Being part of the Rivergate team proves beneficial for Wright Marine

Wright Marine continues to go from strength to strength, significantly growing its premium superyacht services and offering top quality cabinetry and custom furniture services for the world’s most luxurious vessels.

When Shannon Wright entered the workforce to undertake a cabinet making apprenticeship, he never envisioned he would be where he is today – owning a cabinetry business that produces custom furniture services for some of the world’s most luxurious superyachts.

“I went straight into cabinetry from school, making furniture like dining room suites, chairs and sideboards,” Shannon said. “That led to an apprenticeship in boats as a third year. And from there, I just loved it. I loved boats and the bespoke work that it involves, so being the best cabinet maker was something I tried to achieve.”

Shannon established Wright Marine some 20 years ago and moved the business to Rivergate Marina and Shipyard in 2006 to capitalise on its premium location and reputation within the superyacht refit sector. As cabinet makers, Wright Marine offers the whole package for their customers - from selecting veneers and making the furniture, right through to varnishing and installing it.

“Being part of the Rivergate team is really beneficial for us as they go internationally to talk to the captains of boats,” Shannon said. “They get a scope of works from those captains and bring the work back to the onsite trades where we can quote the whole project and the Rivergate team can go and present that back to the captain, just so that they can get a feel of what everyone actually offers here and that we can actually do the whole package.”

While some might anticipate that having multiple trades in the one location could provide competition, Shannon argues that it’s the opposite – with businesses who offer similar or the same services relying on one another to ensure project deadlines are met.

“I think within the Rivergate team, there's a great relationship between other companies in here, so we can always call on someone to get that emergency job done and get it done on time,” Shannon said. “A couple of us over here do overlap, so it does help when a big job comes along that we can complete a job and get the task done on time.”

Interested in learning more about Wright Marine and the other onsite businesses at Rivergate? View our video interview with Shannon and other contractors over on our Facebook and LinkedIn.