Ryba Marine Construction Co.

History & Development

Ryba Marine Construction Co. was formed in Cheboygan, Michigan in the late 1930′s when Steve Majestic opened his doors for business under the name Majestic Marine Sales & Service, Inc. as a marina for boat repairs and storage, but branched out in the early 1950′s to include marine construction.

In 1982 it was sold to well-known Mackinac Island businessman, Harry Ryba. Harry teamed up with Tom Morrish and Darrell “Chet” Wallace who had many years of experience in the marine construction industry and together, they expanded the company and continued the traditions of Majestic under the new name, Ryba Marine Construction Co.

Tom Morrish and Chet Wallace purchased Ryba Marine Construction Co. in 1987 from Harry Ryba and another new chapter began for the company. The company incorporated on May 1, 1987 under the official name, Morrish Wallace Construction, Inc. d/b/a Ryba Marine Construction Co. While expanding their capabilities and broadening their market throughout the years, Morrish and Wallace finally set their eyes on retirement and turned the operations over to Morrish’s son Zac.  Zac has worked at Ryba since 1997 and has been around the family business his entire life. Zac took over the role and responsibility of company President in 2011.

In 2019 Ryba Marine became an Employee owned company organized under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).   Zac was always mindful of the need for a succession plan and after a fair amount of research, he landed on the idea of making the company employee owned and creating a workforce that had a vested interest in the company’s success.  Under the new structure, Zac still remains the president, day-to-day operations continue as usual and the family legacy is carried on.

Presently, Ryba Marine employs an average of 45 employees and heads multiple crews. Numerous clients include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, State of Michigan, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, several municipalities, utility companies, shipping firms, and many other commercial and private entities. At Ryba Marine there is never a job too big or too small.