Mitch grew up nowhere near the water but a summer trip to Lake George in 1979 changed that forever. After bringing home an orange and white Formula Thunderbird in 1983, Mitch’s parents discovered Candlewood Lake and joined Candlewood East Beach & Sailing Club. In 1983, the family took a leap of faith and joined the boating industry by purchasing Candlewood East. Since then, he has been involved in all thing’s lake related, from sailing to barefoot skiing to sunset cruises. Mitch met his wife Lori by chance and never said goodbye. Together they have raised 5 beautiful daughters on Candlewood Lake. When he’s not at work you’ll never find him. He has been the victim of fun forever!

Mike has been privileged to be a part of the Candlewood East Service Department since joining the team in June of 2002 after retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel specializing in Logistics from the US Marine Corps after 22 years of service. He has enjoyed being part of some of our biggest developments and expansions over the last 20 years and still gets excited about our system improvements and the growth we continue to enjoy as a team. Over the years, Mike has enjoyed seeing the change in systems within the boats themselves; the implementation of electronics, computerization and efficiencies is never ending and a testament to our industries thirst for innovation. In his off-time Mike enjoys classic muscle cars and trucks, often sneaking out with Sandy for a Sunday lunch ride, being outdoors and spending time working in their yard and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. The biggest satisfaction Mike has from his time at Candlewood East is the friendships that have formed over the years. There’s nothing better than seeing families start out in their first boat with a toddler in tow and watching those same kids grow up as young adults starting adventures of their own. Seeing “Mom and Dad” transition to “Grandma and Grandpa” never gets old!

Born and raised on Candlewood Lake, Michele channeled her childhood passion for tubing into a career in the boating industry. In 2017, after graduating from Roger Williams University, she started her career at Candlewood East Marina in the Accounting Department. She is involved in the Connecticut Marine Trade Association and is a member of the David Parker 20 Group. Her free time is spent out on the water with her husband Mike who she met at a Bob Soven Pro Rider event at the Marina in 2014.

Lori is the proud dog mom to two German Shepherds. When she’s not at work, you’re likely to find her outside soaking up the sun with a kombucha in hand. A fun fact about her is that she learned how to wakeboard and wakesurf in her 40s!

Sandy has been part of Candlewood East since the beginning. Graduating from college she returned home to the family business before joining her husband Mike to travel the world until he retired from the US Marine Corps. Returning in 2009, she joined the Admin Team and has the pleasure of working with family, amazing employees and the wonderful members of Candlewood East Marina Club. In her free time Sandy loves the beach, is a passionate reader, a loving mom, a very proud dog mom, treasures time with her children, loves Sunday lunches with Mike and family time! Something you may not know about Sandy is she is very passionate about rescuing dogs and at one point in her life was a dog mom of 4 beautiful rescues and is blessed to still have one today!

Chris turned his childhood passion for boating into a career when he started at Candlewood East Marina in 2013. He began waterskiing at the age of three but now enjoys wakeboarding and wakesurfing with his wife, daughter, family and friends. In case you ever get quizzed, Chris loves cookies, named his daughter after a local lake and enjoys teaching others how to wakeboard and wakesurf.

Travis is a Candlewood Lake native and grew up skiing behind his family’s 1976 Correct Craft Mustang. Once he was introduced to wakeboarding in the late 90s, he was hooked and knew he found the industry he wanted to be in. Travis joined the Candlewood East team in 2005 and has worn many hats around the marina since then including main gate and yard attendant, shrink wrapper and pro shop assistant. Helping customers get into the right wakeboard evolved into Travis teaching them everything from how to get up on a board to landing their first invert. From there his role transitioned to helping those same customers get into the boat of their dreams as a member of the Sales Team. In season, you can find him out on the lake in his Nautique 230 with his family and friends. In the off season, you’ll find him either out on the ice, snowboarding or in his garage working on his cars.

Brooks has a history as a successful Sales Manager with a strong track record in sales planning and management. He has joined the Candlewood East Marina Sales Team, where his lifelong love for boating is being put to excellent use. Brooks was first introduced to boating by his father, who served in the Navy. He spent many summers on his uncle's cabin cruisers, exploring the Long Island Sound. After a break from boating, Brooks and his wife rediscovered their passion for the water twelve years ago, and have been enjoying family boating trips on Candlewood Lake ever since. In May of 2023, Brooks uncovered an older Cobalt 252, which is now part of his family's boating adventures. His enthusiasm for all things boating is infectious and he looks forward to sharing his expertise to help customers discover their boating dreams.

After his grandfather handed him the wheel of their 1970’s Glastron Tri-Hull with a Johnson Outboard at the age of seven, he knew boating was going to be his calling. He was fortunate to join the Candlewood East Team in 2000. He took this passion further and obtained his Captain’s License in 2006, worked several years as a Captain for a Marine Towing and Salvage Company in the evenings and also began teaching his passion to students looking to get their CT Safe Boating Certificate and continues teaching through today. Outside of the boating lifestyle, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. Ryan and his family enjoy making their own products at home such as jams, applesauce, pickles and their favorite, Maple Syrup.

Bob joined the Candlewood East team in 2011 as the Parts Manager and was promoted to Service Advisor in 2013. He grew up on Candlewood Lake in Knollcrest in New Fairfield where he waterskied with the neighborhood kids. Bob enjoys playing the drums and guitar in his spare time…music is kind of his jam!

Tom has been working with Candlewood East Marina since 2020, but his history with the company is deeply rooted. He has been a parts customer since 1993 when he put his extensive background in the automotive industry to work fixing used boats so he and his buddies could water ski. In 2001, he bought a pre-owned Sport Nautique from Mitch Sr. and he later worked with a mutual non-profit organization, Leaps of Faith Adaptive Skiers, where he taught individuals with disabilities how to waterski. After retiring, Tom was interested in joining the Candlewood East team to follow his passion for boating and to work with a team and company he had always admired. If you get some time with Tom be sure to ask about his families cottage on Lake Zoar, how many boats he’s owned (spoiler alert, it’s over 12) and why he decided to stop barefooting.

Dave began working at Candlewood East Marina in 2002. Super Dave, as he’s been nicknamed, can drive anything you put in front of him. From a Marina Bull Forklift and Yanmar Tractor to a Ford F-450 Platinum Dually with a 30-foot Cobalt Boat in tow, he makes it look effortless. While he has a CDL Class A License, his favorite things to drive are his 1983 Pro Street 427 Powered Ford Ranger, 2009 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1. It safe to say he’s a Ford-guy. When the winter hits he doesn’t slow down, you can find him on the frozen lake or backcountry snowmobiling on his Arctic Cat Thundercat Snowmobile.

Before joining the team in 2014, Jamie had spent over 30 years as an auto mechanic with a passion for motorcycles and boats. He grew up on Candlewood Lake boating with his brothers and sister but it wasn’t until meeting his wife that he learned how to waterski. It’s tough to widdle Jamie down to just a few sentences. He enjoys woodcarving, makes a mean chicken tortilla soup, owns a Weimaraner rescue dog and has owned over 10 motorcycles. If you get a chance, ask him about his interest in Hemmingway.

DJ started with us in 2006 as a Yard Assistant. After training with our team, he has worked his way to a certified Marine Technician. While he enjoys working on boats his “reel” passion is fishing. You can find DJ fishing all year round, a hobby he hopes to pass on to his two kids. If you need a good lunch reco be sure to look up DJ, he knows all the best local spots.

Bridgit started working summers at Candlewood East in 2009, continuing through high school, college, and grad school and finally transitioning to a full-time position in 2021. Even though she was bom and raised on Candlewood, she's not the best at water sports and prefers just going along for the boat rides. In her free time she enjoys painting, baking, and trying out all kinds of restaurants. If you've got any suggestions, let her know

Chris decided to turn his hobby of boating into a career in 2005 after selling his property maintenance company. He could not pass up the opportunity to work with the O’Hara family and helped transform the Candlewood East property into the gem it is today. When he’s not working you can find Chris playing with cars, trucks and motorcycles (he's hoping to pass that passion on to his grandson).

Miguel began working for the Candlewood East Marina team in August of 2007. With an attention to detail he enjoys learning about the ever-changing boating industry and hopes to own his own in the future. In his free time Miguel enjoys being a DJ and making remixes…it’s a passion he’s had for years. When he’s not dropping the beat he enjoys the adrenaline high of racing jet-skis. Try and keep up!