Valuing people over profits has guided Grand Isle Shipyard (GIS) into its fourth generation of ownership and 76th year in business. CEO Mark Pregeant II grew up on the seven-mile island of Grand Isle and started working in the family business at age 13. He learned under his grandfather and father, helping to grow the business through industry dynamics, technological advances and international expansions, before taking over himself in 2019.
“We have grown to a company of over 3,000 employees now, but still treat each individual as a unique person and a family member at end of the day,” he says. Each person in a leadership position at GIS is instilled with keeping people at the forefront of every decision that’s made. “Putting our people first is what’s kept us in business for this long and will carry us into the future,” Pregeant II adds.
In addition to people, GIS’s other core values include service, performance, integrity and safety. The key to service at GIS is diversification. You don’t stay in business for 76 years without changing things up from time to time. Read more.
