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they come here, but we gladly work in port of Chicago on two bulkers for St. Mary’s cement. So, annually, we have a crew on the road every day for four straight months. While isn’t the most convenient thing for us, we’re meeting the needs of our clients – where they need it, when they need it.”

Location, Location, Location

The basis for the TPG purchase was simple. “We’ve worked successfully with a number of Illinois waterways and

Great Lakes groups in the past,” said TPG Marine President,

Don W. Miller, Jr. in a prepared statement, adding, “We have every con? dence we can build an expanded maritime repair and vessel storage business on the solid reputations of

Chicago Dry Dock and TPG Marine.” Notably, TPG Ma- rine Chicago Dry Dock retained all previous management and staff, including a core group of managers and skilled tradesmen that have been with the yard for almost 20 years.

Today, the shipyard is poised for new growth from in- land river and lake commercial barging customers as well from enhanced repair and wintering options for area plea- sure craft. Utilizing three drydocks and plenty of water- front, Hogan hopes that geography will eventually play a big part in that plan. “A lot of those potential customers – anybody in this area – would have to go so far to have new construction done, so I do think there’s a niche for us here.

We’re never going to mass-produce river barges, but we can do specialty barges and save them on the transportation.”

Hogan also points to the volume of back and forth traf? c between the inland rivers and lake Michigan. “Much of that traf? c is going to the steel mills. We’re at an end point – not in the middle. If you are in the middle, there’s never an empty barge for you to work on.”

In the real estate game, agents will always tell you that there are just three things you need to worry about: lo- cation, location and of course, location. Shipyards are bit more complicated than that. That said; today, customers from both the inland rivers and the Great Lakes can utilize the services of TPG’s versatile Chicago Shipyard. Or, TPG can come to them. So far, that’s a winning combination for both the yard and its sometimes far-? ung customers.

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