SEGMENT 2: The Trucking Business that Made It All Possible

While today the Gardella family is known for operating Rex Marine Center and Norwalk Cove Marina, it was Lou Gardella’s trucking business that first provided the opportunity to enter the boating world.

At age 18, in 1923, Lou purchased a used truck and began delivering freight between Norwalk and New York City for the Hansen Boatline. The company was soon acquired by the Thames River Line, and Lou continued transporting freight for the operation.

Lou’s small trucking company quickly proved successful. As demand grew, he began purchasing additional trucks and hiring drivers.

Several major events of the time helped accelerate the trucking industry. Following World War I, the need to move large amounts of materials increased dramatically. Then in 1922, a major railroad strike crippled many rail systems that freight companies depended upon. As rail transport faltered, trucking companies suddenly became essential to moving goods throughout the region.

This shift created a major opportunity for Lou’s growing business.

By 1931, the Louis J. Gardella Company had established daily freight service to New York City and New Jersey. Despite the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the business continued to expand.

In 1935, the U.S. Congress placed the motor truck industry under the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Lou’s company was granted rights to operate in fourteen states and the District of Columbia, a remarkable achievement for a business that had begun with a single truck.

Then, in 1936, an opportunity arose that would change everything.

On April 7, 1936, Lou was awarded a franchise from the Chris-Craft Corporation, at the time the world’s leading builder of recreational powerboats. His trucking business was still operating on Cross Street in Norwalk when Rex Marine Sales, the forerunner of Rex Marine Center, was established.

The story often told in the Gardella family is that Lou had simply wanted to own a Chris-Craft boat himself. To obtain the dealership, he was required to purchase two boats. By selling the second one, Lou found himself officially in the boat business.

The original Chris-Craft franchise document remains framed in the Rex Marine's Ships Store today.

The trucking business made it possible, but the next move made it permanent.

Up Next: How Rex Marine Found its Home on the Norwalk Harbor.