May's EBMA meeting, EB Night, was held at the Mystic Marriott on Tuesday May 25, 2010.  EB President, John Casey, was the evening’s principal speaker.  Mr. Casey projected a series of slides highlighting various aspects of EB’s business.  He spoke about community service and charitable giving.  He looked around the room and singled out individuals, noteworthy for their endeavors on behalf of the company.  Finally he offered to take questions from audience members.  Throughout the evening his remarks focused on the “people” side of the EB equation.  He repeatedly credited employees for the role their efforts played in the company’s continued success.

    But before that, EBMA President, Joe Rossi called the meeting to order, welcomed members, guests and retirees and introduced the head table.  He also identified the various VPs in attendance.  He briefly previewed upcoming events including the Lake Compounce Family Outing and the 10^th Annual Golf Tournament (P.O.C. Dawn Barrasso and Chris Dickson.)  He thanked Laura and Victor Sottile (D449) and retiree Tom Bogue for coordinating seating assignments.  He recognized Judy Bogue for her “tireless efforts” in planning these events.  He also thanked Jim Costello and Dave Sabala for helping with EBMA communications via the webpage.  He requested a round of applause for Izola George’s assistance.  Betsy Peterson (D330) then led the Pledge and Carrie Pfieffer (D455) recited the prayer.       Joe then introduced Kevin Cassidy, the EBMA’s election officer.  Before swearing in the new board members, Kevin said a few words about volunteerism and thanked the folks who contribute time to the association.  Their efforts, he said, ensure that the association sets no goals that can’t be reached.  They represent the positive ideology of the EBMA, he said.

         After dinner, Joe Rossi announced the winners of the Bob Januska and James Brown scholarships.  He awarded checks to those awardees able to attend tonight’s meeting.  Then “without further ado” he asked John Casey to take over the podium.  Members greeted the EB president with spirited applause. 

      John Casey thanked Joe for his introduction and congratulated the scholarship winners for their “endurance and stamina” noting how difficult it is to work all day and study at night.  The awards, he noted, are indicative of the recipients, sustained efforts.  He then recognized Bill Fitzgerald in the audience and asked him to stand, noting that Bill had just reached the 50 year service mark.  He then echoed Kevin Cassidy’s observations about the legacy of volunteerism in the EBMA before turning to the business at hand, the health and well-being of Electric Boat.  This is a great time to be in the submarine business, he said.  We built a lot of ships in the 80s but lost money.  We built few ships in the 90s and made some money.  Now we have a lot of ships to build and we’re still making money.  EB’s long term future is tied to the OHIO Replacement program, he said, but at an estimated $8B per ship, affordability will surely be an issue.  He urged those present to prepare to work together to hold down future costs.

       EB employees are helping Newport News’s folks improve their quality.  EB VP Quality, Bob Scheel, is Newport News’ most valuable employee, he joked. In Groton, the EB workforce is on schedule to deliver the next ship, SSN Missouri, early.  He noted he had seen a group of shipbuilders “huddled out in the hall” talking shipyard operations. “Instead of sitting in here listening to me,” he said, “they’re out there figuring out how to get the next ship delivered on time.  Now that’s dedication!”   EB’s made good progress, he said.  We have orders for eight ships, although we don’t have all of the funding in place yet.  “Every year we have to convince Congress that we need $5B to keep this program going.”

     Submarine Maintenance and Modernization, he said, is a very complicated part of the business.  “The modifications EB folks are accomplishing out on the west coast are absolutely incredible.”  He spoke about upcoming Availabilities, Navy Yard workloads and disruptive trends in shipyard manning.  At EB, he predicted near term hiring at Quonset Point of around 1500 people.  They will be working on the “two ships a year” increase in the workload, he said, as well as the OHIO Replacement, once the Navy reaches concurrence on ship requirements in terms of size, depth and speed.  Quonset just dedicated a new facility, Building 17, he said, that will be a “two shift operation as employees use it to coordinate Work-in-Process material.” He credited the New England congressional delegations for the growth in Quonset.  It’s due in part to the their hard work in support EB projects in Congress.  Those efforts are behind Groton’s plans to hire additional Engineers and Designers as well, he said.      EB’s also involved in commercial nuclear, wind energy, surface ships and Payloads& Sensors.  Also, he said, there’s a revolutionary water piercing missile that will streak through the world’s oceans at astounding speeds.  Testing of that system will start this summer, he said, in Naraganset Bay.  EB technology will soon be powering the world’s most powerful wind turbine (4.7 Megawatts) later this year in Spain.  EB employees, through events such as the Submarine Symposium, are able to present their ideas directly to the Navy and Defense industry experts.  “They’re standing up and articulating this technology,” he said, “and explaining just why it’s so important.”

         “I promised Kevin Cassidy I’d mention this tonight,” he said.  “Security is more important at EB than ever.”  Recently a spy was arrested with submarine technology in his possession, he said.  The number of cyber attacks aimed at EB each day, he noted, is now in the millions.  Finally he thanked employees for giving back to the community, for volunteering their time and supporting the American Cancer Society and the Heart Walk.  He emphasized the company’s dedication to health, safety and wellness and encouraged everyone to take better care of themselves.  He pointed to two VPs, Kevin Poitras and John Holmander as examples of employees who have been making great strides in that direction.  EB is helping through projects like the new employee pharmacy opening in Groton in mid-June.       Mr. Casey was given a heartfelt round of applause and Joe Rossi thanked him for attending this evening’s meeting.  He announced that a contribution to the Gemma E Moran food bank would be made in Casey’s name (and John quickly added his own contribution to that cause.)  Finally a motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the members left the Marriott with a better understanding of the company’s brighter future. 

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