The work of a dredge operator is often underappreciated so it's important to take a step back and appreciate the complexity and uniqueness of his or her role in the success of a dredging project. Here, we take a closer look at the essential role of a dredge operator.
LA CROSSE, Wis., December 21, 2020 ― J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) officially announces the asset acquisition of New England-based Specialty Diving Services, Inc (SDS). The acquisition combines two established union companies that specialize in commercial diving and heavy marine construction.
LA CROSSE, Wis., October 28, 2020 — J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) announces certification to occupational health and safety management, quality management, and environmental management in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
(La Crosse, WIS – August 12, 2020) – Specialty marine construction firm J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan), announces its 4th consecutive certification from international research and analytics organization Great Place to Work®.
95% of its employees consider Brennan a great place to work, compared to just 59% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company. Brennan’s high-ranking status among other companies is compounded this year by the changes in safety, travel, and essential work protocol brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’re nearly halfway through 2019, and unless you’ve been in a cave or under a rock, you understand that the environmental market is exploding right now. I have been in the environmental industry for 32 years (wow that’s a long time), and I do not believe I have ever experienced this much activity. The size, scopes, and complexities of our current projects are overwhelming. J.F Brennan Company (Brennan) is extremely fortunate to have a very busy, robust workload this year with some exciting projects underway, and more that are set to begin once fish windows open. Based on our own surplus of work and activity, I wanted to share my observations and discuss the current state of the environmental community from a dredging contractor’s perspective.
The Inland Marine Expo (IMX) took place last week in St. Louis, MO, overlapping with National Maritime Day. Conference attendees, exhibitors, keynotes and panelists came together at the Dome at America’s Center to educate, celebrate (and sometimes commiserate), the state of the inland marine industry.
Pride is a common theme for us at Brennan. As an organization, we are privileged to be in a position where we can have so much of which to be proud. We’re lucky to have employees who commit to making Brennan a great place to work, and we are proud to have them. Finally, we are proud to be able to say that 96% of our employees are proud to share they work at Brennan, which we discovered from the findings of our 2018 Great Place to Work® re-certification.
Internships are an excellent way to gain hands-on experience and learn a little more about your field of study while working in a professional environment. At Brennan, we value growth and development. Our COMPASS internship program strives to provide students with practical experience and useful knowledge to sharpen their skills in their chosen field.
At Brennan, training is the backbone of our safety program, and we have come to discover a high return on investment by bringing much of our training in-house. Doing this helps us prepare our workforce for our unique work features, which in the long run, lowers our Experience Modification Rate (EMR). A company’s EMR is a number used by insurance companies to determine the past cost of injuries and any future chance of risks. The lower your EMR number, the better your standing compared to similar companies. The average industry EMR rating is 1.00, so companies that can get a lower rate than this save money when it comes to insurance premiums (not to mention savings associated with eliminating workplace injuries). When taking into account the number of manhours we work each year, our current EMR of .52 translates to a savings of up to $400,000! We believe one of the reasons we achieve such a low EMR is because we focus on quality when it comes to training.
Obtaining recognition as a “great place to work” is not something that comes easily for most organizations. Certification as a Great Place to Work requires that a company be evaluated on many different levels. We have worked hard to establish a workplace that inspires the passion of its employees and allows them to use their talents to be motivated by what they do and with whom they work. At Brennan, we have established several foundational attributes which make a great work place. Here are a few examples of what we think is needed to make Brennan a “Great Place to Work”:
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