Taylor Named Austal USA COO for Transformation
Austal USA promoted Christy Taylor to the newly established position of Chief Operating Officer for Transformation. She will report to Austal USA president Rusty Murdaugh, and oversee Human Resources, Production Control, IT and Supply Chain Management operations in addition to other business integration, leadership, and strategy roles. Her focus will be developing and integrating companywide systems and processes while identifying and enabling synergies across these functions…
BCGP Appoints Bon Fleur as General Manager
Brunswick Commercial & Government Products (BCGP) has announced Erik Bon Fleur as its new general manager. In this role, Bon Fleur will be responsible for day-to-day operations and business activities, reporting to Boston Whaler Group President, Nick Stickler. Prior to joining the BCGP team, Bon Fleur served in various other roles inside BCGP’s parent company, Brunswick Corporation, including continuous improvement manager for Boston Whaler, and most recently director of operations for Thunder Jet, an aluminum boat builder in Washington state.
FARO to Host 3DRV Driven by Design Tour
FARO Technologies, Inc., the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement, imaging and realization technology, will host the 3DRV Driven by Design Tour Wednesday, September 24, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST at the Corporate Headquarters in Lake Mary, Florida. The upcoming event, cosponsored by FARO, is hosted by Autodesk’s TJ McCue, journalist and 3D enthusiast, with the mission and goal to visit over 100 cities across America over the course of eight months and celebrate the impact of 3D design, through customer stories, consumer creativity and student innovations. These documented accounts will discuss the impact that 3D laser scanning-to-3D print workflows is having within small to large organizations in their daily operations.
ROBOBOATS: Autonomous Boats Aid Maritime Security
The theme of the 4th International RoboBoat Competition, sponsored by The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), was “The Four Elements.” Teams of students designed and built autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) that faced challenges involving earth, air, fire and water. The competition was held at The Founders Inn and Spa, Virginia Beach, VA, June 8-12, 2011 and included 15 teams representing colleges and universities around the world.
Student-Built Robotic Boats to Compete
College Students from the United States and Canada will bring their robotic boats to Virginia Beach to compete for up to $20,000 in prize money. The event, the second International Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) Competition, is being sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the Washington, DC-based Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation. The competition will occur June 18-21 at the Founder’s Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach. The small lake on the resort’s property will be turned into the site of a simulated shipwreck of a ferry boat with passengers awaiting rescue. The student-built boats will be challenged to navigate a treacherous series of dangerous reefs and dock with the sinking ferry to rescue the passengers.
UCF Students Win Autonomous Surface Vehicle Competition
A team of students from the University of Central Florida (UCF) Robotics Laboratory took first prize at AUVSI and the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR)’s First International Autonomous Surface Vehicle Competition (ASVC), held Aug. 7-9 in San Diego, Calif. The first competition of its kind brought together students teams from the U.S. and Canada. Six undergraduate student teams competed for three days at the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center’s TRANSDEC Facility, where they were challenged to navigate a surface-water course with autonomous vehicles built with off-the-shelf components. The ASVC is a student competition based on unmanned boats operating under rules of the waterway including littoral area navigation, channel following and autonomous docking.
Starkey Promoted to Port Canaveral CFO
Margaret Starkey has been named Deputy Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer of the Canaveral Port Authority. Starkey began her career with the Port Authority as a staff accountant in 1993. She soon was promoted to Assistant Director and then named Director of Accounting in August 2004. In her new position, Starkey will be responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of the operation of Port Canaveral. Starkey is a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She lives on Merritt Island with her husband Jesse and sons A.J. and Josh.
Port’s CFO First CPA to Get Certification
A. J. Francis was among five professionals of 87 currently enrolled to receive the certification during the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). The industry association established the program of seminars and activities in 1994 to encourage and promote professional standards in public port management. Nationwide, 44 port professionals have earned the AAPA certification. “The most rewarding part of the program is the exposure to other sectors of the port industry,” according to Francis, a 20-year employee of the Canaveral Port Authority. “Successful completion of the program also dispels the myth that accountants are only gifted with numbers.
