MARK SCHOOLINGMark is our senior gondolier, having rowed for us for almost 10 years. He trains all the new gondoliers, instructing them on all the skills they'll need to be great gondoliers! Mark is a gradulate of Cal State Fullerton, and a professional photographer, as well. He runs the office for us on Fridays and Sundays and does a great job! We are very grateful to have Mark on board. And does he have stories......You've seen Mark row on TV shows & in movies.

ALEX BOULLANAlex has been rowing since 2005. His hobbies include surfing, music, soccer and sailing. He graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 2006 and is currently attending Orange Coast College. Alex loves traveling and exploring new places and meeting great people from all over the world on his gondola! He may soon be away at college, but promises to come back to row during vacations.

TIM ILLERNicknamed "St. Tim" at the Gondola Company, Tim rows for us in between many charity trips to India, where he assists with free cataract surgeries for hundreds of people, and charity trips to Mexico where he developed a nutrition program and solicits good food for orphanages. He is also a special education teacher and moonlights as a clown for chilrdren's parties. He plans on traveling through South America in the fall. We are always happy to welcome him back from his good works.

PARKER HARRISONParker has been rowing for us for 3 years. He is a skilled gondolier who rows with the best of them! He is also a world class surfer, who is always in the ocean by 5:30 a.m. every morning, rain or shine! He attends Orange Coast College. We are so happy to have Parker on our team! This personable young man always has a winning attitude, a ready smile, and is also responsible for gondola washing every Saturday morning!

EDDIE RIVERAEddie is a remarkable young man, who has been rowing for us for 5 years! Like our other gondoliers, he has a winning attitute, is always ready, willing and able to row.  In fact, he loves rowing so much, he's taking a year off from college to be here full time for us!  His interests range from working on play productions, to music. We are so lucky to have this charming young man as a representative of Gondola Co. of Newport!

MIKE OLSENMike has been rowing for us for the past 2 years. He has lived in Newport for many years and does yacht maintenance to perfection during the day. He also plays a pro game of tennis! He knows the waters of Newport well! He has also returned to college, pursuing his dream of earning a degree. We've never seen Mike in a bad mood! He's always smiling and commenting on what nice, interesting people he meets on his gondola. He always says, "Is there anything I can do to help before I leave?" We are very lucky Mike found us and became a gondolier!

MICHAEL ANGELO RUFFINOMichael graduated from Biola University and rows for us in between his travels. He is a substitute teacher and just returned from 9 months teaching English in Argentina and exploring South America. He also teaches English as a Second Language via Skype for a university in Spain! And he has had a band, writes music and performs! He is a personable, talented, intelligent young man and a valued gondolier!

Some of Our Gondolier Graduates: We are so proud of them all!

MILAN ROUSSETMilan was the 2nd of 3 brothers who rowed for us. Since graduating from college, Milan owns an on-line furniture store, Furniture to Go! He's still in town and we're always happy to see him!

NOLAN ROUSSETNolan was the 3rd brother to row for us. Since graduating from UCSB, he is an accountant with the City of Santa Barbara. He stops by to see us when he's in town visiting family.

SCOTT SOMERSScott graduated from USC and USC School of Medicine and is now in his first year of residency at UCI in Internal Medicine. He lives nearby and when he has a minute (almost never), comes by to say hi. In a few years, he'll be hanging up his shingle in Newport Beach! You'll be in good hands!

JEREMY BALMERJeremy rowed for us for 9 years and trained several of our current gondoliers. He moved to Norfolk, Virginia, married, and just stopped in to show us his darling 16 month old daughter, Elizabeth. He is in plumbing school, and will soon be qualified as a master plumber! He took his family for a cruise for old times sake and says rowing a gondola is like riding a bicycle ... you never forget!

IAN BAILEYIan left us after a number of years as a fabulous gondolier and set out to see the world! He is working for a cruise ship line. Where is he? We don't know! But you can bet he's having a lot of fun! Ian, call home!

JOSHUA SOPPJosh was a really terrific gondolier. He graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in film ... so talented! We had him row one of our TV show cruises, The Batchelorette ... and suggested he bring his resume! THEY HIRED HIM AWAY FROM US! We were delighted he got this opportunity! Newly married to a fabulous young woman, Josh has worked on just about every reality show there is in the past four years. He is spending the summer 2010 in Alaska, filming some secret show. When he can, he comes back to row during Valentine's Week, because he loves being a gondolier! Did I mention he's also a certified bee keeper?!