Rising Stars: Meet Andrew Ostrowski

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Ostrowski.

Hi Andrew, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to Nashville, TN, in the fall of 2011, right after the May flood. I am originally from Illinois and grew up on the water with family and friends. I developed a passion for the river systems in College; I went to Augustana College near the Mississippi.

After moving to Nashville, spending time on Old Hickory Lake, locking through the damn, and coming down the Cumberland River into City front, I never looked back. After spending several years on the river wondering why there was limited traffic both commercially and recreationally, I started to do some research. I knew there were several challenges, such as a nearby marina and access to the Nashville Riverfront Transient docks. Only 420’ of dock space is available on the east bank.

I contacted the local metro parks department about the concept and ultimately won them over with our proposal for a 49-passenger subchapter T USCG-inspected vessel. Being that we are on a federal waterway, all requirements of the USCG must be met. From there, I was able to source a customer vessel via Sightseer Marine from Tampa, Florida, to build the vessel based on our needs.

Metro Parks gave us the green light upon the arrival of our Vessel in the spring of 2017, with first cruises starting in June!  We’ve operated a safe and successful business since. We partnered with Rock Harbor Marina for the storage and maintenance of the vessel. We quickly scaled by adding a second vessel during the pandemic, which arrived in the summer of 2020. Now operating seven days a week and offering four unique cruise offerings to our customers: Public Cruise, Private Cruise, Bach Party Cruise, and our new Narrated History Tours starting this April.

One of the big hurdles was the distance from Rock Harbor to Downtown Nashville, 17 miles by boat, which added an hour to an hour and a half commute each way. I knew that was not feasible in the long term. We were fortunate enough to purchase land off the channel (A primarily Barge centric river with a big navigational channel) of the Cumberland, only 2 miles from the riverfront docks.

From there, we used Tiger docks to help us design and build 100’ of dockspace with all the amenities required. We completed this project in the spring of 2021, just in time for our busiest year since inception.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors, travel, and power sports. I was a Geography and Business major at Augustana College in Illinois, and that gave me a great perspective outside of traditional business and opportunities in the world.

Leaving college, I was unsure what I exactly wanted to do or where to live, but I was fortunate enough to find my way to Nashville with my family moving here and a sales job (removed “opportunity”) in the heart of Nashville. I would like to tell everyone that Nashville is an amazing city because of the opportunities it can offer you. It’s vibrant, growing, and diverse, with people, music, and entrepreneurs who all want to help each other and work together.

My (Delete: service source) sales career allowed me to start the Pontoon Saloon being that it was primarily a weekend activity. There was no shortage of long nights during the week to help get the business up and running, hiring staff, and getting systems and processes in place. My (delete: current) wife was also there to help handle customer reservations via phone and email as her full-time job.

My focus is primarily on the activation and engagement of the Cumberland River as it looks to grow with increased offerings such as Water Taxi’s, large vessels and unique tours that are family-friendly.  Our Sister company Boat Rental Nashville offers premium pontoon rentals from Rock Harbor marina, a great alternative to those that want a full day on the water! I’m focused on customer experience, offering something unique in Nashville, and ultimately running as efficiently as possible. We’re fortunate to have a great crew of licensed captains and deckhands who have been working with us since 2017!

We are known for our public cruises. We know how to get a party started and bring 45 strangers together to become best friends by the end of their 2-hour cruise. We love it when everyone leaves together, sharing phone numbers and walking to the same bars on Broadway. We know then we have done our jobs!

The size of our vessel, with a capacity of up to 47 passengers, and our uniqueness as the only tour boat of this size on the Cumberland River downtown is what helps set us apart. We offer one of the best views of the Nashville skyline from the water, itself is unique with the lights reflecting off the water at night! We are also a full-service private event solution for anyone looking to host a more private event with us, such as corporate outings or birthday parties.

We can provide catering and alcohol packages for them all.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Spending time with family, when we all get together, the laughs don’t stop.

We’ve had some great family trips and experiences usually related to boats, snowmobiling, or water skiing/wakeboarding. Most of my favorite memories are around a good outdoor fire and a good steak with great friends and family (and my dog Ridge).

Pricing:

• • Public Crusie: $50+
  • Private Cruise $1,200+ $22 per person

• Bach Party Cruise $90
• Narrated History Tour $39

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pontoonsaloontn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pontoonsaloon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PontoonSaloon/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18134969/admin/feed/posts/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pontoon_Saloon?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKkVR9ri2c21ifc2OxKVZ5Apont
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pontoon-saloon-nashville
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/pontoonsaloon/