La Crosse, WI — Marine contractor J.F. Brennan Company and its sister company Brennan Marine invite you to honor National Maritime Day on May 22nd.

This special day commemorates the contributions of America's maritime industry and the men and women who serve in it. Our companies employ hundreds of dedicated maritime professionals who work tirelessly to maintain our nation's water-based infrastructure and to keep commodities flowing on the river. 

The 25th anniversary of Women in Construction Week™ (WIC Week™) has a clear theme: Many paths, one mission. The purpose is to recognize the different journeys women have taken to strengthen and amplify the success of all women in the construction industry. We're fortunate enough to feature some of those women, working at Brennan, who have agreed to share their thoughts on starting out in construction, and give advice to women considering joining the industry.

Did you know that more than 800,000 women in America are employed in the construction industry? Please help us honor them by showing support for women in the trades, especially those within the Brennan organization.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) and J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) formally announce their partnership. The agreement between Brennan and UWL will further the educational opportunities for students studying environmental science, equipping them to start on the job right after they graduate.

Brennan is partnering with UWL to support student research and curriculum, and to strengthen the talent pipeline, both locally and within the environmental services industry.

La Crosse, WI — Great Place to Work® and Fortune have honored J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) as one of the Best Workplaces in Construction™. This is Brennan’s first time being named to this prestigious list, coming in at 14^th place among small and mid-size companies. Earning a spot means that Brennan is one of the best companies to work for in the country.

The Best Workplaces in Construction award is based on the analysis of survey responses from over 25,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the construction industry. In that survey, 88% of Brennan’s employees said the company is a great place to work. This number is 31 points higher than the average U.S. company.

Originally announced by the Western Dredging Association (WEDA).

In recognition of his extensive and outstanding contributions to the dredging community and to the Western Dredging Association, Andrew A. Timmis has been named the 2022 Dredger of the Year at the WEDA Summit & Expo held in Houston, Texas. 

Working for many years on the frontlines of environmental dredging, when Mr. Timmis joined WEDA in 2004, he became a member of its Environmental Commission. He helped develop policy for the group and pointed out the need to provide a program for regulators to learn about environmental issues.

Brennan worked in collaboration with The Boys & Girls Club of Greater La Crosse (Boys & Girls Club), the Women’s Fund of Greater La Crosse, Wieser Brothers General Contractor (Wieser), and Mathy Construction (Mathy) to organize an annual field trip for local female members. The event offered young women an opportunity to experience working at Brennan and to ask questions about working in the trades. It was a memorable day for all! Watch the video recap below: 

Safety starts with putting people first.

It’s not just about checklists, inspections, and meetings, said Steve Skau, vice president of safety and compliance for J.F. Brennan Company. It’s also about everyone on a job having the ability to give feedback and know it will be valued.

“Everything we do at Brennan starts with safety, no matter what scope of work we’re doing,” Skau said. 

In industries like marine construction, the penalty for skipping or rushing through “simple” industrial rigging inspections or “ordinary” storage practices can be catastrophic for all of our equipment and tools, but most importantly for the people involved. 

For example, Brennan uses endless and synthetic slings (straps or tie downs) to hoist and secure all kinds of materials: from piping and equipment, to dredges and other vessels. Reliable slings are critical to the work we do. We must ensure they are in excellent working condition before we use them and maintain them for our teammates who must safely use them next. Here are a few important questions we answer from curious customers and our own people.

Brennan blog posts were viewed 13,622 times in 2019. Reviewing our most-searched blog topics helps us construct a list of the marine industry's most critical topics and those most pertinent to our company. So, what were the most-searched topics?

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?