Pure Pier-fection
Alfanos Pier and Lift Enhances Life on the Lakes
Writer / Lois Tomaszewski
Photographer / Kari Lipscomb
Location, location, location is a phrase that helps realtors sell properties, but it is also a good reason to go to work, especially when that location is on the lakes in the region. It certainly was an incentive for Brandon Alfano, the owner of Alfanos Pier and Lift LLC.
I love the fact that I was outside every day and always moving around from job site to job site, he recalls. Each day was something new – people to meet, projects to complete or problems to help create solutions for.
After working for his uncle Marks construction company, Alfano learned about installing and removing piers. He says he quickly fell in love with lake life.
It was as if I was being paid to be on a permanent vacation, Alfano says.
Alfano opened his business in February of 2020. Experienced in the business, he spent 15 years working at other companies including Rookstools Pier Shop, Carmen Pier, and Davidsens Pier Service, before deciding to branch out on his own.
I learned to do piers by working next to the most intelligent people in this line of work, Alfano says.
His first job in the pier business was at Carmen Pier. He eventually went on to work for Rookstools and then Davidsens. At Davidsens, Alfano says he learned to refine all the skills he had developed along the way.
At Davidsens I was head supervisor for most of my time there, and really took a liking to running a crew of guys and leading them to getting the job done, he says. My natural ability to teach and lead a group of men daily had me thinking and believing my next move would be opening my own shop.
Alfanos Pier and Lift services customers in northern Indiana. Occasionally, however, he takes on jobs out of state. Most customers are local homeowners and second-home owners in the area. His business now includes a dozen marinas and condo piers, with more than $1.5 million in sales and service logged in two years.
Our customers are who allow our business to expand and have a five-star rating, Alfano explains. We believe in putting our customers first, and the great service is maintained both before and after the sale.
Alfanos Pier and Lift carries only name-brand boat lifts and products. There are five pier types available. Every attempt is made to provide customers with top-of-the-line service, too.
Our service to our customers is nothing short of the best in the area, Alfano says. The best part of this business is installing a new pier and/or lift. We take pride in how our piers and lifts look, and make sure its done to pier-fection. We love our job and what we do. When you love what you do, you wont work another day of your life.
The services he provides include the installation and removal of new and used piers and boat lifts, as well the painting and repairing of piers that need maintenance. One type of pier that eliminates pier maintenance is the Brock Deck pier, which Alfano can offer to customers.
One customer perk that Alfano says sets him apart from other companies is a 24-hour service call guarantee. This guarantees that he or his crew will be on-site within 24 hours to assess a problem with a customers pier or lift. Usually, he says, the problem can also be fixed within that time.
Lake life is short enough already, he says. I grew up on the lakes. I know how it feels to look out, wanting to fish or go on a boat ride, and your pier isnt in. We can relate to wanting to enjoy the short lake season by having the things you need to enjoy the lake life.
Alfanos business requires his six-person crew to work in all kinds of weather and conditions. Work begins as soon as the ice comes off the lakes, and the pace is hectic. The expectation is to get piers and lifts installed by Memorial Day and July 4.
These are two major dates that really make lake life fun for our customers, Alfano says.
Then, after Labor Day until the end of October, its busy again for those in the pier and lift business. This is the time when piers and lifts are removed and stored for the winter.
We have to balance this by working long days, and dealing with the cold weather and water, wind, rain and snow, Alfano says.
However, there are perks that offset the less enjoyable days on the lake. Even driving the barge that helps move the crew and lifts from job site to job site means that Alfano is spending time on the lake.
Its a joy to be able to drive around the lake daily, he says. Some people plan trips to the lakes but we have the ability to work on it daily and get paid to do so.
He is familiar with the lake life of the region. He attended Columbia City High School and grew up on Lake Tippecanoe, spending summers at his grandparents Stuart and Judy Alfanos house.
Every day on the lake was awesome, he recalls.
He is engaged to Kelsey Decker. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, Brandon Stuart Alfano Jr.
Alfano has plans to expand his business in the next 10 years to include multiple locations, and be able to service more customers across the region and beyond. It is his focus on exceptional service and quality work that will help him achieve this goal.
People pay for quality service, he says. We believe that is the way to grow. If you offer service and are fair to people, the rest will fall into place.
Contact Alfanos Pier and Lift at 574-526-2650 or find them on Facebook.
