Riverview Boat Store Considers St. Louis Area Expansion

Just a few months after expanding to the St. Louis metropolitan area, Riverview Boat Store is looking for a larger base of operations.

The new store, located at 6011 Godfrey Road in Godfrey, Ill., delivers groceries and supplies directly to vessels operating on the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers.

Founded in Bellevue, Iowa, as Bellevue Boat Store, the company continues to maintain a store there as well. Associated companies, including a tug service, currently have operations in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Louisiana and operate 15 vessels. Together, the companies have about 100 employees.

The new Godfrey, Ill., store is currently located in two, 6,000-square-foot warehouses, with one handling the deck supply business and the other groceries. The store hopes to relocate into a 15,000- to 20,000-quare-foot warehouse, which would make it similar to how its Bellevue location functions, said Capt. Jeremy Putman, president of the Riverview Family of Companies.

“It’s been well received,” Putman said of the new store. “Business has been exceptionally good.”

He attributes the success to more than 25 years of experience in the business, a commitment to caring for mariners’ needs and close attention to customer service, all of which have spread positive word of mouth.

Three generations of Putman’s family have worked on the river as pilots and tankermen, so Putman sees his business not as a grocery but as an extension of companies’ and crews’ missions to move products safely and efficiently, making sure they have the quality food and equipment to do so.

“I’ve been 100 percent involved in the river business my entire life,” he said. “We are not a grocery store. We’re not giving you outdated produce. We’re not giving you outdated milk we have to sell. We’re solely focused on the river industry.”

Putman said that means if a cook didn’t list specifics on a grocery order, Riverview employees are trained to call to make sure they get exactly what they want.

“I make sure and reach out, get those questions asked, that we don’t go out and assume that’s what the cook wants and throw it on there,” he said.

In the rare event that there is a problem, the store also takes responsibility to make it right for the customer and to do so quickly, he said, as in a recent case where three cans of pumpkin pie filling were delivered to a boat instead of pure pumpkin.

When the boat called, “I said that’s not a problem,” Putman said. “We’ve got boats from St. Paul all the way down to Dubuque. One of those boats will get them to you.”

Kelly Weirich, manager of the Godfrey store, talked about recently going out on a boat with Putman at 2 a.m. to deliver groceries because that was what was convenient for the customer.

“I like working for someone who thinks that way with the customers,” she said.

With a background in food distribution, Weirich said she has appreciated the opportunity to bring that knowledge into the maritime space. She enjoys making sure the beef, pork and chicken delivered to boats is top quality and is always glad to track down seasonal or hard-to-find items, which have included specialty drinks and ice cream this summer.

Weirich said she also likes seeing the business grow as a result. The Godfrey store has eight employees and was expecting to add two more within the next week.

She said it is especially exciting to lead a division of a women-owned business, also highlighting its significant employment of women. The Godfrey store’s workforce is more than 75 percent female, she said.

Putman said it has also been enjoyable getting to expand Riverview’s customer base, getting to know crews who don’t typically make it up the river as far north as the Bellevue store.

For those interested in ordering from Riverview’s Godfrey store, orders may be made by emailing orderSTL@riverviewboatstore.com. Printable and online order forms are also available at riverviewboatstore.com or by calling 563-872-3456.

Riverview Boat Store has more than 1,000 items in stock but can also accommodate special requests. While grocery orders can be filled around the clock as necessary, the company asks for a 24-hour notice, if possible. The company now completes deliveries in the St. Louis harbor daily, selling its own groceries as well as delivering for Sinclair and Barnes Marine.