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TBL Exclusive: Interview With Crowley's Tucker Gilliam PDF Print E-mail
Sunday, 21 October 2007 22:57
Tucker Gilliam is a man on a mission. As Crowley Maritime's Director of Marine Crewing and Development, he's a big part of Crowley's company-wide effort to address the recruiting and retention issues that are currently challenging all of the players in the maritime industry.

Gilliam has worked in a number of capacities for Crowley for more than nine years. After graduating from Texas A&M at Galveston with a degree in maritime administration, Gilliam signed on with Crowley and hasn't looked back, pulling assignments in Seattle, Long Beach, New Jersey and Jacksonville, where he's now located.

'We have implemented a new strategy at Crowley where recruiting across all our operations is coordinated at the corporate level. Until around a year ago, each operation was responsible for recruiting and screening their own candidates. With the personnel shortage currently facing the industry, this began to prove overwhelming for individual operations managers,” reports Gilliam.

To assist in the efforts Crowley also created a new position for a Marine Recruiter and hired Ira Douglas to the inaugural post.

“Ira is the heart and soul of our recruiting efforts. He is the 'boots-on-the-ground'-person attending the various career fairs and fielding phone calls and emails from interested candidates,” said Gilliam.

The need for well-qualified officers is currently being driven by two major factors. A big part of the issue for the towing industry relates to the IMO mandates for licensing. STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) now requires anyone wanting to become an officer to obtain an Officer In Charge Of Navigation Watch (OICNW) endorsement if they intend to work on an offshore towing vessel.

The training and licensure requirements conflict with the way that tug operators have typically recruited, trained and promoted officer candidates.

'Historically, a person could start off the street and begin sailing as an ordinary seaman,'explains Gilliam. 'Then with more sea time they could fairly easily move up to an AB. With even more sea time they could go on to complete some course requirements and sit for their Mate’s license. After getting their license, they could accumulate more sea time, gain more experience and move up to captain.'

The problem, Gilliam explains, is that the amount of course work required to meet the STCW requirement has placed a major obstacle on the path of someone who wants to go from an AB to a Mate.

'Most people can't afford to take up to 26 weeks off work to attend classes,'he said. “The requirement has had a major impact on the towing industry's ability to supply itself with qualified officers from within its own ranks. Over time, the change has diminished an AB's ability to move up.'

Compounding the shortage is a sharp increase in demand for services in the Gulf of Mexico.

'There has been a lot of building by off-shore operators in the Gulf over the past two years, following the hurricanes of 2005. This has increased the demand for services at a time when there's a decrease in the supply of qualified personnel.'Gilliam continues, 'The shortage is likely to continue over the next two years with a large number of newbuilds still on the books. It means more demand and without a significant increase in supply of seamen.'

As one of the largest towing operators in North America, Crowley needed to refocus its recruiting and retention efforts to adapt to the changes in the industry.

'We looked at the situation and recognized that we needed to do something,'says Gilliam. 'We had highly capable individuals sailing as ABs who have the aptitude and ability to become officers, but who couldn't take the time off without pay to go take the required classes.'

Crowley developed a sponsorship program to work with existing seamen who were interested in moving up. The program pays candidates while they are in school in the same way they would be paid if they were working on a boat. To meet the program rules, an employee must have at least two years' service with Crowley and must agree to work for the company for at least three years following completion of the program.

'The program has produced a big group of highly motivated, appreciative individuals who have made the progression to become very good officers,'says Gilliam. Four groups of officer candidates have completed or are in the process of completing the training requirements for licensure as a Mate. The program takes about five months to complete.

As enticing as Crowley's sponsorship program is, Crowley recognized that it would not supply enough personnel to meet the company's needs in the long run. Crowley's long-term strategy involves working with its various /union/ partners to hire and train many more people, ensuring that the company can meet the future demand for its services. The company has hired 265 people in 2007 and is still looking for more.

A second major component of Crowley's recruitment effort involves working closely with the maritime academies to recruit officer candidates.

'Everyone who graduates from the academies meets the STCW requirements,” Gilliam said. They may not necessarily have all the practical experience needed on towing vessels, but they have the fundamentals and sail as trainees for a period of time to develop the necessary experience. Additionally we are working with the Academies to get cadets more exposure to towing vessels while at school so they graduate better prepared for the industry.'

The third component of Crowley's recruiting strategy is trying to attract people who are already working in the towing industry and may be looking for a career change or may not know about the opportunities at Crowley.

'We have initiated a major advertising campaign and have a fair amount of people who are applying, just from having seen the ads,” Gilliam said. “The campaign has also helped generate interest and referrals from within our /union/s’ existing memberships.”

Technology and vessel design plays an important role in recruiting and retaining personnel.

'Quality of life gets a big focus,'says Gilliam. 'We’re always looking at the boats not only to see how we can make them to better server our customers, but also how we can make them better for our crews. We have an active building and replacement program. On the newest vessels, crew members have a private room and a private head. On older boats, the crews may have to share rooms, and we can't change that, but we are trying to make investments in amenities to improve living conditions on our vessels where possible. Things like satellite radio or email can go a long way to making life offshore more pleasant.'

'We are trying to focus on the things that make people want to work for us, and what will retain those people,” Gilliam said. “Today's seaman is not the seaman of 20 years ago, due in large part to the information age. They are used to being plugged in all the time, and receiving email by cell phone, or updated stock quotes. People demand that ability to be plugged in. Seamen are no different. And it makes things difficult for them when they go away. We recognize that and are doing what we can to give them quality of life while they're on board.'

One area in which Crowley won't compromise involves safety.

'Our commitment to safety starts at the top and stretches down through every level of the company. Some companies may also say that, but at Crowley, safety is truly the highest priority,'says Gilliam. 'We are always looking at 'How can we do this better?' or 'What lessons did we learn from that near miss?' It comes from the top. For Tom Crowley, safety is paramount.'

The same is true with Crowley's approach to the environment and the growing number of regulations the company must meet.

'Cutting corners on protecting the environment is not something we're going to do,” Gilliam said. “Our commitment to operating with minimal environmental impact is as strong as our commitment to making sure our operations are conducted safely.'



Gilliam is relatively certain that Crowley knows what prospective employees are looking for in a work environment.

'We know that people want competitive wages. They want predictability. They want a predictable schedule and predictable assignments. When they come back to work they want to know that they're working with the same crew. They want comfortable living conditions, better quality of life at sea, and long-term career options. They want stability. They want to know that the company they're working for is building for the long-term and will be around for years to come. They want upward mobility, consistent operating practices, safe working conditions, and they want consistent management.'

Gilliam wants potential recruits to know that Crowley is a company that's been around for a long time and will be around in the future. Crowley's strategy has always been to look at everything with an eye toward the long-term. 'We're on our third owner. He's the grandson of the original owner and we know one, or both of his children may be the next in line to run the company,” Gilliam said.

'What makes us special is our people,'says Gilliam. 'We're leaders in this industry and we can offer the opportunity to be a part of that. Crowley is a place where you can come and build your career. You don't come to work at Crowley and do the same thing forever, unless that's what you want.'

Crowley Maritime is always looking for qualified personnel to work in its divisions. If you would like more information about the opportunities available at Crowley, you can visit their website at www.crowely.com/careers or contact the recruiting team at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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