As Regional Director of Loss Control for Blakeley BoatWorks, Richard Gautier is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring employees are properly trained, performing their jobs safely, and environmental compliance.
Prior to joining Blakeley, Richard had spent over 15 years in the field of Loss Control, Safety and Security. Additionally, he spent two years in an Operations role to gain a stronger understanding of the needs of industry workers. As a Multi-Unit Operations Manager, he learned a great deal, but the role didn’t bring the same sense of fulfillment. After two years, Richard was ready for a return to the world of Loss Control.
“I was actually on a mission trip at the time, outside the country, when I received the phone call,” he remembers. “I made the mistake of telling my wife the job was in Mobile, Alabama. Being a native to the area she declared that I had to get the job so we could move back home.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
“We moved to Mobile from Jacksonville, Florida, in August 2017, and it’s been an exciting ride ever since.”
Richard recalls that those first days on the job as Director of Loss Control were the most nervous he had been in nearly 20 years. “With the last company I had been promoted multiple times and relocated,” he said, “so I hadn’t had to start fresh at a new job in a long time.” He was excited by the challenges of developing a new understanding and skillset in the maritime industry.
Working at Blakeley means working in three major business units – work boat repair, new construction, and a multi-service maintenance unit that includes Blakeley BoatWorks, Cooper Marine and Timberlands’ ChipCo facility, and service calls throughout the southeast supporting both third-party and Cooper Group business units for Maritime Mechanics and Electricians.
“There’s always something going on,” he said. “Someone needing help or a new issue to be addressed. It provides a solid sense of accomplishment when team members come tell you they saw a safety problem and what they did to fix it. It shows that they’re buying into the right mentality and taking pride in themselves and their work.” For Richard, that’s what makes coming into the office every day worth – helping to lead and also learn from a talented group of people.
“Working with our team has been… educational,” he joked. “Our team has the widest swath of backgrounds and experience that I’ve ever worked with. We’ve got hands that have been working around boats longer than I’ve been alive and kids straight out of high school trying to find their path in life. Some days can be challenging, like herding cats, but I thoroughly enjoy being able to help and learn from all of my teammates.”
One of Richard’s favorite aspects of the job is teaching and training workers, both old and new. By adopting a One Degree of Change safety culture, it provides management with a baseline reference for the skill and safety level of new hires and even existing team members as they’re coached to correct a behavior or mindset. “There’s something so motivating about dealing with an old hand set in their ways,” Richard said, “and after you’ve worked with them or after a training class they come let you know that no one has ever explained things to them in such a way, or no one has ever cared enough to ask why they do the things a certain way.”
Something Richard makes sure his team is aware of is his open-door policy. “Whether it’s a problem on the yard or at home, I’m here to listen and help however I can,” he said. When asked why he’d spend time in the office or in the yard speaking with workers about subjects other than safety, Richard makes his philosophy clear. “I believe that if their mind isn’t fully on the task at hand, if they’re worried or thinking about something that happened at home that morning, then they’re putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. I don’t care if the problem is a colleague or a family member. Sometimes talking it through helps relieve that burden and keeps them from being distracted.”
At the end of the day, Richard wants his colleagues to know that they’re all part of the same team and are being looked out for. “We invest in our workers,” he said. “And working with a team that truly appreciates what we’re trying to do for them has been a real blessing.”