NEWS RELEASE
INTERLAKE MARITIME SERVICES
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Interlake Maritime Services’ new subsidiary Soo Maritime Services has acquired the assets of American and Canadian Lock Tours which include the tour boats Hiawatha, Bide-A-Wee and Holiday that provide river and lock tours through original Soo Locks Boat Tours.
A third-generation business owned and operated by the Welch Family, the Original Soo Locks Boat Tours has been a popular tourist attraction in Sault Sainte Marie, MIch., (often referred to as the “Soo”) since 1934 and those tours can be expected to continue under the new ownership.
“The Soo area plays a vital role in Great Lakes shipping and we’re excited to have new employees, new tour boats and a waterfront presence to continue the legacy of educating the public on the importance of the Soo Locks,” says Mark W. Barker, President of Interlake Maritime Services. “We’re looking forward to working with the Soo team, which has built such a successful business in Michigan’s oldest city that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.”
The Barker’s connection to the Soo goes back more than fifty years. Members of the Barker family called the Soo home for many years, with relatives working as a local butcher and aboard the supply boat that serviced the Great Lakes vessels. Little did the family know then that young James R. Barker, who took his first ride on an ore boat when he was 9 months old, would grow up to be stationed and serve at the Soo in the Coast Guard and eventually buy the fleet that his grandfather and uncle had worked to supply years earlier.
Interlake’s family of companies have a rich maritime history in the Soo as well. The Interlake Steamship Company’s fleet has been carrying bulk cargoes that power the region for more than 100 years and can still be seen regularly coming through the Soo Locks during the shipping season.
About Interlake Maritime Services:
A family-owned and -led company in its second generation, Interlake Maritime Services and its more than 50 shoreside employees manage The Interlake Steamship Company, Interlake Logistics Solutions, Lake Michigan Carferry, Interlake Port Services, Soo Maritime Services and Soo Port Services from its Corporate Headquarters in Middleburg Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and from additional regional offices in Duluth, MInn., Ludington, Mich. and Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.
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