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.

The Interstate Island Avian Habitat Restoration Project is listed as one of the many Areas of Concern (AOC) projects within the Great Lakes. Interstate Island is a small parcel of land located within the Duluth-Superior Harbor along the St. Louis River Estuary. Due to rising water levels, the island has shrunk in size by half in recent years, and along with-it important wildlife habitat has disappeared. The need to restore the rare avian habitat on Interstate Island has been a priority for years, and it came to fruition in 2020.

102 years of lateral earth pressure and deterioration at Pisgah Dam caused its existing spillway wall to lean. Partnering with private dam owner Otter Tail Power Company, Brennan ensured their hydropower dam received necessary repairs. The project included concrete demolition and the replacement of the dam's north spillway wall over two years.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity in the United States. An important duty of FERC is to monitor conditions of the more than 1,700 non-federal, electricity-generating dams in the US. They also set standards that hydropower project owners must follow to ensure the safety of the general public. This includes mandating regular inspections of hydropower projects to certify they are in sound condition and comply with the Commission’s safety standards. Owners not in compliance with the Commission’s inspection standards risk losing their power generating license.

J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) recently won a contract with AECOM Energy and Construction (AECOM) for remediation work on LaGrange Lock and Dam on the Illinois River. The contract required us to partake in major gate and concrete rehab while supplying wireless internet access not only to our own Brennan office trailers, but also to prime contractor AECOM and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the duration of the multi-year project.

Through multiple successful projects, J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) developed a great partnering relationship with the Midwest group of Xcel Energy® (Xcel). From Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) dive inspections and innovative dam repair projects to the implementation of amphibious equipment and helicopters for transmission line installation, we are always looking at ways of incorporating Brennan’s “can-do” attitude into all client interactions. This year, we got the opportunity to work with Xcel’s Western group.

When you think “excavator,” images of digging dirt and rock on land may come to mind. However, that’s not the case for J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan), a 100-year-old marine construction contractor out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. 

^{*adapted with consent from its original format in BREAKOUT Winter 2019: a Hitachi Construction & Mining Productions Publication.} 

This past year, we made another key asset purchase: the SHERP ATV (SHERP). In addition to our Diamondback Airboat, the SHERP solidifies our durability and efficiency in working throughout wetland and marshy areas.

As a marine solutions company, J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) faces a unique array of regulations and rules. While every company deals with regulations, most deal with rules that impact operations only on land or only in the water. We are accountable for regulatory requirements in both areas and have been for years. So, what's changed and what are we doing about it? 

British company Fish Guidance Systems Ltd specializes in fish guidance equipment. They were set to work alongside Barr Engineering (Barr) as the prime contractor in a new study-based project in Kentucky, and hired J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) to help execute their revolutionary endeavor.