Independence (LCS 2) - Bath Iron Works

From the HelmJeff Geiger, President, Bath Iron WorksRecently, I’ve had the opportunityto speak about BIW and the outstandingwork you are doing withtwo separate community groups that arevery interested in the future success ofthe shipyard. Many of those who attendedthese gatherings were well familiarwith BIW, but knew little of what weactually do inside the gates. Therefore,they were very pleased to have me sharewith them some of the things that areimportant to those of us who passthrough those gates every day.In October, I was invited by Bath Savings Institution toaddress about 120 business and community leaders from Bath,Brunswick and the surrounding areas. Then, in November, Ispoke to a similar group of about 300 people from the greaterPortland area who attended a kick-off meeting for theSalvation Army’s annual holiday Kettle Drive.The topic of my presentation was “Bath Iron Works:Steeped in Heritage—Ready for the Future.” As each of usat BIW understands, our shipyard has a significant effecton businesses, families and individuals throughout Maine.Accordingly, those groups are always very anxious to hearabout how we are doing now and what things look like for thefuture. There were four important things I wanted to convey.First, I wanted the audiences to understand how seriouslywe take our responsibility to carry on the great tradition ofMaine shipbuilding that we have inherited. Our facilities andour work force may look a lot different than they did in thepast. However, I assured those present that the core valuesand attitudes of Maine shipbuilders remain, along with anunbending commitment to accept the responsibility, to ourselvesand those who depend upon us, to continue buildingthe finest ships afloat.I then went on to tell them that, while being immenselyproud of that tradition, we are not trapped by it. Throughcontinuous innovation and recognition of the ongoing need toadapt, we are positioning ourselves for the long term successof BIW. We have always been in the forefront of shipbuildingimprovements and our skilled work force, Land Level TransferFacility and Ultra Hall are serving to ensure we stay there.We next discussed that not too long ago our future was verymuch uncertain; but today, because of your efforts, things aremuch brighter. Your performance has been the key to openingdoors to new opportunities and challenges. There was a lot ofinterest in the DDG 1000 program and those in the audienceswere well aware of our interest in pursuing other businessopportunities, including off shore wind and alternative energymarkets. I was able to provide some perspective and to assurethem of our commitment to be proactive in looking for newJim Baskerville, Chip Simpson, Jeff Geiger, Stan Wolford, Clint Robbins,Gene Miller, Scott Jones, Tim Wenzel, Mark Colby, Dave Hinds, BillFarabee, Chris Fisher, Matt Wheeler, Bill Taylor and Gene Shuck.lines of work as long as our performance on our core Navywork remains strong and the circumstances of any opportunitymake good business sense.Finally, I took great pride in acknowledging the efforts ofthose of you who give back to your individual communities.Whether through Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, supportingour service men and women, or countless other causes,I reminded those present that you don’t have to look very hardto find BIW employees making a difference outside the gates.As one of the largest employers in Maine, we are watchedcarefully and expectations of us are very high. Based on unsolicitedfeedback which I often receive, I am confident that mostpeople are aware and proud of the contributions we make andI believe they look at us as an example of a good corporatecitizen. I am very proud of that as each of you should be.In closing, I am particularly proud of one significant eventthat occurred as I was working on this article during a recenttrip to Mobile, Alabama. On November 19, the Navy Boardof Inspection and Survey completed its inspection ofIndependence (LCS 2). Delivery is scheduled to occur onDecember 18 in Mobile. Many of our finest engineers,mechanics, manufacturing supervisors and test and trialspersonnel, some of whom are shown above, made greatcontributions over the last several years which were critical toenabling us to reach this major milestone. Along with theircontributions came many great sacrifices.To all of these fine BIW shipbuilders, I say “well done” andoffer sincere thanks for so proudly carrying the BIW flag onthe GD LCS Team. The determination and commitment youdisplayed throughout this lead ship program has been anexample of the tradition, innovation, performance andcharacter of Maine shipbuilders. Congratulations on youroutstanding work.“TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE”2 | November 2009 | BIW NEWS