PASCAGOULA—Repurpose it and they will come! That is where David Boland’s brain has been lingering for the past 25 years as he was handed hit after hit in trying to keep Pavco Wood Products in operation on River Road in Pascagoula.
Pavco was in operation since 1947 and had 200 employees in its hay day with raw product being delivered by water and rail to create wood paneling. But with the changing technology, overseas tariffs, and big-box stores as competitors, Boland knew that Pavco wouldn’t last forever and closed it in 2024 with only 27 employees.
Originally the industry created wall paneling in the 60s and imported logs from South America that would drop the logs in the river. They were floated down Krebs Lake and stored in the lake behind the property. The Boland family purchased the industry in 1972 and began creating kitchen cabinets, but technology and overseas prices drove the smaller operations out of business.
“We would bring the logs up, debark, peel and make wall paneling,” Boland said. “That went away as the embargo stopped us from bringing in wood from South America.”
So, a developer he is, he couldn’t just sit back and wait. He took the lemons and made lemonade, and now he is also cooking steaks and other great foods at the River Road Boat Club. What started with a pier and a footbridge for employees to use to fish gave me the view of beautiful sunsets and a plan.
“I thought, this is cool, and I think I want to build a little house here, Boland said. “I started designing the boat house and then built a dock. I am going to use this space.”
Hurricane Katrina flooded the space that is now the boat club. I was the former location of a 5500 square food office space but ended up with 3 inches of mud and about 100,000 live fish that died and stunk, he said.
“It was nasty, so we tore the building down,” Boland said. “It became a boneyard of old equipment after once serving as a space for bringing in logs that were floated down the river.”
And so, it began. Someone suggested a marina in that location, so Boland purchased floating docks from a local marina and stored them until proper permitting was obtained. He also built dry boat storage and upgraded the launch. The new buildings, he said, were probably overbuilt but will withstand winds of 160 miles per hour.
Today the boat club is open six days a week with a full bar, inside and covered outside seating and a bandstand where live music fills the evening air under the stars. There is a full-service kitchen that has a full menu with daily specials. The space is available for rent for private events and parties as well. But he said he isn’t done.
“How do I develop the rest of my waterfront,” he said referring to the big, steel warehouse that once loaded and unloaded raw and finished products and buzzed with the sounds of saws. “It isn’t pretty, but it has potential.”
Along with food and music, the boat club currently has 11 wet slips with plans underway to add 12 more in the coming months. It also has 34 covered bays for trailered vessels or RVs with other plans to add warehouse storage that includes launching service along with engine flushing and rinsing.
For more information, follow the River Road Boat Club on Facebook.
