Making sure lake owners get to enjoy the lake
Story by Paul South
Photos by Graham Hadley
At age 8, Grant Stinson drove the family boat on Logan Martin, able to steer the craft better than more experienced adults.
At 15, he was working in a local marina, climbing up the boat business ladder. After college, he began a 13-year tenure at Rambo Marine, one of the mainstays of Alabama’s marine industry, beginning as a “lot guy,” selling boats and eventually climbing to general manager.
The experience hooked him on an idea.
“I just encountered a lot of affluent people there that all had homes on Logan Martin, Smith (Lake) and Lake Martin, the lakes around Birmingham,” Stinson said. “They really didn’t have someone who could take care of their lake house and their boat and their dock and everything. So when they would show up at the lake on Friday afternoon, they spent all of Saturday working. When Sunday got here, they felt like they’d worked all weekend.”
Cutting the yard, fueling the boat and getting the house in shape drained hours from what should have been a relaxing weekend at a family’s second home, turning it instead to toil and trouble.
That’s how Coosa Concierge was born.
The company that Stinson founded earlier this year focuses on “the lake life,” the kicked back, chilled out way of living of which waterfront homeowners dream of from that first search for a second home.
“We focus on what really matters to folks when they get (to their lake home) – the lake life. ‘Is the boat ready? Is the house ready? And can we go enjoy it?,’ so they don’t have to spend every waking hour worrying about whether the boat’s ready and all of that.”
Coosa Concierge offers a base package to new clients. Once a month. Concierge staff come to the home, do a visual inspection of the home, making sure the dock is presentable, and that there are no trees down on the property and making sure the boat is as it’s supposed to be, ready for the water. Basic memberships cost $299 per month.
“We give the client a detailed (monthly) report,” Stinson said. “That comes in especially handy in the off season. They don’t come from October to March. The report lets them know things are as they are supposed to be.”
Coosa Concierge also offers a la carte services, making sure the dock is clean, boat lifts ready for the season and the yard ship shape and all the watercraft ready.
In the fall, Coosa Concierge offers services to help shut down the house for the offseason.
“It’s our fall shutdown,” Stinson said. “Let’s make sure everything’s winterized. Let’s make sure the outside faucets are off and dock furniture is put away. Let’s make sure the water toys are put away in the garage, Lilypads, kayaks, paddleboards, yard ornaments. There is so much stuff that people don’t think about.”
He added, “There are a lot of little a la carte things that people ask us to do that people may ask us to do. We may outsource that to somebody, and we just manage the project for (the homeowner).”
For example, Coosa Concierge will coordinate lawn care services for clients upon request. Stinson’s brother-in-law, Jack Wood, owns Cutter Lawn Maintenance.
Coosa Concierge also offers Logan Martin clients a service called “Stock and Shop.” In advance of the homeowners’ arrival, Concierge follows a client’s grocery list, shopping at the client’s preferred stores to fill the refrigerator, pantry and bar. Each order is thoughtfully put away, ready for visitors.
Coosa Concierge also offers a “Weekend Readiness” package. The package removes the aggravation of a dead boat battery or empty gas tank, a recurring challenge in the boat world.
“They can call me and get on the list for the weekends they have and say, ‘I want the jet skis set up. I want the boat filled up with gas, wiped down, so that the batteries are hot and everything is ready to go.’ That’s one of the biggest things we offer.”
Stinson, who lives with his family on Logan Martin, is especially sensitive to the challenges posed by fickle Alabama weather, especially the threat of spring and summer tornados.
“If there’s something that’s happening at my house, I need to go check on my clients’ homes around the lake as well,” Stinson said. They will also step in to check on a concerned client’s property when asked, making sure everything is in order.
Coosa Concierge offers water toy and party rentals – kayaks, paddleboards and the like – to help transform a lake weekend into a precious memory.
Stinson’s heart belongs to the water. He clearly loves his work. “I’ve lived here my whole life,” he said. “I just really enjoy seeing people enjoy the lake, actually seeing them enjoy it and not have to work the whole weekend.”
Over the years, he’s heard countless times a sad refrain from lake homeowners spending time working on rather than enjoying their lake property.
“That’s not how it’s supposed to be,” Stinson said. “This is your vacation home. It should be that you are going to your vacation home to enjoy it, to relax. That’s what I enjoy the most – seeing people enjoy the lake.
“I’ve been here so long, that’s really what it’s about. Our mission is to help people enjoy the lake as it should be,” Stinson said. “Enjoy it all summer and not have to work every weekend. I really think it’s as simple as that, really.”
