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Bollinger Shipyards keeps delivering Fast Response Cutters to the United States Coast Guard – now 24 total.
The cutters continue to see success on the water – helping save lives and keep the nation’s coasts safe.
On June 27, the Coast Guard received the ‘Oliver Berry’ the latest vessel created by the Lockport shipbuilder.
The vessel will deploy to Honolulu in October.
Bollinger President and CEO Ben Bordelon called the day a great one for the local business.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC, the USCGC Oliver Berry,” Bordelon said. “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the first to be stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard District 14 in Honolulu, but previous cutters have been stations in Florida, San Juan, Cape May and Ketchikan, Alaska. The FRCs already in commission have seized multiple tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and have saved many lives.”
The FRC projects have been a big boost to Bollinger Shipyards – a major victory for its new leader Bordelon, who has the company in his blood.
NEW HANDS TOUCHING LOCAL COMPANY
Donald G. Bollinger started the company in 1946 as a small-town, family-run shipyard in Lockport – a business that no one ever dreamed would become anywhere near as big as it now is today.
Donald Bollinger was an optimist by nature, according to a company-written bio on Bollinger’s website.
He had to be.
He was raised in the Great Depression.
Together with his brothers, who were servicemen, the company boomed as the oilfield did locally after World War II, blossoming further into the 1970s and 1980s.
Through all the growth, the business had some leadership and executive shuffles along the way while always remaining family-owned.
That changed when the Chouest purchase took place, though with Bordelon at the helm, a man with Bollinger blood is still at the helm of day-to-day operations.
Competition and business savvy are also in his blood, too.
A former LSU football player who had a short run in the NFL, Bordelon took over as president and CEO of Bollinger with loads of expertise in how the company is run.
Bordelon had been a high-ranking official with Bollinger for several years at the time of his appointment.
He was the company’s chief operating officer at the time of the sale.
Bordelon had also been a member of the Bollinger board of directors since 2002, and was the company’s executive vice president of repair.
When the sale was announced, Bordelon, a Central Lafourche High School graduate, said he shared the same vision as his grandfather, and couldn’t wait to bring that vision into action for the shipbuilding company that’s generated billions of dollars worth of contracts since its existence.
“Fishing with my grandfather near the family marsh near Leeville gave me a lot of time to hear stories about his vision, as well as his personal and business life,” Bordelon said. “I look forward to building on the values set out by my grandfather all those years ago. With a commitment to our customers, a deep appreciation for our workers, a strong focus on safety, the clean environment and quality service, we will grow this company as we build on a great base.”
He’s done that so far.
Bollinger has continued on without a hitch with Bordelon at the controls.
COMPANY CONTINUES SUCCESS, SAFETY
The cutters are a huge coup to Bollinger’s successes
The ship is slender, but powerful – a 154-foot patrol craft that was named after a Coast Guard hero who distinguished himself in the line of duty.
The vessel has top speeds of 28 knots and is loaded with a state-of-the-art command center, control communications and computer technology.
“It’s a game changer,” a high-ranking official with the Coast Guard said in a news release.
For Bollinger, it is, too – a sign that the company’s commitment to excellence is still on full display, even while positions at the top have shuffled around.
That, and their commitment to safety, too.
Bollinger has earned the Shipbuilders Council of America Award for Excellence in Safety for more than a decade straight – an honor given to only the safest companies in the field.
Bordelon said to be given the honor is among the most fulfilling honors the business has received.
“This recognition of exceptional safety performance by the shipbuilding and repair industry is realized only through the continued efforts of Bollinger employees who have made safety a priority,” Bordelon said. “Bollinger remains committed to attaining the highest level of safety and supports future safety innovations in the maritime industry.”
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