Annually, Turn Services holds a Captains’ meeting where all of our captains join together to assess their progress, operations, and any points of interests necessary. During this meeting they are able to discuss their concerns and questions that arise with each other and the company’s office departments. The meeting takes place three times in order to meet the availability of as many of our Captains as possible, as we have about 90 in attendance for this meeting. While we have many Captains on our team, it is notable to look at the big picture of the job itself as Louisiana employs over ¼ of the nation’s captains, which has risen above 8,000 captains.  

The captains all came together to go through safety protocols, accident and injury prevention, audits and policies, high water protocols, and more. The meeting included a visit from the Coast Guard and a conversation with one of our owners, Gary Pourrier. He shared how after Covid’s effect on the industry, “besides a few hiccups, we’ve never missed a beat—and ever since the pandemic we’ve been blazing away, and are proud of where we currently stand as the leaders of water commerce in the Lower Mississippi,” said Gary.   

After enjoying a fabulous lunch catered by Superior Grill, our human resources department met with the group of captains to address some of the bigger picture aspects of the job, including how to recruit and maintain the growth of deckhands.  Together the captains touched on the importance of strengthening communication skills with each other, their deckhands, HR, and other team members.  

A new important topic the captains and HR had delved into is our new training program, HSI. As the leaders of the maritime industry, for the new generation and their deckhands, the captain’s discussion included the importance of passing on not just the safety training required but also soft skills vital to succeeding in the industry.  

Our E-training team, along with HR and our team of Captain’s, discussed what is necessary for training new hires, what informational content should be used, safety information and more. Soft skills included in new training may include interpersonal skills and communication skills that the Captains think could bridge a lot of gaps in the work place. As each individual is be responsible for their own tasks and training, there is hope that each member can adopt some new soft skills in their lives, both professionally and personally.  

Turn Services is truly a team, and thus we want to pass on the best skills and wisdom on to the next generation of mariners. Meeting with the Captains, whom are their leaders daily, is a great way to get insight on how to help out the team and improve operations. Overall, this Captain’s meeting was very successful as we always enjoy collaborating with one another, communicating, and overall improving our company and its day to day processes. We thank our Captains for their daily effort and leadership! 

Back to News