johnson, for celebrating this incredible achievement,
not only for the city of Chicago, but as you mentioned, for its youth who are our future leaders.
I'm pleased to introduce Israel Adonijah.
Israel made a lasting mark on this city during his 10 seasons with the Chicago Bears
And he's continued to lead off the field through his charitable work and success as an entrepreneur across multiple industries
Please join me in welcoming Israel Dhanajay
Good morning, good morning. Hope everybody's feeling amazing. How are you feeling? Good? Good
You know, so much of my career was about making plays on the field and now that I'm retired
You know, every opportunity I get to make a play or be a part of a play being made, you know, I love to get on top of it and be a part of that.
And that's what I saw here with this marina coming to Navy Pier to our city here in Chicago.
I reached out to a few people. I was able to get in contact with Randy, and we sat down and we spoke.
And his passion and really his vision for what he was looking to bring to Navy Pier was just very clear.
and when we spoke he also spoke about an opportunity to provide opportunities for young
men and young women in the city here to be a part of a culture and a community a network that would
not only just be about them working but help them build relationships and connect with folks
that ultimately could transform their lives and me as a young man I had that same experience I
was a part of programs and initiatives that connected me with folks that changed and
transformed my life. So, you know, I'm just honored and proud to be a part of this great project.
Randy, congratulations. I know it was not easy. It was a ton of work, right? So kudos to the city,
to our mayor. Thank you all for being a part of pulling the vision together and all the supporters
and investors, right? Building a vision is never easy. It takes time. It takes grit. It takes
perseverance. And this project was no different. So to all of us that are here, everyone that's
contributed just congratulations and we look forward to the summer and spending a lot of
great time here on this marina so thank you all right go bears thank you israel i get to skip
the part about meeting you and having the opportunity to speak about this project and
your passion about it from day one as well thank you for that maybe pier's vision for redeveloping
the pier started long before i came along this is something i've been thinking about since april of
1983, when I got my first boat and said, why can't we go to Navy Pier?
lunch or dinner or spend a few nights. It took decades, but we're here. We're on course to open
to the public on June 13th. Voters will be able to dock, as we've talked about, for lunch and
dinner, hang out and partake in all the myriad attractions that Navy Pier has to offer, including
flyover you see behind me, the Centennial Wheel, enjoy a lot of great food, and visit more than
70 businesses and attractions, including the Children's Museum and the Shakespeare Theater.
This is probably more fun than a family of all ages can take in in one day.
So you'll be back, and the marina will bring you back.
For me, Marilyn, the saying actually goes, it takes a boat crew.
And that's all the folks that are behind the scenes.
So indulge me for just a moment.
Nancy, Janine, who's not here, and the men in plaid, you know who you are.
Thank you.
Lori Healy, the then-CEO of MPA, who signed our Corps of Engineers and IDNR Joint Permit application in 2017, nudged me ahead.
I'm sad she can't be here today.
Fair winds and following seas to our friend.
Our Marina General Contractor, J.F. Brennan, kicked butt since we broke wind,
because we are not on ground, so we don't get to break ground, right?
So we broke wind in December.
Their crews dedicated this harsh winter, and they braved all the conditions without one complaint.
In fact, multiple times, multiple members of that crew thanked me for the opportunity to work here.
I want to say thank you, Nick, Brett, Bubba, and Sam, and the entire Brennan crew for all that you did for us.
Navy Pier Marina, as I've mentioned, is unique in the way that it will bring visitors to Navy Pier.
But it's unique in a lot of other ways, too.
It's constructed, as you may now know, 100% over the water, including this boater amenities building.
The workers had new challenges every step of the way.
It also incorporates a world-class structural marine docking system, which was designed by Edgewater Resources.
It repurposed 12 shipping containers that were otherwise destined for the boneyard
into this giant Lego that I am proud to say looks just like this, rendering,
when you've got a few more touches to go in the next couple of weeks,
but it's looking just like this, as is the marina.
That building will house our boater amenities.
It's a boater amenities building, sorry,
and it will house all the amenities for our guests.
SI Container Build's entire team broke the code in making the building
as unique and functional as we could imagine.
Jamie, I don't know where you're at,
but your insight and laser focus made working with SICB
incredibly rewarding for me. Thank you. The C-suite at Navy Pier, some of whom
you've already heard about and from, were incredible to work with from
conception to completion. Dan Mitchell, I think you're back there somewhere as
well. Dan Mitchell's spearheading construction and his keen
organizational skills and knowledge were a godsend. Everybody at Navy Pier was a
God sent to me in this project. I can't call
them all out. I'm going to leave that to Marilyn
in another day. However,
one other person stands out
and that's, as Marilyn mentioned,
Navy Peers COO
Brian Murphy. Brian's non-wavering
belief in the importance
of this project
to both Navy Peer and the city
and
his deep commitment to our mutual
success navigated us here today.
Brian, without you, we would not be here.
And my long-time friend,
and retired Coast Guard veteran, also our inaugural
Marina General Manager, Mark Stevens, is taking this voyage with me.
Mark, I know how hard you work, what you and Michelle sacrifice in your
dedication to everything you do. Where are you?
You guys sacrifice everything. I appreciate you both.
My children have been my chair leaders. This is the part I'll get through.
Thank you, Mayor. Thanks for that applause.
My children have been my chair leaders, and my wife, Wendy, has been my
The Rock, my conscience, my editor, my put your sport coat on guy, like, I wasn't wearing
this as of yesterday, I just got to tell you, left the house with it, she didn't know until
this morning.
Wendy was there for me every step of the way, especially when I was faced with many difficult decisions.
My family endured ten years of my passion and persistence, even when it could rightly be questioned.
Countless years, days, hours, and sleepless nights all took time away from them and our grandchildren.
I had their 100% commitment and encouragement to see this through.
Wendy, you know how I feel.
You know that I love you.
And you know I wouldn't be here without you.
That's all I got. No, I'm kidding.
That's almost all I got.
Because I just want to say to all of our friends and family,
I don't know where Chona is, but she asked me how many people were coming,
and I said, I think we're going to pack the place, Chona.
So thank you all for being here.
Hey, listen, folks, if I'm not going to let the weather bum me out,
and I'm not, you can see it in me, don't let it spoil your day.
Because I know darn well that as soon as I say thank you for being here,
the sun's going to come out.
Because that's how this project's gone.
but it's going to be a good omen for when we open.
So, as I said, don't let the weather bum you out.
Check out our logo on the Ferris wheel.
It's kind of exciting to know that that's up there today.
Have a great day at Navy Pier today, and thank you for coming.
Mayor, thank you again.
If I can do anything else for your office.