CROWN POINT — Merrillville native David Redick had never been on a boat before when he started his own boat cleaning business more than a decade ago.
The son of a truck driver, he read a book by “The Apprentice” candidate Bill Rancic that recounted how he cleaned boats in the harbor in New Buffalo before going on to become a successful entrepreneur.
It sounded like a promising business to Redick. He started cleaning boats in Burns Harbor and Chicago, eventually bootstrapping a multimillion-dollar multi-state business.
His Crown Point-based yacht management company has been sailing toward sun-kissed horizons of success. Elite Yacht Services has been experiencing rapid growth managing yachts largely in Chicago and South Florida.
The company experienced growth of more than 100{18875d16fb0f706a77d6d07e16021550e0abfa6771e72d372d5d32476b7d07ec} in 2021 and again last year. It’s looking at expanding to markets like Charleston, South Carolina; Newport, Rhode Island; and Sag Harbor in the Hamptons in New York.
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“We go where the boats are, the money is and the wealthy are,” he said.
Elite Yacht Services manages yachts ranging from 40 feet to a few hundred feet for private yacht owners. It supplies the captain and crew and maintains the vessels back in port to keep them seaworthy.
“It’s a lifestyle business for the owners,” Redick said. “We started out in just the Midwest, but the business has expanded quite a bit since we expanded to South Florida. It’s an interesting business based in Crown Point. I’ve always enjoyed it. It’s unique.”
It also provides services like ceramic coating, teak servicing, paint protection and window tinting. Headquartered in the Purdue Technology Center on Connecticut Drive in Merrillville, its operations also stretch into Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
“It’s an interesting client base of executives and CEOs,” he said. “It’s interesting to have access to some of the most successful people running multinational companies. I’ve always been interested in mentoring from successful people and several have mentioned ways to fine-tune our business. It’s a self-built business, and I’ve always tried to learn what makes people successful.”
Redick read Rancic’s book while he was attending Hammond Baptist High School in Schererville. He thought it sounded like an interesting line of work.
“I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I knew I wanted to open some sort of business,” he said. “I was inspired to start something to work my way through college. I started working for my brother power washing restaurant hoods. Then I started serving boats myself.”
He founded the business in 2012. He landed big accounts like Wendella Tours & Cruises on the Chicago River.
“That was a six-figure account,” he said. “It was a big account for us.”
The business really took off in 2019 after he acquired Yacht 1 Chicago, which had an established client base. Then it skyrocketed when he expanded to serve the Fort Lauderdale, Naples and Miami areas.
“We started in the Midwest but really multiplied the business by going to South Florida,” he said. “There the business is more year-round. And they have to spend money as the board are more service-intensive when they’re 10 times bigger.”
He expanded to the Sunshine State after he wearied of the seasonality of the business on Lake Michigan.
“I was tired of a peak in the summer and then a slowdown,” he said. “There’s more going on year-round there. It’s also a bigger market with a lot more opportunities.”
The company serves more than 400 boats a year, including a few bigger than 200 feet.
“When it’s a private yacht, you’re dealing directly with the owner,” he said. “When it’s a super yacht, you’re dealing with a captain and finance teams. It’s a lot different. You’re not interacting directly with the owner of a $50 million, $100 million or $200 million vessel.”
The business has grown through referrals from brokers who sell the boats.
“They know they can trust us and rely on us for the management of the vessels,” he said. “Our brand is that people trust us and find us reliable. Our core values are Midwest business ethics. That’s really helped us competitively. We’ve got honesty and integrity and promote that a lot in our marketing. Honesty goes a long way in this industry.”
As it keeps getting bigger, Elite Yacht Services is looking to grow more through acquisition.
“The fastest way to grow is to pick up companies,” he said. “Larger companies like MarineMax are acquiring companies and adding to their portfolio.”
Elite Yacht Services’ customers include many millionaires and a few billionaires, who can be demanding their expectations.
“They want things done right,” he said. “They don’t want to know about the issues. They just want them to be fixed. They want everything to be done properly.”
Clients take their boats to visit private estates, see friends, go to beaches or head out for lunch, dinner, swimming or kitesurfing. They might go down to the Bahamas or up the East Coast. Elite Yacht Services provides them with captains and sometimes stewardesses, chefs and other crew members.
When the boats are back in port, the company provides maintenance services like sending divers down to clear off barnacles.
“We work hard to make sure the boat starts up when the owner needs it to so they never miss a boat trip,” he said. “We make sure the jet skis are fueled up and ready to go at a moment’s notice. For them, time is money. You have to make sure the boat is ready at a moment’s notice to value their time. Often they’re entertaining family or clients for business. We make sure they’re having a good time and keeping them happy.”
Many of the wealthy clients enjoy the boats because of the privacy they afford.
“These are people who are constantly sitting in business meetings or board meetings,” he said. “When you’re on a boat, you’re all by yourself with nobody to bother you. They value that privacy it’s a big part of their lifestyle. They lead interesting lives. Working for the ultra-wealthy is the privilege of a lifetime.”
Redick’s company employs around 30 people and is hiring. He said he’s been able to grow it over the past 11 years by staying focused on the same industry and growing deliberately. The next step might be to buy a boatyard. He’s not averse to eventually getting bought out by a competitor.
“It’s extraordinary,” he said. “When I started the company in 2012, I was just trying to make a living, and my goals and aspirations get bigger every year. I’m the son of a truck driver from Merrillville, and now I spend a lot of days on the water with CEOs developing relationships with clients. I spend time with ultra-wealthy people. I’ve been following my vision and seeing more and more opportunities for achievement.”
For more information, visit eliteyachtusa.com.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Lou Malnati’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Crumbl Cookies, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Encore Car Wash opening
Coming soon

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria is coming back for another slice of the Northwest Indiana market and has announced an opening date for its second Region restaurant.
The Northbrook-based purveyor of one of Chicago’s most iconic deep-dish pizzas will open at 10706 Broadway in Crown Point at 4 p.m. Feb. 6. The pizzeria is now under construction next to Jersey Mike’s Subs in a strip mill across from Beacon Hill, the booming development that’s turned a stretch of Broadway just off Interstate 65 into a bustling hub of dining, shopping and services.
Lou Malnati’s new 1,500-square-foot restaurant near the corner of Broadway and East 107th Avenue will be carryout and delivery-only. Like most of Lou Malnati’s new locations outside the city, it will not have a dining room.
In addition to the standard carryout and delivery, the new pizzeria will have curbside pickup and drop-off catering. The menu will include thin crust pizza, pasta, salads, appetizers, desserts and of course Lou Malnati’s celebrated deep dish pizzas, widely considered one of Chicago’s gold standards for the cheese- and tomato sauce-heavy pie that’s not for the faint of appetite.
Joseph S. Pete
Coming soon

The grand opening celebration on Feb. 6 will feature a day’s worth of events and festivities kicking off at 2 p.m. before the restaurant’s regular hours of 4-10 p.m. There will be raffles, a hot chocolate truck and a complimentary ice rink and skate rental.
Attendees will have the chance to win gift cards and Lou Malnati’s swag at raffles that will be pulled every hour between 4 and 8 p.m. Five people will win free pizza for a year. The first 100 customers to place carryout orders will get a Lou Malnati T-shirt.
Going forward, the new Lou Malnati’s plans to support various local charities and schools, including through sponsorships, fundraising and volunteering. It will donate 20{18875d16fb0f706a77d6d07e16021550e0abfa6771e72d372d5d32476b7d07ec} of sales on Feb. 7 to Crown Point Student Ministries and 20{18875d16fb0f706a77d6d07e16021550e0abfa6771e72d372d5d32476b7d07ec} of sales on Feb. 8 to Golden Hope Ministries. It also plans to partner with the Special Events Office of Crown Point, Bulldog Park and The Community Help Network.
Joseph S. Pete
Coming soon

The restaurant will employ about 50 workers. It’s still looking to hire kitchen crew, delivery drivers and other employees, who are invited to apply online.
Lou Malnati’s, which dates back to 1971, came to Indianapolis Boulevard and Main Street in Schererville in 2019. It has since spread across Indiana, opening in Carmel, Greenwood and Broad Ripple and the north side of Indianapolis. It’s also opening a location in the western Indy suburb of Avon.
It goes deeper. The family-owned chain is eying another location in Northwest Indiana.
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Coming soon

“We’re excited to expand in Northwest Indiana and join the growing Crown Point community with our authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza,” owner Marc Malnati said. “It’s been rewarding to be embraced by the people of Northwest Indiana and we can’t wait to open our new location in this thriving town. We look forward to serving them with our food, family and hospitality.”
In recent years, Lou Malnati’s has expanded to 75 locations in the Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Phoenix markets.
For more information, visit www.loumalnatis.com/crown-point or call 219-281-4050.
Joseph S. Pete
Almost open

Mattress stores, gourmet popcorn shops, craft beer bars, cookie bakeries and many other trends have swept the Region retail landscape over the years.
Right now, Nashville hot chicken is about as blistering as it gets, with a third Nashville hot chicken joint now torching palates with as many Scoville heat units as they can handle.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is the latest flamethrower to come scorching into town with more fiery fowl. The slinger of super-spicy chicken you can order with thermonuclear levels of capsaicin opens soon at 69-A U.S. 41 in Schererville. It took over the former Port of Peri Peri spot that also specialized in spicy chicken, but of the Portuguese variety instead of the trendy Tennessee version that’s taken the country by storm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken started in Los Angeles in 2017, drawing lines after Eater LA gave a rave review with the headline: “East Hollywood’s Late Night Chicken Stand Might Blow Your Mind.”
It has exploded to more than 300 locations around the country with the backing of celebrity investors like Big Kahuna Burger aficionado Samuel L. Jackson and the rapper Drake in a true “started from the bottom, now we here” story.
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Almost open

The hip restaurant features colorful street art-inspired murals, indie soundtracks and chicken sliders and tenders that can be ordered to the intensity of one’s taste, depending on one’s tolerance for heat. They come in seven spice levels ranging from no spice to reaper, which requires you to sign a waiver.
Sides include fries, kale slaw and mac and cheese.
The new Dave’s Hot Chicken in Shops on Main is located just a few miles north of the new Byrd’s Hot Chicken that just opened in the former Vegas Cafe space in Schererville, and a few miles east of the Chick & Shake that’s serving up the blistering bird in Centennial Village in Munster. So you’ve got choices if you’re looking to reenact an episode of “Hot Ones” with your friends.
Nashville hot chicken blends spices right into the batter, an idea a spurned Tennessee woman had in order to get revenge on her philandering lover but that he enjoyed so much they ended up opening a restaurant together, popularizing a version of fried chicken that’s become a Music City staple and now a national culinary trend.
Dave’s Hot Chicken will be open between 10:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
For more information, call 219-319-5032 or visit daveshotchicken.com.
Joseph S. Pete
Coming soon

Cookie shops haven’t cooled off in popularity either.
Crumbl Cookies, which recently opened in Dyer and Valparaiso, is coming to a new retail center that’s going to be built at 1600 79th Ave. in Merrillville, at the stoplight entrance to Costco and Lowe’s. It will also feature an American Mattress store and a Tropical Smoothie Cafe with a drive-through.
Utah-based Crumbl Cookies offers more than 130 rotating flavors of cookies like cookies & cream, lemon bar, mint chocolate chip and classic pink sugar. They come in pink oblong four-pack, six-pack and 12-pack boxes meant to look distinctive so people will share photos of the sweet treats on social media.
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Coming soon

It’s worked. Crumbl is one of the fastest-growing cookie chains in the United States with more than 300 locations.
It will share the strip mall with Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a chain that dates back to 1997. It specializes in smoothies made from fresh fruits and veggies as well as sandwiches, salads, wraps, flatbreads and other lunch fare generally on the lighter and healthier side.
“This is an exciting new retail center coming to Merrillville,” said Brett McDermott with Latitude Commercial, who represented the landlord in the transaction. “The project will break ground in the next month or two with delivery date in the third quarter. We were able to successfully work with the landlord in filling 100{18875d16fb0f706a77d6d07e16021550e0abfa6771e72d372d5d32476b7d07ec} of the building. The developer also plans on building a similar center on the vacant land next to Culver’s.”
Joseph S. Pete
Open

Encore Car Wash is now cleaning road salt and grime off of rides in South Hammond.
The new car wash, which bills itself as “Chicagoland’s Brightest Local Business,” opened next to 7855 Cabela Drive in Hammond. As you may have inferred, that’s near the Cabela’s outdoor superstore southwest of the Indianapolis Boulevard exit on Interstate 80/94.
Drivers can buy an individual car wash or sign up for a membership.
The fledgling chain also has a location in Plainfield and is expanding to Westmont and Oak Lawn.
It’s open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, visit 317-245-8647 or visit encorecarwash.com.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email [email protected].
Joseph S. Pete
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