Barrington couple's family business still cruisin' along after 75 years

Barrington couple Bob and Holly Agra are marking a significant milestone this summer with little-to-no fanfare.

It's the 75th anniversary of Mercury Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline, a third-generation family business owned by the Agras that has showcased the Windy City's architectural glories along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan to scores of sightseers.

"We're not really doing anything," said Holly about the company's anniversary. "It's very time-consuming to open and close for a seasonal business."

The Agras oversee a touring boat empire along the Chicago Riverwalk at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. Two Mercury vessels (The Skyline Queen and The Skyline Princess) are for casual sightseers, while the Agras also operate four upscale ships (Chicago's First Lady, Chicago's Little Lady, Chicago's Fair Lady and the Lady Grebe) for public and private catered tours via their second company, Mercury Yacht Charters, Inc. Since 1993, Mercury's First Lady fleet has also partnered with the Chicago Architecture Foundation for the nonprofit organization's official boat tours.

It's a long way from the everyday speedboats that Portuguese immigrant Arthur Agra first operated from Navy Pier in 1935. The company later moved to the Michigan Avenue bridge docks in 1941, officially acquiring the Mercury name in 1943.

Bob's introduction to the family business was what he describes as "a trial by fire." Though Bob had worked for his family as a high school student starting in 1973, he had to assume leadership of the company three years later when his father, Robert Sr., unexpectedly passed away.

"For an 18 year-old it was kind of a handful," Bob said. "But I survived and the company survived and we've grown and I married a marketing genius."

Bob and Holly first met while attending school at Harper College, and they maintain their ties to the suburbs with business offices in Palatine (Holly chose the location in 1987 so she and her husband could be close to their two sons' schools).

Bob says "it's a true partnership." Bob is in charge of vessel upkeep and accounting, while Holly handles the sales, marketing and community relations.

Bob credits his wife for having the vision to start up the successful luxury First Lady Cruises fleet in 1991 and coming up with other specialized Mercury cruise ideas like Canine Cruises for dog owners and Wacky Pirate Cruises for kids.

Of all the companies running river and lake cruises along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the Agras' ships are undoubtedly the most famous thanks to appearances in many Hollywood films. Chicago's First Lady is prominently featured in the 1997 Julia Roberts romantic comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding" and glimpsed in Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston's 2006 film "The Break-Up."

"The location managers always found us," said Holly, saying she and her husband never actively pursued film work.

One celebrity connection the Agras are reluctant to talk about is the August 2004 incident involving the Dave Matthews Band. While driving across the Kinzie Street Bridge, one of the band's tour bus drivers dumped 800 pounds of raw sewage into the Chicago River - and on top of passengers on an architectural boat cruise tour.

"It was very bad for a while," Bob said in terms of negative publicity hurting business. (The driver was fired and later pleaded guilty, while the Dave Matthews Band paid more than $200,000 in a settlement with the state of Illinois.)

"Unfortunately (Matthews) will have to live with this his entire life and we will have to live with it our entire business lives because of a bus driver who tried to take the easy way out," Bob said.

Despite the company's diamond anniversary, the Agras plan on keeping things pretty low key and running business as usual.

"We're just very proud of being able to be a part of Chicago for so many years and showcase Chicago to so many people from around the world," Bob said. "We enjoy it and we like showing off our city."

• Tours aboard the Mercury Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline and Chicago's First Lady ships continue through October. For tour information, call (312) 332-1366 or visit mercuryskylinecruiseline.com. For Chicago's First Lady reservations, call (847) 358-1330 or visit cruisechicago.com.