Page 42: of Marine News Magazine (April 2014)

Vigor increasingly thinks big and builds big. The company?s new  oating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the ?next few years.? Foti, who is also chairman of the Shipbuilder?s Council of America, says he is, ?striving for critical mass. That means being the right size  nancially and geographically, and de- veloping the right mix of business lines and capabilities to move out of the boom and bust cycle of the typical shipyard business. Proof is in the results,? he continues, ?our fabrica- tion team has a growing backlog at a time when industry analysts are predicting  at or shrinking backlogs.? To make it in a highly competitive global industry, Vigor offers the full range of services; including new build and re- pair, conversions, out tting and modernization. Beyond this, the company does marina and land-based fabrication, indus-trial and marine coatings, plus machining services. Joe Covel- li, Senior Vice President of Fabrication, says that in addition to these, Vigor is setting its sights on ?moving up stream, de- veloping our design, planning and engineering teams to work with customers earlier and earlier in the design process.? Location, Location, LocationVigor has multiple shipyards, half a billion dollars in an- nual revenue and 2,000 employees who build tugs, barges, workboats, cargo ships,  shing vessels and ferries. It has seven loading facilities, ten dry-docks, 17,000 feet of dedi- cated pier space and half a million square feet of covered shop area. Vigor fabricates large projects like bridge sup- SHIPBUILDINGGO BIG OR GO HOME Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the PaciÞ c Northwest and Alaska. Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the PaciÞ c Northwest and Alaska. By Sarah McCoy By Sarah McCoy Image above: Vigor?s 60-acre shipyard on Swan Island near Portland, Oregon with artist?s rendering of soon-to-be-deliv- ered largest  oating dry dock in the United States. 42 MNApril 2014MN April14 Layout 32-49.indd 42MN April14 Layout 32-49.indd 423/20/2014 11:54:02 AM3/20/2014 11:54:02 AM