Newsletter: September/October 2007 Newsletter

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New Location for Annual Meeting

The September General Membership Meeting is our annual meeting and will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center rather than at the Renaissance Hotel.  Our meeting is being held in conjunction with the American Society of Naval Engineers' Fleet Maintenance Symposium (FMS'07).  The change in venue will allow VSRA members to participate in the Fleet Maintenance Symposium and symposium attendees to learn more about VSRA.
   
The FMS'07 agenda includes the following dignitaries from the Navy and Coast Guard maintenance communities:  VADM Mel Williams, USN; VADM Paul Sullivan, USN, RADM Dale Gabel, USCG; RADM Jeffrey Brooks, USN; RDML Clarke Orzalli, USN; Ms. Allison Stiller; RADM Mark Hugel, USN; RADM C.E. (Grunt) Smith, USN; Capt Hal Barge, USN; Capt Dave Lewis, USN; Mr. Bill Ryzewic, RDML Thomas J. Eccles, USN; RDML McManamon, USN; RADM Ron Rabago, USCG; and Capt Tom Moore, USN.
 
For additional information on FMS'07 or the golf tournament on Monday, September 17 at the Signature at West Neck, please go to http://www.asne-tw.org/asne/fms07/. ASNE members can register for the luncheon on the VSRA website www.virginiashiprepair.org . VSRA members please RSVP with Ann Howell by e-mail ahowell@virginiashiprepair.org or by phone 757-233-7034.
 

September Annual Meeting

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Sean T. Connaughton, Maritime Administrator, as our guest speaker at the General Membership Meeting in September at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Our annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the American Society of Naval Engineers’ Fleeting Maintenance Symposium (http://www.asne-tw.org/asne/fms07/.) 
 
Mr. Connaughton was nominated by President George W. Bush to be the Maritime Administrator on June 28, 2006, and was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 2006. He was sworn in by Acting Secretary of Transportation, Maria Cino, on September 6, 2006.
Sean graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree, a Third Mates (Unlimited Tonnage) Merchant Marine license, and a commission in the United States Coast Guard. He served on active duty in the United States Coast Guard from 1983 to 1986.
 
After leaving active duty, Sean briefly worked for a defense contractor in Arlington, Virginia. He returned to the Coast Guard as a civil servant in the Office of Marine Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. During this time, Sean attended Georgetown University on a part-time basis and graduated with a Masters degree in 1988.
 
In 1988, Sean began working at the American Petroleum Institute representing companies involved in the energy and marine transportation industries. He attended law school at night at George Mason University School of Law. Sean graduated with his law degree in 1992 and passed the Virginia State Bar later that year.
 
Sean embarked on a career as a lawyer in private practice specializing in maritime and international law. He and a colleague appeared before the United States Supreme Court in 1999 to argue Intertanko v. Locke, a case involving the constitutionality of laws imposed on the marine transportation industry. They won that case in a unanimous decision. Sean has published many articles on marine transportation and environmental issues as well as spoken at numerous conferences and seminars on these topics. He joined the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP at the end of 2000. He is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, and the Maritime Law Association.
 
Sean was elected Chairman At-Large of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in November 1999. He was re-elected to a second four-year term, beginning January 1, 2004. Sean served on numerous regional boards and commissions, including the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.  In 2004, he was recognized by the National Association of Counties with its Distinguished Service Award for his efforts on workforce development programs. He resigned his elected position on September 6, 2006. 
 
After serving on active duty in the United States Coast Guard, Sean joined the United States Naval Reserve as a selected reserve in 1987. Serving in both operational and staff billets, he retired in 2006.  Sean graduated (with honors) from the U.S. Naval War College in 1998.  He was awarded the Naval War College’s Franklin Reinauer II Defense Economic Prize.
 
In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Public Administration from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
 
Sean currently resides in Triangle, Virginia, with his wife, Teresa, and their two children, Courtney and Sean, Jr.
 

Election of Directors for 2007-2008

At the September General Membership meeting, the VSRA membership will elect the 2007-2008 Board of Directors for the association, as well as the Virginia Ship Repair Foundation.  For the past year, the directors of these two organizations have dedicated themselves to the improvement of our industry and Association.  A partial list of the accomplishments of the Association under their leadership include:
 
Promoting ship repair trades as careers, 
Reaching out to middle school students with a shipbuilding Lego competition,
Renewing our partnership with OSHA,
Expanding educational opportunities for our members,
Increasing communication with our members,
Instituting a newsletter and annual survey,
Upgrading the website,
Developing a new strategic plan, and
Establishing anti-trust guidelines.
 
Thank you for your hard work and dedication this past year!

Important Seminars in September and October

September and October bring four important seminars to the members of the Virginia Ship Repair Association.  Please make your reservations early as there will be limited space for each.

VSRA Health and Safety Seminar - September 13th  This 12th annual seminar marks the first time we have partnered with the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) to bring this dynamic, multi-tracked seminar to our members.  Three of the tracks are specifically tailored for Line Supervisors.  The fourth track, organized by SCA is designed to bring the latest safety and health information to the Safety Professionals.  Key note addresses will be presented by Mr. Joe Williams, Vice President of Operations, BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair and Rear Admiral Clarke Orzalli, Commander, Navy Regional Mainenance Centers.  More details can be found on the VSRA website.  This seminar will provide 8 hours towards the Safety Trained Supervisor Certification 1.0 Safety CM ABIH Approval No. 07-2059.  Thanks go to Signal Administration and Grainger for their generous support of the event. 

Environmental Stewardship Seminar - September 26th   This seminar is organized in partnership with the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.  The focus will be on the leadership role of businesses in protecting our environment.  Many VSRA companies are model stewards of our regional waterways and air.  Two of those companies - BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair and Earl Industries - will participate in the seminar.  This is a seminar tailored for the senior leaders of our companies.  Information and registration are on our website.

Legislative Strategy Seminar - October 10th  As companies prepare strategies for future work, the federal budget is a primary driver for the tactics used to bring work to the company.  We have engaged a prominent Washington DC consulting company to share their insights on how the federal legislative cycle works and how funding battles are organized and won.  Senior company leaders should join us for this first for VSRA.  Space will be limited to 60 and only open to VSRA member companies.  Details will soon be on the website.  More information can be obtained by calling the VSRA offices.

Standards of Conduct Seminar - October 31st  Last year VSRA's Contract Committee organized a most successful seminar on standards of conduct.  This is a vital topic for all companies who do business with the federal government.  The seminar meets annual federal contracting training requirements.  Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the experts the requirements, as well as the pitfalls.  They will also leave the seminar with a model program on CD to help establish or refine their company program.  The seminar will be held in the Naticus theater, so there should be plenty of room for more than one attendee per company.  Visit our website for details and registration.

Career Events for High School Juniors and Seniors

The Virginian-Pilot is sponsoring a "What's Next" career event at the Ted Constant Convocation Center Tuesday, November 13, 2007 for local high school Juniors and Seniors.  The event is designed to assist area high school students in choosing their career paths.  If your company would like to participate in this event, please call Career Connection at 466-2900.
The Virginian-Pilot is printing a guide for these students and their parents, filled with information about scholarships and workforce development programs.  This guide will be distributed in the full run of the Virginian-Pilot on Wednesday, September 26, and 26,000 additional copies will be distributed to local high school guidance counselors.  For information on advertising in the guide, please call 466-2700.

VSRA Golf Tournament Results

The golf tournament was a great success! VSRA thanks the following sponsors of the golf tournament:
 
Platinum: Earl Industries, LLC
 
Gold: Accurate Marine & Environmental, BB&T, East Coast Repair and Fabrication, Tidewater Staffing, Marine Hydraulics International.
 
Silver: Tecnico Corporation and BAE Systems, Norfolk Ship Repair.
 
Hole Sponsors: Moran Environmental; Capitol Finishes; Davis Boat Works; Integrity Staffing Services; Thomas-Carrera Consulting Corp.; Troutman Sanders LLP; Hampton Roads Shipping Association; Brown & Brown Flagship; Metro Machine Corp.; McPhillips, Roberts & Deans, PLC; and IMS Environmental.
 
Beverage Cart Sponsors: Moran Environmental Recovery and Colonna’s Shipyard.
 
Closest to the Pin: JoKell, Inc. and Signal Mutual.
 
Long Drive: Vandeventer Black LLP and Applied Technical Services.
 
We congratulate the following tournament winners:
 
1st Place – Tidewater Staffing, Inc. (Tony Studds, Dave Corliss, Steve Solomon, Charlie Beemus)
 
2nd Place – BAE Systems (Tommy Seitz, Dave Thomas, Gary Wyatt, Dan Welch)
 
3rd Place – Applied Technical Services (Chris Vorwald, Greg English, Rick Heine, Brian Newbern)
 
Closest to Pin Winners – Jerry Miller, Dan Welch
 
Longest Drive Winners – Zach Darden, Susan Katzman

Educaitonal Opportunities

 
Emergency First Responder/First Aid/CPR/AED Responder Certification
Instructional Partnership by VSRA and AMSEC
Location Sponsored by Tecnico Corp. and United Coatings Corp.
COST: $95.00 VSRA members; $115.00 Non VSRA members
DATES: September 12, November 14, and December 19, 2007, 7:30am - 4:30pm
LOCATION: United Coatings Corp., 650 Chautauqua Avenue, Portsmouth, VA 23707
or
DATE: October 10, 2007, 7:30am - 4:30pm
Location: Tecnico, 831 Industrial Ave., Chesapeake, VA 23324
Emergency First Responders ~ OSHA Approved/Internationally Accepted
*This certification is a step beyond the Red Cross certification and is more oriented to industrial environments.* Upon successful completion of this course, attendees receive a Certification Card.
Sponsored by VSRA Contracts Committee
COST: $50.00 VSRA members; $125.00 non VSRA members
DATE: October 31, 2007, 8:00 to 11:00 am, registration begins at 7:30 am.
LOCATION: Nauticus, The Living Sea Theatre (3rd Floor)
This seminar includes a distinguished panel of government and industry experts who will answer questions after their presentation. This is an excellent opportunity for government contractors to meet their requirement for annual ethics training.
 
12th Annual Safety and Health Seminar
Sponsored by VSRA and The Shipbuilders Council of America
COST: For Registration By August 31, 2007: $75.00 VSRA Members; $125.00 Non-VSRA Members. For Registration After August 31, 2007: $80.00 VSRA Members; $135.00 Non-VSRA Members. Registration At the Door: $85.00 VSRA Members; $150.00 Non-VSRA Members.
DATE: September 13, 2007
LOCATION: Ted Constant Center, Old Dominion University
This is the 12th annual Safety and Health Seminar sponsored by the VSRA Safety Committee.  It will be a dynamic day of presentations, activities and networking for ship repair supervisors and safety managers.  For details and to see the Seminar schedule, go to http://www.virginiashiprepair.org/news.asp?
 
NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector Training (NBPI)
Sponsored by VSRA and course approved by NAVSEA
Location sponsored by MARMC
COST: $495.00 VSRA members; $649.00 Non VSRA members
DATES: September 17-21 and December 3-7, 2007, 7:00am - 5:00pm
LOCATION: MARMC Building LF-18, Norfolk Naval Base
Attendance is limited to 20 applicants for each course. Due to changes with the SSPC, all certification documents need to be submitted 2 weeks before the first day of class to Jeannine Bodack, her contact info is: bodack@sspc.org, phone 877-281-7772 x 2204, Fax 412-281-9995. Please submit base visit request information to the VSRA office, so that employees can access the base and MARMC building all week.
 
NAVSEA Cableway Training and Certification Course
Instructional Partnership by VSRA and AMSEC
Location sponsored by Earl Industries, LLC and Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc.
COST: $585.00 VSRA Members; $675.00 Non-VSRA Members
DATE: October 15-19, 2007, 8:00am – 4:00pm
LOCATION: Colonna’s Shipyard, 400 E. Indian River Road, Norfolk, VA 23523
Or
DATE: December 10-14, 2007, 8:00am – 4:00pm
LOCATION: Earl Industries, 3128 Victory Blvd., Portsmouth, VA 23702
Attendance is limited to 20 applicants. This course delivers 35+ hours of lecture, hand-on lab work and text-based assignments over a five day period. A score of 70% or higher on the comprehensive exam is required for successful completion. The course covers all NAVSEA requirements and skill sets in depth. Upon successful completion of this course, the attendee will receive a NAVSEA Cableway Certification Card.
 
 
If you would like to register for a training class, please do so at www.virginiashiprepair.org. If you would like to receive additional information on training classes, please contact Ann Howell via e-mail (ahowell@VirginiaShipRepair.org) or by phone at (757) 233-7034.

VSRA Committee Update

Quality Assurance Committee.
The committee did not hold a meting in July due to the SSRAC conference.
 
Communications Committee.
The committee discussed the content of the next and future newsletters. Committee members were asked to submit potential annual survey questions at the September meeting.
 
Safety and Environmental Committee.
The committee is updating the Safety Handbook. The committee discussed the 12th Annual Safety and Health Seminar that is being held in September. The committee the reviewed the National Fire Protection Association Standard for the Control of Gas Hazards (NFPA 306) and will make a report to the Board of Directors in August.
 
Human Resources Committee.
The minimum wage was raised to $5.85 per hour on July 24, 2007. The committee discussed mailing another survey to the member companies’ human resources contacts. 
 
Contracts Committee.
Jeff McMahon of MARAD asked companies to submit recommended options for ship repair insurance coverage. Nick Clark of George C. Sharpe briefed the committee on the recent problems with the hazardous material requirements related to chromate.
 
Security Committee.
The discussions centered on the difficulty of obtaining base badges in a timely manner.   Beginning September 2007, the committee will meet monthly. 

BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair Featured on Discovery Networks

BAE Systems’ drydocking of the Disney Wonder cruise ship was featured nationally on Discovery Networks’ “How Do They Do It?” television program, from August 23 to September 1. 
 
The show, which aired seven different times on Discovery’s Science Channel, included a ten-minute documentary on BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair’s refurbishment of the 83,000 ton, 964-foot vessel in October 2006.
 
“We are excited that our workforce received national television coverage,” said Bill Clifford, president, BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair. “A lot goes into cruise ship refurbishment, and we hope the public gained a greater appreciation of our commitment to deliver the best in ship maintenance services to Disney Cruise Line and all of our customers each day.”
 
Discovery’s “How Do They Do It?” television series examines behind-the-scenes processes of various activities from around the world. The international program is the highest rated series in the United Kingdom and first premiered in the United States in 2007. Each 30-minute program features three equal segments. 
 
Footage for Norfolk Ship Repair’s drydocking segment, filmed on location in Norfolk over several days in October, detailed BAE Systems’ drydock preparations, the vessel’s arrival and lifting, as well as the ground-level view of refurbishment work that occurred outside and on board the ship.