A&A Global Industries history

In 1970, he hired Doré, who, at the time, was trying to convince Lemaster to transfer his business profit-sharing funds from a bank certificate of deposit into mutual funds.

Following that, Global began building its own vessels, starting with the GP 35, designed with the help of Ivan L. Garzotto, an engineer who joined Global as executive vice-president in 1978.

So successful was the first of these units that by 1980, the year in which it computerized its operations in both Lafayette and Belle Chasse, Global added a second system.

When the full collapse came in the winter of 1985--86, Global survived through an aggressive effort to find jobs, no matter how small, but it also began adding equipment it acquired from companies divesting assets in their own attempts to survive the hard times.

In 1989, Global added Sea Cat to its fleet, a diving support vessel that improved its diving capabilities.

The company got help from an unexpected quarter, Hurricane Andrew, which roared across the Gulf oil patch in late August of 1992, leaving extensive damage.

By that time it had also purchased lift or jackup boats (self-propelled, self-elevating work platforms) for its growing fleet of specialized vessels, initially with a purchase of sixteen from Halliburton in 1994.

In 1996, when it built two new liftboats capable of working in waters up to 180-feet deep, Global became the principal operator of liftboats in the Gulf of Mexico.

The move proved to be very profitable; in fact, in 1997 Cheyenne, still operating off Africa, produced about 25 percent of Global's entire revenue.

In 1998, with its final testing completed, Hercules began working as the most versatile and largest barge in Global's fleet, with a heavy load lifting capacity and ability to lay pipe up to 42 inches in diameter in depths up to 8,000 feet.