Company Profile: Atlantic-Meeco

Walking on Water
This marina company’s ability to build it all lets it deliver on its promises.

Building marinas requires water. Given that, one would think that a marina builder would be located near a large body of water, perhaps a coastline. It may seem surprising, then, that Atlanic-Meeco, a company that designs, engineers, manufactures and installs floating dock marina systems, has its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in McAlester, Oklahoma. Equally surprising is that land-locked Okalahoma has approximately 11,611 miles of shoreline (the company says that is just slightly less than the lower 48s’ Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf shorelines combined). In 1993, Meeco, in the business since 1961, was purchased by Atlantic Marina Services. The two names were combined and Atlantic-Meeco went forward as both a construction and service company.

The company operates on a high level of vertical integration and manufactures virtually all of the components used in its marinas. “This allows us the visibility to promise delivery that is consistently on time and within budget,” says Dan Adams Atlantic-Meeco’s vice president.

The builder offers a number of solutions to a marina’s concerns.
The Meeco System consists of a precision-crafted steel frame that is galvanized after fabrication, eliminating unprotected surface areas and extending its long-term rust resistance. This has become the most popular inland floating marina system in the U.S. The company duplicates it in aluminium for those who require use of the lighter-weight alloy.

For coastal saltwater applications it offers the Atlantic System. This system utilizes a monocoque wooden frame, Permacase flotation, and optional steel-reinforced concrete decking. It is the strongest floating system made for coastal marinas. The Atlantic System can be found on many coasts of the U.S. and abroad, Adams says.
Beyond docks, Atlantic-Meeco offers two wave attenuation marina systems. Its WaveWall is a heavy-duty system that can be used in stand-alone applications or incorporated into a floating dock. It is in use at marinas spanning the globe, from South Carolina to Japan. The HarborShield is a site-specific system that can provide protection from waves up to four-feet in height.
Atlantic-Meeco has also enjoyed success with its floating foundations. It provides the foundation for floating buildings and platformed service areas, such as restaurants. Each one is engineered specifically for its intended use.

Its Marina Services division consists of trained crews of marina technicians, strategically located throughout the contiguous 48 states, providing scheduled and emergency maintenance for docks built by Atlantic-Meeco and others.

The company manufactures its own components. Permacase Flotation—extreme-duty polyethylene rotationally-molded floats— provides a seamless single-piece encasement filled with non-absorbing polystyrene. It maintains its buoyancy even if ruptured, will not chip or crack, and resists damage from petroleum products, marine life, impact, ice and snow, Adams says.

The decking is also to top standards. While the company will construct decks to suit the customer’s desire, its concrete decks are noteworthy because they are wet cast versus dry cast. This delivers significantly superior strength. When using wood for decks, Atlantic-Meeco recommends ipé. With an eye on the future, the company purchases the wood only from growers who harvest under the guidelines and techniques of sustainable yield forest management as established by the International Tropical Timber Organization.

With its commitment to building and maintaining marinas to the highest possible standards, and its recent acquisition of Sullivan Flotation Systems, a manufacturer of commercial marina systems in Warwick, New York, Atlantic-Meeco is well poised to maintain its position as a major force in marina construction.

For more information, visit atlantic-meeco.com, or contact Dan Adams at 1-800-627-4621 or email him at dan@atlantic-meeco.com.