A Wellsburg company takes its patented dock technology to clients worldwide.
You’ve probably never wondered who made the parts holding up the dock at your local marina. But, now that you are wondering, the answer could be right around the corner.
American Muscle Docks and Fabrication has manufactured boat dock components in Wellsburg since 1963. The company has built many of the docks throughout West Virginia, but it also sells to government agencies, hotels, marinas, retail customers, and contractors from all over the world. “The majority of people buy their parts in China or India,” says chief executive officer Luke Diserio. “We’re one of the very few who manufacture what we sell and use.”
Diserio’s grandfather started the company in 1963. Diserio’s father, Paul Diserio, took over in 1987 and currently serves as the company’s president. The business made and sold boat dock hardware and components for two local boat dock suppliers under the name Valley Manufacturing until 2012, when the company adopted its current name.
American Muscle Docks’ local projects include riverfront parks in Buffalo, Charleston, Chester, Fairmont, Moundsville, New Martinsville, Paden City, and Wellsburg. All those West Virginia park projects feature American Muscle’s new patented product Dock Flash, a decorative skirting that adds colors, textures, or designs to the outside of docks.
The U.S. Commercial Service’s recent trade mission to Central America brought the West Virginia company a new global client. The city of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua wanted to build new docks so cruise ship passengers could disembark safely, but could not find a manufacturer who could meet the specifications. American Muscle Docks proposed a successful design and, by August 2017, built the country’s first commercial boat dock.
It took several trips to Nicaragua to complete the build. “It was our largest job to date,” Diserio says. “With the materials they wanted to use, it wasn’t standard for us, but we had the ability to do it.” But now that cruise lines finally have a place to take passengers ashore, the country’s tourism industry is seeing a major boost.
So, the next time you find yourself walking along a marina, think about who made the parts keeping you above water. It could very well be the same West Virginia company that’s connecting Wellsburg to the world.
written by jennifer skinner
photo courtesy of American Muscle Docks and Fabrication
Leave a Reply