The directors and principal shareholders of the company, John Dean and Richard Reddyhoff, are yachtsmen who have sailed many thousands of miles both independently and together.

John Dean was a founder of Dean and Dyball Limited, a civil engineering construction company, in 1970. This company specialised in marine civil engineering construction and subsequently diversified into waterside property development in the role of developer, contractor and operator. In 1979 Richard Reddyhoff joined the company and was responsible for all its major development projects.

In 1989 Dean and Dyball’s marina and property interests were sold to Marina Developments plc (MDL). John Dean and Richard Reddyhoff were employed by MDL for a fixed three year period to facilitate the handover of their projects, and at the end of this period, moved on to jointly form Dean & Reddyhoff Limited.

Dean & Reddyhoff Ltd’s first major venture was the development of Haslar Marina in Gosport. Starting from scratch, the new marina was opened less than a year after their contract was granted. The company then went on to develop Weymouth Marina – also from scratch – and later purchased East Cowes Marina as a run-down facility which they undertook to completely refurbish.

It was at this point that James Beaver joined the company as operations director, coming from a background of working in the luxury hotel and health club industry. James’ experience of delivering a service to 5-star standards shaped the way that Dean & Reddyhoff’s new marinas were managed. He instilled a strong emphasis on excellence in customer service that remains the hallmark of Dean & Reddyhoff’s operations.

In 2006 the company was selected to build and operate a new 600 berth marina in Portland Harbour, the venue for the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Construction work started in October 2007, prompting Dean & Reddyhoff to move its headquarters from Haslar Marina to Portland, to keep a closer eye on the project. At this stage Graham Latham was invited to join the board as company finance director.

More recently, Steve Godden – a former manager of Haslar Marina and previous company operations director – has rejoined the board of directors after a number of years managing marinas on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Work at Portland continues to progress fast. The marina itself opened in April 2009, while work on the wider development is continuing. Additional marina facilties, the bar/restaurant and on-site business units will reach completion throughout the spring/summer of 2009.