Coincident with the celebration of its 114th anniversary as a Cleveland-based business, The Great Lakes Towing Company and its Shipyard were awarded the 2012 Team NEO Economic Development Plus Award for Asset Creation in recognition of their achievements with their $11 million multiphase Shipyard Expansion Project.
Team NEO (Northeast Ohio) is the regional office in Northeast Ohio for the state's JobsOhio business development program and stimulates job growth and economic development in the region. Team NEO offers marketing materials and tools to Northeast Ohio economic development organizations, communities, and businesses to increase regional opportunities. The annual event was sponsored by PNC, Humana, First Merit Bank, Timken, Sherwin Williams, Squire Sanders, Huntington, Lorain County Community College, Roetzel & Andress, First Energy, and many other businesses, community organizations, and educational institutions.
The Shipyard Expansion Project is a four-PHASE project of which Phases I through III have been completed at a total cost to date of $11.345 million. The Expansion Project has included land acquisition, environmental remediation, installation of bulkheading and a concrete reinforced slip, ground stabilization, construction of a new headquarters building and state-of-the-art indoor shipyard facility, installation of a 770-ton Travelift (the third largest in the world), and construction of a 68 foot-high temporary Shipyard facility. So far, the Expansion Project has increased company revenue by 54%, increased its workforce from 37 to 101 employees (a 273% increase), and raised the average payroll by 141%.
Senator Michael Skindell, representative of Ohio’s 23rd Senate District; Councilman Matt Zone of Cleveland’s Ward 15; and Tracey Nichols, Director, Department of Economic Development and her staff were in attendance at the awards ceremony. The State of Ohio Senate also honored The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard with a certificate in special recognition of their achievements.
Great Lakes Shipyard is a full-service yard specializing in new construction, repairs, modifications, and fabrications of all types of vessels and barges. Most recent and current projects include constructing tanks for Pittsburg Tank & Tower Company; construction of the third Handy Size class tugboat HANDY-THREE; the simultaneous construction of two state-of-the-art ASD tractor tugs for Caribbean Tugz, LLC, an affiliate of SEACOR Holdings, Inc; and overhaul of the R/V GRANDON of the Fairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.
The Great Lakes Towing Company has played a major role in the marine transportation business on the Great Lakes since its incorporation in New Jersey on July 7, 1899. The Company's founding shareholders comprised a veritable "Who's Who" of the nation's great industrialists of the day, including:
Harry Coulby
A.S. Chisholm
Henry G. Dalton
James S. Dunham
Gen. G.A. Garretson
Leonard C. Hanna
Will S. Halle
Daniel R. Hanna
James A. Hoyt
Robert L. Ireland
Samuel Mather
William G. Mather
T.F. Newman
John D. Rockefeller
James R. Sinclair
L.P. Smith
Henry Steinbrenner
Sophia Steinbrenner
J.E. Upson
Jeptha H. Wade
A.B. Wolvin
Popularly called “The Towing Company," the Company has been a significant marine operations link in one of the major economic lifelines of North America — the fourth seacoast and the Great Lakes Seaway System. “The Towing Company” has continuously evolved to meet the changing demands of the agricultural, steel, and construction industries and the needs of the ships and tug/barge units which serve those industries by adapting and improving its services to the requirements of each new day. What is not so widely known is that “The Towing Company” is a full-service marine transportation company that has, over the years, expanded its tug and barge operations to new vessel, tug, and barge construction; fabrication; and vessel repairs in a new state-of-the-art shipyard facility.
For more information on the Company, visit their website at www.thegreatlakesgroup.com.
Contact:
Kirsten J. Daniels
Assistant to the VP, Operations; Public Relations
The Great Lakes Towing Company
Tel: 216-367-8137
E-mail: kjd@thegreatlakesgroup.com
