When you really love the water it shows. It is apparent that Peter Rogers loves the water. A self-proclaimed water rat, Peter has woven his passion and his office together to create an atmosphere that is both inspiring and fun. Immediately upon entering the building that houses his marketing, communications, and fulfillment company, PRA, you are immersed in the lake lifestyle. Adirondack chairs welcome people in the waiting area, a water fountain is gently heard in the background, sails and a deck surround the offices, but the gem in the middle is an actual boat. "It is the perfect setting to communicate to our clients that this is the land of 10,000 lakes and we Minnesotans can have a lot of fun," said Peter.

Peter grew up in the Lake Minnetonka area and his roots are bedded deeply. His love of the water has manifested itself in quite a collection of boats. He has raced with the Minnetonka Yacht Club for years, and his first love is sailing. He is also an avid fisherman, and loves boats of every kind. Therefore using a boat for an office was the perfect match for Peter. He began to investigate the idea further.

He started looking around for a boat with a large deck area that could accommodate a good work space. As he passed by Tonka Bay Marine one day he noticed what appeared to be an old 28' Safticraft Deluxe Sedan (his research led him to this conclusion with relative certainty).The open hull on the boat made it a good fit for the end product. It turns out that the boat had been used as an icebreaker on Minnetonka each spring.

Peter had the boat towed to another location where it was sandblasted and then towed to the construction site. They had to tow the boat into the shell of the office building before they could put up the final walls. Once in place it was easy to imagine that the boat would become the centerpiece. It definitely needed a lot of work to get there though.

Jeff Danberry, of The Danberry Company, was strongly recommended by many of Peter's friends. So Peter called Jeff and asked him if he wanted to tackle a new type of construction. Jeff was excited about the prospect of doing something so unique and rose to the challenge of restoring the boat and incorporating great work spaces and work storage. The desk was designed and built specifically for the hull of the boat, as was the credenza, file cabinets, and extra seating for guests.

The details add to the authenticity of the boat/office. There is teakwood on the floors and actual boating cleats are used as hardware on the drawers. The aft cabin is still somewhat private and houses a place to relax, a small bar, and a bit of storage. The ropes, original sporting decals, canopy and lights are the perfect finishing touches for this special office.

The fun doesn't stop with this central piece though. The company's office space also has a harbor house. It is furnished with director style chairs that you'd find on many boats. There are flags running down from the harbor house that don the names of employees on one side and clients on the other. There is also a huge sail as a backdrop that once belonged on Tommy Burrton's A-boat.

Now that he has finished his special office space Peter has found a new way to appease his passion for boating. He is in the midst of refurbishing a boat named The Madame. It belonged to his parents and was named after his mother. When they said they were going to get rid of it, he quickly stopped them and began the refurbishing process. After the boat is finished he will make good use of it by doing "The Loop."

The Loop is for adventuresome boaters that want to travel around the United States and part of Canada via the water. The various waterways used to do the loop are sprinkled along the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, the Tennessee River and the Intercoastal waterways. You can use the waterways to go whatever route you choose, and you can take varying amounts of time. Some boaters finish in as little as six months; others take their time over the course of a couple of years. Peter will begin his trek in Fort Meyers and will head up the east coast to the Erie Canal. The Madame happens to be the ideal size to make this trip; very manageable and maneuverable. Between legs of the trip he will fly home, work for a few weeks and fly back out to make another leg. It should prove to be the trip of a lifetime.

Peter Rogers is like many of us all-around water enthusiasts. His passion is contagious and inspiring. His is an enviable lifestyle. Even when he is at work he can capture the feeling of the water. When seated at Peter's desk, the view is out the stern of the boat where a line has been set and has caught a large Snook. The Snook is part of a painting on the wall that encompasses his view. The rest of the painting is of the Sanibel Island area and was painted by artist Ed Philpot. (Ed's name has appeared alongside Terry Redlin as he is a fellow habitat stamp contest winner.) Peter said "the painting reminds me that good things are not far away."

By Nancy Henke