About
Brightwell's Boathouse

John Brightwell and Leslie Brightwell

John Brightwell's lifelong passion has always been about boating. After dedicating over 40 years of his life to marine customer service with other boat dealers in Iowa, in July 2007 John and his wife Leslie opened Brightwell's Boathouse Inc. in Urbandale, later moving to a location where the store now is, just south of Grimes. His passion for boating began when he was about 5 years old at his dad's boat business in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. John's dad sold Larson, Naden, Thompson, Chetek, Yellow Jacket, and Brunswick boats and he was one of the first boat dealers in Iowa to sell Mercury Outboards. Our experienced staff has the knowledge, dedication, and passion to serve all of your boating needs.

Leslie Brightwell's love of boating began with annual trips to Leech Lake as a young girl with her parents and family. Those experiences led to a love of boating for her parents as well, who have a boat and home in Charlevoix, Michigan. The family spends a lot of time there each summer and also time skiing and snowmobiling there each winter. Along with boating, Leslie also has a passion for travel and horses. Leslie and daughter Ashley showed horses for many years together, and are still involved in horse activities and functions. She enjoys living with John, son Ross, and John's daughter Cassie on their acreage west of Adel.

Ashley Zika

Ashley Zika started her career in the marine industry in 2003 working part time for John and has been at Brightwell's Boathouse since it opened in 2007. She does the office work and helps out with parts and accessories sales. Ashley enjoys spending time with her family, going boating, camping, and snowmobiling, as well as spending time with horses. Most days you will find her 2 little girls tagging along with her to work. Ashley lives outside of Adel with her husband Jamie and their girls, Jaylee and Jentry.

Randy Brightwell

Randy Brightwell switched to the marine business in 1987 after 16 years in automotive service and parts. Now with 30 years behind him in repairing and servicing stern drives and outboards, Randy is a great asset to the business. An avid boater and fisherman, Randy is a member of the Des Moines Powerboat Club and the Izaak Walton League. Most weekends from May through September, Randy can be found on the Des Moines river enjoying boating and maybe catching some fish. Randy also enjoys riding his bike on the Des Moines and Saylorville bike trails. John is very proud to have his brother Randy join the team at Brightwell's Boathouse. With Randy's experience, organization, and commitment we are extremely fortunate to have him.

Nathan Lundeen

Nathan Lundeen joined the sales team in October 2017. He grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in the summers spent time at the family cabin in the Brainerd lakes area. After college he moved up to the Brainerd lakes area and lived there for 24 years. During his time in the Brainerd lakes area Nathan owned his own guide service and custom boat rigging, as well as having some boat sales experience at two dealers in the area. Nathan moved to Des Moines in 2012 and enjoys fishing, motorcycling, spending time with his family, his church, and still spending time at the family cabin.

Mark Ellison

Mark Ellison is from the Ankeny area and grew up camping and fishing with his family. He started in the boat business in 1983 at Des Moines Boating Center and worked in the boating industry for 10 years. In 1997 Mark took up residential construction but continued to work on boats on the side. Mark is very knowledgeable in the marine service area and has attended school and has practical experience in OMC, Mercruiser, and MercOutboard. Mark has also completed the following courses with Mercury Marine: Marine Tech Fundamentals, Fuel Systems, Electrical Systems, Outboard Systems, and Mercruiser. Mark has known John and Randy for many years and is excited to be back in the boating industry. He looks forward to seeing many old friends and faces. Mark and his wife Terri have a daughter Shelibee. In his spare time he enjoys fishing and boating on the Des Moines River.

Ben Nelsen

Ben Nelsen grew up in a small town in northwest Iowa which started his love for the outdoors. He attended Iowa Lakes Community College majoring in marine engines. Since graduating, Ben has been a mechanic in the marine business for over 15 years. Ben has kept up to date on all of the continuous changes in the marine business by attending classes at Mercury University, completing classes from old motors to current Mercury models and everything in between. During his free time Ben enjoys many outdoor hobbies. He is an avid fisherman and enjoys bass tournaments on occasion. He loves to hunt, snowmobile, and anything on the water. He also enjoys playing pool during the week. Ben is currently living in Ankeny with his wife Kim, their son Kalen, and their three cats.