A view from one of Chesapeake Shipbuilding's newest fabrication shops.
shipyard does face "plenty of competition for construction workers and iron workers and machinists," but he also noted, "not so much for the shipbuilding trades." "There's less turnover at Chesapeake Shipbuilding than there is in most other yards I'm familiar with," Robertson said. "We seem to be pretty good at attracting people from the gulf or other places around the country." "We do quite a bit of training at the yard," he explained. "We help with continuing education, and we provide a pretty good suite of benefits, 401 K and medical insurance and so on." Robertson's appreciation for the workforce at Chesapeake Shipbuilding and for the people in the industry in general is obvious. "It's a motivated group of people," he said. "It's a small industry. Everybody seems to know everybody else." "I enjoy, very much, going to the shipyard. A lot of the people that work at Chesapeake Shipbuilding have been there for a long time, some of them since I started the company. They're just a great bunch of people, and the new people that are coming are as well. We're very blessed to have a great workforce of not only great workers, but of nice people." When asked what he thinks attracts people, including himself, to the shipbuilding industry, Robertson said, "there's a little romance in it. It's a little different than more typical shore-side construction." Tony Severn, President of Chesapeake Shipbuilding, agreed. "Building ships is interesting work," he said. "Technology advancements keep it challenging and fun. The machinery gets more sophisticated and complex for
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each tugboat, ferry or cruise ship we build." Severn has been with the shipyard since 1981. Robertson concluded, "with any of the businesses that I'm involved in, it's the people that make it fun, the customers and the workforce and the vendors. It's a very pleasant business to be in."
Management Philosophy
Robertson cited his management philosophy simply: "We work hard to be fair with everybody, our customers, employees and vendors. That's served us very well." "We work hard to deliver a high quality product and to maintain a stable, qualified workforce," he continued. "Our top priority is always quality. Everything else seems to follow along pretty well." Robertson noted the major changes in shipbuilding as increased regulations, especially environmental regulations. He counted these changes as positive developments and added that there is also much better equipment available. These days he is happy to see better engines, electronics, monitoring systems, fire safety systems and building materials. Beyond regulations, Roberts said customers are also demanding higher quality vessels with better fuel efficiency and less environmental impact. When asked about the challenges these customer and legislative demands present to Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Robertson replied, "I think they all present challenges in their own way, but they're good challenges. Those challenges result in a higher quality product that's better for the personnel working on these vessels."
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