Metal Shark Receives Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence

The Louisiana-based manufacturer now employs 200 with expansion underway in St. Mary Parish

JEANERETTE, La. —Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal presented Metal Shark with the Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.The Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence is periodically awarded by the governor to businesses that grow and provide more opportunity, more jobs and more commerce for the state of Louisiana. Metal Shark has grown from an employment of 75 in 2012 to 200 employees today. Headquartered in Jeanerette in Iberia Parish, Metal Shark continues to expand production of boats up to 40 feet in length at its original shipyard, filling customer orders for the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, law enforcement and conservation agencies, and commercial companies. Metal Shark also is further expanding in Louisiana, building a new shipyard to manufacture 48-foot to 75-foot boats for commercial pilots, ports and government agencies. That 60,000-square-foot facility will open by July in Franklin, Louisiana, in nearby St. Mary Parish.

Metal Shark and Gov. Jindal announced expansion plans in March 2013 that would take the company from 144 to 232 employees by 2017. The company has added 56 employees since that announcement and is approximately two years ahead of the projected hiring schedule. Founded as Gravois Aluminum Boats three decades ago in Jeanerette, the company initially produced custom recreational boats revered by Gulf Coast fishermen.The challenge of declining recreational sales led the company to refocus its production on military and commercial models, where it has excelled, manufacturing a current average of 170 boats per year.

Gov. Jindal said, “I’m proud to present Metal Shark with this award to commemorate the company’s success and economic growth here in Jeanerette and in Franklin. We’ve now visited Metal Shark three times since 2012, and each time we leave, this innovative company is already making plans for further expansion and more jobs. Very few companies illustrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Louisiana like Metal Shark, which has expanded its facilities to create more high-quality boats that will better protect the men and women of the U.S. military and law enforcement.

“As we continue to remember the fallen veterans who fought tirelessly for our freedoms, we’re proud that the next-generation of response boats for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard are being built right here in Louisiana with the latest advances in technology to better protect our servicemen and women. Because of all we have accomplished to improve Louisiana’s business climate, great companies like Metal Shark are choosing to invest and expand in our state. Companies like this are why Louisiana now has more people working than ever before.”

Current Metal Shark production includes a nearly 500-boat U.S. Coast Guard contract for which the company has built more than 80 of the 29-foot response boats and a pair of U.S. Navy contracts for a maximum of 350 high-speed, maneuverable, 26-foot watercraft and a potential 80 naval boats for force protection in 32-foot models.

“Metal Shark has enjoyed strong support from the State of Louisiana, from the Louisiana Economic Development office and from Governor Jindal,” said Metal Shark President Chris Allard. “The cooperation and the pro-business attitude we have experienced, combined with the region’s skilled workforce and strong boatbuilding tradition, were key factors in our decision-making process for this expansion. South Louisiana provides the perfect climate for American manufacturing, and the decision to continue our investment here was an easy one.”

While continuing to expand production in Jeanerette, the company will install a 150-ton marine travel lift in Franklin, supporting its capacity to build boats of up to 250 feet in length in the future as it responds to growing demand from the offshore oil and gas industry as well as other markets. In addition, the company is reintroducing its legacy line of Gravois recreational aluminum boats and will adapt some Metal Shark hulls for the recreational market.

“We are thrilled that a great local company with an international reach like Metal Shark has been chosen to receive this honor,” President and CEO Mike Tarantino of the Iberia Industrial Development Foundation said. “It is a true testament to the hard work and commitment to quality manufacturing by Metal Shark and its employees, and it’s yet another indication that great things are happening right here in Iberia Parish.”

“This is a great expansion for Metal Shark,” said Director Frank Fink of the St. Mary Parish Office of Economic Development. “They will be creating an initial 60 new jobs here in St. Mary Parish, and their location on the Charenton Canal provides them access to the Gulf and open water for the larger vessels they’re building. We’re looking forward to having them as new residents in our parish, and we’ll be setting up specialized training to help them in the transition. They’re a very aggressive company, and we welcome them to St. Mary Parish.”

About Metal Shark
Established in 1986,Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC and its government/commercial boat entity – Metal Shark Boats – are leading suppliers of welded-aluminum boats for defense, law enforcement and commercial entities. Key customers include the United States Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, Army and the militaries of partner nations worldwide. From its two fully self-contained facilities in South Louisiana, Metal Shark produces a wide range of custom v-hull and catamaran center console and pilothouse patrol boats, fireboats, skiffs and specialty vessels ranging from 16 feet to 250 feet. For more information, visit www.metalsharkboats.com