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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 J U LY 1 0 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S S O U T H E R N M A I N E She added that she is always looking for funding opportunities in the Military Construction portion of the budget and "trying to ensure that funds are fairly distributed" to the yard. But having Uncle Sam as its only shareholder and customer and being in blue-state territory also makes PNS vulnerable to political headwinds. While it ended up being spared from the Base Realignment and Closure process in 2005, another round as is currently being demanded by a group of scholars could put it back on the endangered list, as John Joyal knows from his 40-plus years at the yard. " ings can change in a heartbeat in this country," says Joyal, a former welder and trainer who is chairman of the Seacoast Shipyard Association. His son is an apprentice electrician. Building blocks As employers across Maine struggle to lure young local talent, PNS is fl ooded with applications, twice what's needed for engineers and three to four times for apprenticeships. Many jobseekers are local, due in part to the shipyard's cooperation with community colleges and outreach to 14,000 students a year through programs like SeaPerch, which teaches kids from sixth grade through college how to build model submarines. New hires at the yard start work on submarine mockups, via multi- disciplinary teams known as learn- ing centers. "It's a safe place to fail," Hunt says, "so you can try innovative things." Employees with suggestions for improvements while on the mock-up are encouraged to speak up, and man- agement listens. While workers are more engaged as a result, he fi nds it "extremely challenging" to manage today's more junior workforce — 60% have less than fi ve years experience. His priorities, he adds, are safety and quality. e next few months look to be busy, with $720 million in expected work this year and 6,000 shipyard workers in the next two and three years according to Hunt. In the next two yeas, he hopes to get the shiopyard ready for Virginia- class mainentance: "Only two of our docks here are Virginia-class capable, so we are laying the groundwork right now to make us a three-dock Virginia-class capable." An eight- to 10-year process, it won't be completed on his watch, but that's not a concern. "Maintaining that vision for the shipyard so they're viable far into the future is what's important." R C , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . a n d @ Supporting Development Across Maine Contact Nick Sabatine Contact Nick Sabatine at the idea-stage: at the idea-stage: nsabatine@ransomenv.com 207-772-2891 D E V E L O P M E N T D E V E L O P M E N T \ \ D U E D I L I G E N C E D U E D I L I G E N C E \ \ E N V I R O N M E N TA L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y E N V I R O N M E N TA L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y E N V I R O N M E N TA L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y \ \ M U N I C I P A L \ \ U T I L I T Y, E N E R G Y & M A N U F A C T U R I N G Due Diligence Due Diligence Wastewater Engineering Wastewater Engineering Storm Water Engineering Storm Water Engineering Permitting Permitting Water Supply Engineering Water Supply Engineering GIS Applications GIS Applications Turnkey Brownfield Service Turnkey Brownfield Service Turnkey Brownfield Service Remediation Remediation Funding Assistance Funding Assistance Consulting Engineers and Scientists www.RansomEnv.com LO F TS AT SAC O FALLS, B I D D E FO R D Nominate your candidate for the fifteenth annual Mainebiz Next List Mainebiz needs your help to recognize Maine's dynamic individuals who are trailblazers in their industry. To identify these business mavericks, we're opening the nomination process up to you! You tell us, who's Next? Nominations close on August 25 Visit mainebiz.biz/next to nominate. To make a Donation to the Next List Alumni Scholarship Fund through the Maine Community Foundation, visit mainecf.org and click on mainecf.org and click on mainecf.org Make a gift. Do you know someone who is: A true entrepreneur? A forward-thinking leader? A positive motivator for change? A problem-solver who takes a fresh approach? FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #MBNext17 PRESEN T ING SP ONSORS NOMINATIONS OPEN JULY 24TH

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