Austin Schell is the CEO of PORT 32 Marinas and serves on its Board of Directors. Austin believes that great customer experience starts with the people of PORT 32 and our desire to bring PORT 32 members an unparalleled level of service within the marine industry.

Austin has held many executive leadership positions over his career. His diverse industry experience includes client services, transportation and logistics, consumer healthcare, environmental services, and real estate. Prior to PORT 32, Austin was the President and COO of XOJET, the largest on-demand private jet services platform in North America, backed by TPG and Mubadala Investment Company. During his six-year leadership tenure at XOJET, Austin and his team of talented colleagues delivered industry-leading growth and profitability to investors and built a high-performance, customer-centric company culture. Other senior executive roles include COO of Modern Fertility and CFO of Wildlands. Prior to his experience building businesses as an operating executive, Austin served as a private equity investment professional at Parthenon Capital in San Francisco. He began his career in investment banking at UBS Investment Bank in New York City.

Austin is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia. When he’s not working or at home with family, Austin is often found cheering on his kids’ sports teams, traveling to see old friends, or offshore fishing.

Ms. Gabriel joined PORT 32 Marinas in November 2021 as the Chief Financial Officer bringing over 25 years of successful experience in accounting and finance mainly in the real estate sector. Her expertise includes driving change, finding efficiencies, and developing start-ups. She has experience with both public companies and PE spending the previous six years as Vice President and Controller with the Atlanta Braves where she oversaw the development, construction, and property management of 1 million square feet of mixed-use development known as The Battery Atlanta. Ms. Gabriel is a CPA and began her career with Ernst & Young after graduating from Lee University and receiving her master’s in accounting from Rhodes College.

Matt Juall leads the Port 32 Marinas acquisition business. Matt has over 20 years of real estate finance and leadership experience, most recently having worked in acquisitions and development for Grove Point Marinas, Integra Marinas, and Marina Development Partners. Prior to his active involvement in the marina business, Matt was SVP of finance and asset management for Turnberry Associates, a Florida private real estate company. Before this, Matt was an Executive Director with JPMorgan, managing the real estate banking origination business in Florida. Prior to JPMorgan, he was a senior executive with Bank of America, originating over $1 billion in loans for REITS, regional development firms, and CMBS clients. Additionally, Matt is a ULI, AMI, and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary member. Matt holds a Master's of Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a marketing degree from Jacksonville University.

Kishan Desai serves as the Vice President of Acquisitions at PORT 32 Marinas. Prior to joining PORT 32, he was Director of Acquisitions at Safe Harbor Marinas, where he led or assisted in over $1 billion worth of marina acquisitions. With extensive experience in operations, capital markets, and financial planning and analysis, Kishan leverages his hospitality upbringing and holistic marina experience to drive value for PORT 32 members by expanding the network through quality assets and personnel. Kishan completed his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in finance from Louisiana Tech University.

Chelsea leads people strategy, talent, development, and workplace efforts as VP of Human Resources. With over 15 years of experience in the hedge fund, private equity, and tech startup space, she brings expertise in people operations, organizational effectiveness, talent development, and talent acquisition. Chelsea has a track record of delivering tangible business outcomes through managing change, leading teams, and partnering with senior leadership to deliver growth-driven solutions. She is passionate about building high-performing teams and creating a culture of excellence. Chelsea previously worked at two tech startups, where she was Head of People Operations and Chief of Staff. Before that, she worked in various people, operation, and strategy roles at a global New York-based hedge fund for 12 years. Chelsea graduated from The College of Charleston with a BS in International Business. She lives in Charleston with her husband and two boys.

Bruce Wallace is the Director of Operations for PORT 32 Marinas. Bruce began his carrier in the marine industry in 1990 as the Boatyard Manager for Ripley Light Marina in Charleston, SC. Bruce attended Ivy Tech Community College in Evansville, Indiana. Prior to the formation of PORT 32, Bruce was the Director of Operations for Atlantic Marina Holdings for 13 years. Over the last 30 years Bruce has worked in many areas of the marine industry from Dockmaster, Boat Yard Manager, General Manager to his current position as Director of Operations. Bruce serves on several marina regime boards in the PORT 32 portfolio. Additionally, Bruce has worked as a consultant for dock builders, penned articles in national publications on segments of the marine industry, and has formed and served as a multi-year board member on several fishing tournaments to benefit local charitable organizations.

Mike Vinson brings a wide base of experience in the marine industry to PORT 32 Marinas. Over the last 15 years, he has worked from the service end of the industry to his current position as VP of Operations for Florida. Mike has a vast knowledge of marina designs and operations. He has taken facilities with poor operational footprints, redesigning upland storage facilities to become more efficient and safer. He was the team leader on the renovations of our Palm Beach Gardens wet slips renovations. Additionally, Mike has been instrumental in the total redesign of our Fort Lauderdale boatyard and wet slip service facility. Mike's oversight of day-to-day operations has helped the Florida facilities to reach higher revenues due to increased occupancy and expense controls.

Nicki Biddix joined the PORT 32 Marinas team in December 2021. She graduated from East Tennessee State University with a B.B.S in History and English, as well as a B.B.A in Accounting. Nicki received her CPA license in 2009, and worked in public accounting for 10 years, 6 years of which were spent with PwC, where she worked on the audit teams of several large publicly traded and Fortune 500 companies. Nicki left public accounting in 2018 to join the hospitality industry in downtown Charleston, serving as the Director of Finance at the Mills House Hotel for several years.

Selita joined PORT 32 Marinas in April 2022 as the Senior Accountant bringing over 12 years of experience in the accounting field. Prior to working with Port 32 Marinas, Selita was employed by one of the leading cookware brands in the world, Le Creuset of America, where she was the Retail Accountant for seven years. There she worked with over 85 stores overseeing all sales revenue, rental agreements, and rental payments for all outlet stores while performing all daily and monthly duties. Selita received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Carolina Aiken in 2011, and her Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Phoenix in 2015. She devotes her spare time (outside of family and softball) as the treasure of a scholarship foundation called the Georgy Kinsey Memorial Scholarship which she helped develop in 2020.

Colby Billhardt is the Administrative Coordinator for PORT 32 Marinas. Prior to joining PORT 32, Colby was Vice President and Head of Investor Relations at 10X Capital, NYC-based venture capital investor and SPAC sponsor with over 200 active portfolio companies, aligning Wall Street with Silicon Valley by bringing institutional capital to high growth tech and tech-enabled ventures. She was responsible for the development of new investor relationships, maintenance of current investor relations, and business development. She created CRM and databased, led marketing and relationship-building efforts at conferences, and managed client and company data and contracts. Before her time at 10X Capital, Colby was a licensed real estate salesperson with Nest Seekers International and Brown Harris Stevens in New York City, having worked on a Top 5 Sales Team Nationwide ranked by the WSJ, personally selling over $60MM of inventory. Colby was responsible for procuring all independent sales and relationships, trained all new employees, conducted monthly reviews, and all marketing, communications, and business development. She was a Division One Volleyball player at the University of Connecticut until a career-ending injury and completed her college tenure at The College of Charleston.