PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 103 and Development Commission (BCDC), which claimed nearly 100 allegations of permit violations against the harbor and imposed hefty fines. Dozens of boating and environmental groups rallied to the harbor’s defense. Even Stanford University’s rowing team got involved. “They pitched in and gave me all the legal advice I needed,” Mark says of Stanford. “They were very supportive.” The Friends of Westpoint Harbor formed and lobbied legislators, presenting a 5,000-signature petition and hundreds of letters, leading to an audit of BCDC’s enforcement program. Ultimately, a settlement was reached and the commission dropped all allegations and fines against Westpoint Harbor, ending the decade-long dispute in 2018. While all of this was happening, Mark came out of retirement to head Pinnacle Systems as its CEO. Because “I realized it wasn’t going to be two years, like I thought,” notes Mark wryly of the marina project. After taking the 21-person startup tech company to 1,700 employees, he retired once again to give the harbor his full-time attention. HOSPITABLE HARBOR Mark’s dreams for the harbor went far beyond creating a floating parking lot. Seeking to grow a community, he put his entrepreneurial skills to work by painting a vision that would bring people on board. “It’s not just a harbor. It’s going to be a society of people who love the water,” Mark insists. “Everything’s going to be first-class!” That meant intentionality to the details. “Being an engineer, I wanted my own design of docks,” Mark says, explaining that he wasn’t satisfied with the typical squarecornered style. “The scariest thing for a boater is coming into their own slip. That corner’s sticking out—solid concrete— your boat hits it …” Not good. So Mark reached out to 30 companies about making custom ones with rounded edges and special fendering. Bellingham Marine said yes. The custom design was such a hit, “people started calling them and saying, ‘We want Westpoint Harbor docks!’” MASTERING THE MARINA
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