Alger County Tourism

Mr. John Madigan serves as Executive Director at Munising Water Sports, Inc.  John Madigan is a native of Munising, Michigan, where he grew up playing sports and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He is a graduate of Mather High School.  John became a charter boat captain at the age of 18 and, while attending Northern Michigan University, navigated the waters of Lake Superior as his part-time job.  Upon graduating from NMU with a degree in education, John moved to Northern Illinois, where he taught high school for four years.  In 1986, John moved to California to run a construction company.  John and his family returned to Munising 23 years ago, and he has worked in the insurance business there ever since. In 2007, John also purchased an interest in Pictured Rocks Cruises in Munising, and became manager of the business two years later.  During the past years, he has led a number of projects, including two dock expansions and the acquisition of new vessels for the cruises, and a major renovation of an historic building in downtown Munising, now a regional interpretive center.  He also is co-owns Madigan’s Hardware in Munising, which was opened by his grandfather in 1920. Under Governors Engler, Granholm, and Snyder, John served on the Michigan Natural Resources Commission for 12 years.  He currently serves on the Michigan Travel Commission.  John is a member of the Munising Hospital Board; president of Munising Water Sports, which transports individuals by boat to meet their guided Pictured Rocks kayak trips; and co-chair of the Central Upper Peninsula Regional Prosperity Initiative.  In 2014, John launched the “Pictured Rocks Day” event, which today attracts over 7,500 visitors to Munising.  John and his wife Kris Madigan have a daughter, Kathleen.