The Great Outdoors: Docks and Lifts

By RYAN BRINKER

Photos by ADAM COLE

CWC OUTDOORS

“Some people can live on the lake and think its pretty to look at and never give a thought to having a dock or a boat,” said Mike Kennedy, owner of CWC Outdoors. “Then there are other people whose sole reason for living on the lake is to enjoy swimming and boating. That’s where we come in.”

Castlewood Construction has been a staple of the Topeka community since 1982. CWC Outdoors, however, is a little more recent, having been incorporated in 2012.

“It was actually an accident,” owner Mike Kennedy said regarding the origin of CWC Outdoors.

Castlewood Construction had a client out at Lake Sherwood who they had worked with for several years. He called up and asked them to build a deck and a dock. When Kennedy informed them that they would build the deck but that the company didn’t build docks, the client simply responded, “No, you don’t understand. I want you to build me a deck and a dock.”

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So they did. Then they built the neighbor’s dock. And then the lake out at Sherwood needed some work done.

In order to complete those repairs, CWC purchased some oats from ShoreMaster, a manufacturer of waterfront equipment. Shortly thereafter ShoreMaster contacted CWC to ask them if they would take over their product line in the region. They began building ShoreStation lifts and it just grew from there.

CWC is now the premiere provider for residential dock and lift needs in Shawnee County and the surrounding 25-mile radius. They provide both dock repair and construction of new docks.A dock can run between $5,000 and $70,000, depending on the specifications and particulars.

“We mostly build utilitarian docks that people can swim or fish off of or launch their boat from,” Kennedy said. “We’ve even done some dockson ponds.”