ELECTRIC BOAT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
2011 May Program, Electric Boat Night, John Casey (Pictures at bottom)
May's EBMA dinner meeting, EB Night, was held at the Mystic Marriott on Wednesday May 4, 2011. EB President, John Casey, was the evening’s host and principal speaker. Mr. Casey’s presentation illuminated the bright spots in EB’s business picture. He reviewed this year’s significant milestones both in business and in employee community service. He’d invited a cross section of employees to sit at the head table and he briefly addressed the accomplishments of each in turn. Throughout the evening, his remarks addressed both the power of collective action and the significance of individual accomplishments.
But first, EBMA President, Joe Rossi called the meeting to order and thanked everyone for attending. He previewed upcoming events including the EBMA Golf Tournament (P.O.C. Dawn Barrasso and Chris Dickson.) and the Lake Compounce Family Outing on June 26th. Tickets, he said, go on sale next week. . He thanked the evening’s greeters Victor Sottile (D449), Betsy Peterson (D330), and retirees Bob Peterson and Tom Bogue, for coordinating seat assignments. He recognized Judy Bogue for her event planning skills and thanked Izola George and Sharon Rossi for the help they had given him this week. He thanked the retirees in the audience for their continued support and recognized Carrie Pfieffer for her many efforts on behalf of the association. Finally, he introduced the head table.
Joe then invited Kevin Cassidy, Installation Officer, to come up and swear in the new officers. He formally passed the gavel on to incoming President Jim Roy. Jim said a few words about his plan to exert leadership to make a positive difference in the EBMA. He is looking forward to hearing members’ ideas, he said. Brett Cicchese (D403) led the Pledge and Carrie Pfieffer (D455) recited the prayer.
After dinner, Joe announced the winners of the James Brown scholarship awardees, Annette Seling and Stephen Johnson. After checks were distributed to the winners, he introduced EB President, John Casey. Mr. Casey was greeted by a polite round of applause.
He thanked the members for coming and promised to be brief. He then gave out 3 key dates in EB history and promised to make charitable donations in the name(s) of anyone guessing each date’s significance. He turned to the first slide noting that EB’s business focus is on construction, manufacturing, maintenance and modernization. “We currently have 11,000 employees and $4B in sales,” he said. EB’s performance is continuing to improve. The 782 boat was built using 4.9M fewer man hours than the 774, he said. VIRGINIA Class ships are being delivered as much as nine months early and $100M below targeted cost. Block three changes are being back fit early. Steaming, he noted, an operation traditionally done only when a ship is placed in the water, is now being performed on land.
He painted EB’s future with a rosy glow. Ohio replacement is a real program now that Milestone A occurred January 10, 2011, he said.. There is $100B divided amongst ‘three baskets’ (“Propulsion Plant, the Missile Compartment, and everything else”). The real challenge, he said, will be performing on those contracts. He compared 2011 shipbuilding costs to those in 1975. You can’t build a pressure hull today for what a whole ship cost back then, he observed. To maintain affordability, new design and manufacturing processes are essential. The 260 building, he said, was designed with high ceilings so that missile tubes could be loaded late in construction from the top. The next design will have the tubes end-loaded at a much earlier stage, he said.
EB’s success continues in Maintenance and Modernization, he said, with EB receiving twice as many Post-Shakedown Availabilities as originally predicted. Additional business has been generated, he said, maintaining land based prototypes at KSO and at the Moored Training Ship facility. Future projects include universal launch and recovery, the water piercing missile, Next Generation Dry Dock Shelter, and the Underwater Express. Many of these concepts, he said, will be on display at this years SUBTECH Symposium. Key to all this success is the unique skill set EB employees bring to the table. The extensive repairs on the Hartford, he said, could have been accomplished nowhere else.
SSGN Strike Capability is another success story, he said, “on demand, on time, on target.” EB’s strengths include modernization and integration of technology. Other companies have good ideas, he said, but EB can turn concepts into products that actually function. “Thinking hard,” is fine but only EB actually puts ideas and ships to sea. As a result, he was upbeat on the future. Quonset is hiring workers and creating new supervisors. Groton is hiring engineering staff. Manufacturing facilities are being improved at both locations. State and local governments want to see EB succeed, he said, they want to see a strong business outlook and steady employment.
EB employees continue to support their communities, he said, through events such as the American Heart Association Go Red, Breast Cancer walks, blood drives, Santa’s Helpers and the United Way. Seventy-eight percent of employees now participate in charitable giving. Company efforts to keep employees healthy are also increasing. He pointed to company fitness centers, pharmacies and Health Expos. He even urged members to maintain contact with their physicians. A significant cost driver, he said, still comes from employees who don’t know who their primary care giver is.
After taking a few questions from the audience, John Casey was given another round of applause from the members. Joe Rossi thanked him for attending this evening’s meeting. John Casey announced that, since his three questions went unanswered, he would be making a contribution to a local charity of his own choosing. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the members departed the building with a better understanding of EB’s direction.
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