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The Power of Better Episode 16: How MJ Electric Powered Navy Pier Marina
February 24, 1441
For more than 100 years, Navy Pier has stood as a symbol of Chicago’s culture and progress. Now, the newly opened Navy Pier Marina brings fresh energy to the north end of the pier, thanks in part to the work of M.J. Electric, a Powering Chicago signatory electrical contractor known for handling complex, high-profile projects.
The latest episode of The Power of Better takes viewers behind the scenes of this ambitious development, highlighting how expert electrical work and collaboration helped bring this modern marina to life.
The idea for a transient boat marina came from Chicago native Randy Podolsky, who wanted to attract new visitors to Navy Pier, Inc. without creating another residential harbor.
“I came up with the idea with Navy Pier to do a transient marina versus building another residential marina to compete with the Chicago harbors. Nobody needed or wanted to do that,” said Randy Podolsky, Owner of Navy Pier Marina. “I wanted to bring unique visitors to Navy Pier, and to do so, I had to go through the bid qualification process with Navy Pier, Inc. first, and then state and federal agencies.”
Advanced Infrastructure for a Signature Project
The marina includes 19 finger piers with 8,000 linear feet of side-by-side docking and 172 steel pillars installed in Lake Michigan. Each dock station required reliable power access. M.J. Electric managed the electrical portion of the build using prefabrication to overcome the site’s space limitations and to ensure pedestrian safety while Navy Pier, Inc. remained open to the public.
“We needed our prefab warehouse basically to lay out all the cable, coil it up, put it in crates so it could be lowered down to the docks so the guys could install,” said Wally Dickman, Superintendent at M.J. Electric. “We had all the substation and switchgear sent out to our prefab where we prepped it, had it all ready to drop in place.”
With 40,000 feet of marine cabling to install underwater, precision was critical.
“So what we ended up doing was we stretched it out on the dock itself, and then we pulled it up through underwater conduit that stepped down into the water approximately five feet on each end,” said William Hatton, General Foreman for M.J. Electric. “And then we slowly lowered the cable down into the water after that. Like I said, it was a little bit of a learning curve. It probably took a crew of five guys to do each cable. And we ended up having a total of six cables.”
Built with Safety in Mind
This public-facing project required a heightened focus on electrical safety. M.J. Electric installed ground fault protection at multiple levels to ensure optimal safety.
“You have GFCI protection not only at your pedestals, you have it at your secondary, and you have it at your primary,” said Hatton. “So it’s double, triple, quadruple check.”
The system is already compliant with 2026 ground fault standards, offering a level of electrical safety and performance designed to protect visitors, boats, and the infrastructure itself.
A Win for the City
The impact of the Navy Pier Marina is already visible.
According to Navy Pier, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Brian Murphy, “It’s just a new opportunity to come to the pier. What I saw on the first weekend here were boats from Michigan, from Wisconsin, and from Maine. There’s what they call loopers that go throughout the Great Lakes, and they stop at major cities. And without having this asset here available for one hour, for one day, for a two-week stay, was a huge miss for the city of Chicago”.
The project’s complexity required tight coordination and a high level of trust.
“MJ Electric’s been fantastic to work with. They’re super informed about their product. They’re very knowledgeable about obviously all things electric, and they were extremely supportive and cooperative and working together to get everything built on time and on budget,” said Podolsky.
Hatton reflected on the significance of the project.
“Just the fact that we built something that not many people could build. This was probably one of the top five projects I’ve been on since I’ve been in the trade. It’s just fantastic.”
With the technical skill of Powering Chicago member contractor M.J. Electric and the professionalism of IBEW Local 134 electricians, Navy Pier now has a modern, high-performing marina built to last. Watch Episode 16 of The Power of Better to see how trusted expertise powers one of Chicago’s most iconic destinations.
