Page 66 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2015

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
INGALLS SHIPBUILDING:
AN ASSET FOR MISSISSIPPI AND AMERICA
photo by Andrew Young/HII
I ngalls Shipbuilding is a national asset. As the only shipyard in the United States building four classes of military ships simultaneously, it brings a $1 billion financial impact to the economy and is accountable for
more than 22,000 jobs. There are currently 11,000 employees and nine ships under construction. The current workload includes three classes of U.S. Navy ships as well as National Security Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Ingalls is the largest private sector employer in Mississippi and 15 percent of the employees are military veterans. Employees live in 46 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. The shipyard also spends more than $75 million throughout Mississippi each year with more than 120 different suppliers.
The company creates and sustains jobs where new craftsmen and women can learn a lifelong trade and earn a very competitive wage which they put back into our communities. The weekly payroll is about $15 million or more than $650 million a year. That means that every year, more than half a billion dollars of employees’ paychecks goes to buy groceries, appliances, cars, homes and taxes in Mississippi and the Gulf Coast.
Over the next 18 months Ingalls plans to hire more than 2,500 shipbuilders, most of these in craft trades. Some will require training which the shipyard provides at their
SHIP SPONSOR Laura Stavridis smashes a bottle across the bow of the Ingalls-built Aegis Guided Missile destroyer John Finn (DDG 113). Also pictured (left to right) are Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens; Cmdr. Micheal Wagner, prospective commanding officer; and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias.
state-of-the-art Apprentice School. Outside of the trades
and crafts, Ingalls employs more than 1,000 engineers and designers. The company also has an excellent track record of employee retention. Currently the company has more than 300 Master Shipbuilders with 40 years or more of experience.
Ingalls’ leadership believes in providing a safe work environment and opportunities for employees to live healthier lives. Ingalls has been recognized by the American Heart Association for maintaining the association’s Fit- Friendly Worksite status for the third consecutive year
and the Platinum Fit-Friendly status for the second consecutive year. Ingalls is one of 21 Fit-Friendly Worksites in Mississippi and one of only three Platinum Fit-Friendly Worksites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“We are very serious about the work we do here at Ingalls to promote healthier lifestyles and wellness
of our employees and their families,” said Edmond Hughes, Ingalls’ vice president of human resources and administration. “From our ‘5K on the Causeway’ race, on-site fitness center with classes and inter-departmental challenges, tobacco-cessation initiatives, Teledoc and the opening of our new, affordable Family Health Center in Gautier, Ingalls has proven its commitment to healthy living.”
66 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2015
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