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www.marinelink.com 81vessels to the GOM?s deep than shallow waters this decade, he also said.As for the GOM?s post-Macondo bu- reaucracy, Bordelon said rule making af- ter the federal drilling moratorium ended in October 2010 was sometimes difÞ cult to understand. ?But we?ve seen more clarity on regulations and the explana-tions about them recently. We know the new environmental rules that we have to follow. We now know where we?re headed.? Cutter Contract with USCG Could Grow Bordelon said Bollinger has been for- tunate not to have been affected by fed-eral budget cuts. ?But it?s something we?re monitoring closely,? he said. ?The cutters we?ve built have been a suc-cessful program. We?ve delivered on schedule, the Coast Guard has been very happy with the vessels and we think our contract will be expanded.? The USCG desperately needs more patrol vessels, he said.When asked about the status of a fed-eral, patrol boat lengthening suit against Bollinger, Bordelon couldn?t comment since it?s ongoing litigation. The suit, Þ led in July 2011, charges that Bollinger, under a Coast Guard contract to increase the length of eight patrol boats, delivered vessels that were unseaworthy. The hull on the Þ rst-delivered, restructured vessel buckled.Building on Recent HistoryBordelon was asked about manage-ment changes within Bollinger. ?We haven?t really had any major leadership changes recently,? he said. In addition to President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Boysie Bollinger, the manage- ment team includes Christopher Bol-linger, Executive Vice President of New Construction; Ben Bordelon; and An- drew J. St. Germain, Chief Financial Of-Þ cer and Treasurer. Founder Donald Bollinger retired in 1989 and passed away in 2001. The com- pany considered going public in 1997 but decided against it when GOM oil explo-ration slowed for awhile. Shortly after his father?s death, Boysie made an ambi- tious acquisition, paying $80 million in cash for Þ ve ship and offshore-platform repair yards from Friede Goldman. After that, Bollinger swelled into one of the largest ship repairers in the nation. Future Plans What is Bollinger investing in today for its tomorrow? ?The easy answer is in brick, mortar and drydock facilities,? Bordelon said. ?But a huge component of our future is understanding the pro-spective needs of our clients.? ?And our workforce, as our most im-portant resource, is an ongoing invest-ment,? he said. ?We?re focused on re-cruiting, training and developing staff. We?re working with colleges, vo-tech schools, high schools and trade organi- zations to attract good employees.? The company is hiring at all levels and from around the nation. ?Safety, a major part of our training, is a critical investment,? he also said.Bordelon said labor is tight in coastal Louisiana because of offshore oil and land drilling and workers having headed off to shale plays. ?But lots of oppor- tunities exist for people who want to learn a marine trade,? he said. ?And we believe our employees have beneÞ ted from our internal growth and our multi-facility operations. During our 68 years, our people have allowed us to stand out among our competitors.? MR #9 (74-81).indd 81MR #9 (74-81).indd 819/4/2013 3:35:42 PM9/4/2013 3:35:42 PM
