If spending weekends out on the Puget Sound sounds like paradise to you, then Camano Marine is your ticket. A huge watercraft retailer, Camano Marine sells everything from kayaks to deep water fishing boats. “Our entire business is built on fun,” says owners Bruce and Leslie Hawthorne. “To us, boating provides the most enjoyment one can get.”

What hasn’t been fun has been the impacts from the pandemic. “Boat shows are our bread and butter, yet the coronavirus has completely shut down that aspect of our business,” say the Hawthorne’s. “We have been able to do a lot within our shop however, including implementing full CDC protocols and offering no-contact check in service for customers.”

Knowing the impact COVID-19 and the forest fires have had in the Northwest on local firefighters, Camano Marine is donating the purchase of a much needed GPS tracker so they can focus time and budget on other priorities, and Columbia Bank is paying the bill. “We are passing it on by donating a GPS tracker to install on one of the Camano Island Fire Department boats,” says Bruce Hawthorne. “Fire fighters are on the front lines, and with Columbia Bank’s help, we are making sure they have what they need,” says Leslie Hawthorne.