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Lou Sandoval
Co-Owner/Co-Founder
As a young boy growing up on the southeast side of Chicago, a land best know for its steel mills and bluecollar roots-sailing first caught my heart while working on my sailing merit badge at Owasippe Scout Camp in Michigan. The long summers aboard a Sunfish on Big Blue Lake at camp quickly opened my eyes to what I had only imagined while watching the larger boats on Lake Michigan.
While pursuing an education and launching a career, I took a brief hiatus from the sport. As fate should have it, my career allowed my path to cross with sailing during my time in the Pacific Northwest. I quickly caught the sailing bug again living in Seattle, Washington. In the city best known for Microsoft and Starbuck’s, I soon found peace sailing in Puget Sound among the Orcas and beautiful mountains. This peacefulness continued in my next assignment in sunny, Miami, Florida where sailing year-round became the norm and I became more deeply involved in the racing circuit.
In 1997 - I moved back to Chicago where I jumped headfirst into the sailing community by purchasing a sailboat with two friends and my brother. In 1999, I joined Chicago Yacht Club and became active on numerous club committees to help promote club membership and the sport of sailing. In 2000, I became a Beneteau customer when we purchased our first Beneteau-“Karma”. The same features that captured my interest in the BENETEAU brand as a customer-quality,craftsmanship and uncompromised value are the same features I seek to help our customers discover today. I am a three time BENETEAU owner and I remain as passionate about the brand as the first day I learned about it.
After a 16 year career in the medical sales and marketing field- I decided to combine my two passions (sales & sails) into a new beginning- KARMA YACHT SALES, where we focus on delivering top level customer service to compliment the quality products we represent.
In keeping with the belief of "Karma", I am a big advocate of giving back to my community. I am active on the boards of several non-profit organizations that support the causes I believe in the most: Creating opportunity for others; access to sport of sailing for diverse communities; reforming our American educational system and last but not least- fighting Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Having sailed on the two bodies of water that border our great country, I can proudly say that the best sailing is still in Chicago where our great city and beautiful lake provide the greatest appreciation of the sport that I’ve experienced.
So I’ve charted a new course- helping YOU realize your dream of owning a sailboat and experiencing our great city from the water.
Ask Lou Sandoval a Question
~Learn More about Lou Sandoval~
Read Lou Sandoval's Professional Biography
Lou Sandoval Named US Sailing "Sailor of the Week" May 2011
To Read: "Latino Sailors' Profile Lou Sandoval Printed in EXTRA 072210
Watch "Taking Care of Business" profile on Lou Sandoval- Ň-Beat with Theresa Gutierrez ABC-TV -2010
To READ: 'Defying Mother Nature on Lake Michigan_printed in REFLEJOS_071705
To READ: 'Sandoval Brothers Sail To A Victory'_printed in REFLEJOS_072405
To READ: 'OurPeople_LouSandoval_AtFullSail'_printed in EXITO_050103
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