About Us
Our Namesake, W.R. "Bill" Rose
Marco Island and Chicagoland legend. Engineer. Aviator. Marine. Family Man. Philanthropist. Born in Corry, PA on February 20, 1927 Bill was truly a Renaissance Man, no other expression even comes close to fitting him: a man who could write poetry and enjoyed reading it out loud to his family and friends, a man who attempted and did conquer the world, from flying airplanes and helicopters, to winning sailboat races, to traveling to all parts of the globe and making friends everywhere. He was a Marine who could be tough when needed, but was caring with those he befriended. His energy was unreal, always active, always on the go, wearing many of us down with his enthusiasm. Bill came to Marco in 1956 for the first time; he did not like to brag about when he first arrived on the Island, but he would smile at those who boasted about arriving here decades later. His generosity will live on with this Island forever, not only with his large financial contributions to the Marco Library and Marco Historical Museum, but just as importantly in the memories of those who were privileged to have known him. Bill Rose passed away on April 9, 2010. |  |
What we offer today
- Hurricane Rated Concrete Boathouse
- 6000 sq ft Retail Store
- Fishing Pros On Staff
- Live Bait
- Fleet of 18 Rental Boats
- Independent Fishing and Sightseeing Charters
- Certified Marine Mechanics
- Yamaha Outboard Service Center (warranty repair center)
- Mercury Outboard Service Center (warranty repair center)
- 75 Ton Travelift
- 3 Forklifts
- 109 Slips on Floating Concrete and Fixed Docks
- 600 Linear Feet of Face Dock Available
- 95-foot floating fuel dock offering Non-Ethanol Gas and Marine Diesel (Standard and High-Flow)
- 35 Knowledgeable and Friendly Employees
Our Beginnings
The Marina as we know it today has taken many forms through the years. Opening its doors in 1969, the Marina's original name was the Marco River Marina. It consisted of a parking lot, a small ship's store and a wooden T shaped dock extending from it. Years later Bill Rose bought the marina from its original owners. At which time he changed the name to Rose Marco River Marina and began using the Compass Rose (a symbol also used by his other companies) as the Marina's logo.
WHO WE ARE TODAY
In December of 2010 we formally changed our name to Rose Marina, this was as much to memorialize Bill Rose as it was to cut down on confusion (nobody would ever say our name correctly as Rose Marco River Marina, it was a mouthful)… now our name is short, memorable and honors Bill. Rose Marina is now an entity in the Rose Family of Business overseen by family and long time business partners of Bill Rose, many of whom reside here, vacation here, and use the marina personally.