Birdon America, the U.S. arm of an Australian firm that specializes in marine engineering and construction, is expanding its local offices in Elmwood, as it gears up to fill a new $1.1 billion, 10-year contract for the Coast Guard.
The company was awarded the contract last year and will invest $3.3 million to create 25 direct new jobs with an average annual salary of just under $100,000 to oversee engineering, design, construction and delivery of 27 state-of-the-art waterways commerce cutter vessels for the Coast Guard. The vessels will be used to enhance maintenance and protection of the U.S. Intracoastal and Inland Marine Transportation System, a 12,000-mile system of commercial waterways through which an estimated 630 million tons of cargo is transported each year.
“The Birdon America expansion is a significant retention success for Jefferson Parish,” said Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission President and CEO Jerry Bologna in a prepared statement. “Not only will Birdon’s continued investment in our community create new jobs and partnership opportunities, but also it reinforces our position as a global leader in the engineering and defense industries.”
In addition to the 25 new jobs, the company will retain 12 existing jobs at the Elmwood office. The expansion is also expected to create 32 indirect jobs, according to Louisiana Economic Development.
“Birdon America’s decision to stay and grow in Louisiana to help build the vessels that protect our ports is a testament to the economic impact of Louisiana’s longstanding support for the U.S. military and national defense,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said.
To win the project in Elmwood, LED offered the company an incentives package that included the comprehensive workforce development solutions of LED FastStart. The company is also expected to participate in the state’s Quality Jobs program.
Birdon America President Robert Scott said it made sense for the company to expand its local office rather than move because Louisiana is a hub for shipbuilding with an experienced workforce, supply chain availability and proximity to water.
“Over 98% of our suppliers are U.S. companies and 70% of the contract will be performed by small businesses, many of them in Louisiana,” he said.
Birdon was founded in Australia in 1977. In 2009, it opened its first U.S. office in Denver and has since grown to become a major U.S. defense contractor.