Bonnie Terkelsen

Like most of the Ocean Surfari team, Bonnie Terkelsen loves the sea – whether sailing on it, powerboating, going to the beach, or reading something intriguing while there.

In fact, it was the sea that brought her to the Virgin Islands.

Originally from Massachusetts, she and her husband quit their mainland jobs, sold everything and took off on a sailboat to cruise through the Caribbean.

“We met some people here on St. Thomas on our way further down the island chain and ended up falling in love with the people and the island, so we stayed,” shares Bonnie.

Her other loves are motorcycles and her three fur babies, her cats Lola, Meekers and Coki.

In her previous life on the mainland, she was an insurance underwriter.

Now that attention-to-detail skill set helps her in her role as Administrator where she wears many hats – accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, insurance, licenses, purchasing, tracking shipments, purchase order reconciliation, reporting and human resource functions.

Her goal is to keep company operations running smoothly so the front-line store managers and team members can deliver top-notch service to customers.

“I work with a great bunch of people. I work behind the scenes so I attribute return customers and the positive reviews to the front-line employees and store managers. They are what keep people coming back time and time again.”

She points out that “Treat others as you would want to be treated” is a common theme throughout Ocean Surfari stores … and a key to their loyal customer base and success.