GO Marine Services (GOMS) is rapidly expanding, serving both our offshore oil and gas and offshore wind clients with catering services and trained, experienced labor capable of working safely and responsibly.
Pairing the right people with the right jobs and keeping them on the job has never been easy, no matter what the industry. It’s also no secret the labor market right now is tough at best. But especially in the offshore maritime environment, the logistics of drawing qualified candidates from around the nation and ensuring their transportation, training, regulatory compliance, rotation and retention is a dizzying task requiring unfailing professional-caliber logistics.
“When I learned about the opportunity to steer the remarkable GO Marine Services team through its next level of growth, I knew I belonged here,” said Jody Broussard, who came aboard with the company in October 2023 as its new Managing Director.
Spend just a few minutes with this homegrown Louisiana native and you’ll know he’s different. He speaks with deliberation and conviction. He quotes philosophers. He listens intently to others and genuinely loves the art of motivation through creative, inclusive leadership. People love working for him and with him. And he’s got the receipts to prove it.
The epic story of Broussard’s most recent success as pandemic response director for the Louisiana Department of Health is now on the history books. As COVID-19 began spreading across America in early 2020, he was tapped to quickly train and mobilize an army of nearly 400 people, gather resources and conduct contact tracing and outreach to stem the virus outbreak. Once distribution for the COVID vaccines began in 2021, Broussard rapidly shifted gears to become Louisiana’s vaccine ambassador, helping to address vaccine hesitancy and vaccination rates among those at risk for severe illness.
“It took a lot of soft skills and conflict resolution training for my team to conduct those difficult phone calls and conversations,” he recalls. “Keeping our folks motivated to cope with the hurdles we were up against required a solid organizational foundation. They knew I had their back.”
At GO Marine Services, Broussard sees a similar culture of excellence already in place to build upon as the company grows. As a former human resources and insurance executive, he understands the critical importance of GO Marine Services’ successful Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) program as a foundation for promoting employee safety that ultimately translates into better value for clients. In a previous role, Broussard’s successful HSE programs meant fewer accidents and millions of dollars in workers’ compensation premium savings, helping his company gain a competitive market advantage simply because employees felt safer and more valued.
“It all goes back to culture,” Broussard noted. “If everyone knows you’re working safe, it’s a value to employees as well, because nobody’s getting hurt.”
He also understands clients’ unique needs in terms of risk management in hiring offshore catering and labor.
“On an offshore vessel or platform, a cook is not just a cook,” Broussard explained. “He or she must be okay with working in the sequestered environment, know how to conduct themselves both on and off shift, and the fundamentals of culinary management, like making sure to order the right amount of food, following food safety regulations to make sure no-one gets sick and serving food in a safe environment.”
Indeed, virtually every aspect of Broussard’s career has contributed to this moment, even his transformational early experience of joining the U.S. Army and being awarded the Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB), a special skill designation for recognition of exceptional competence and outstanding performance by field medical personnel.
During his onboarding as he met the GO Marine Services team, Broussard noticed that the Shore-based Team knew each GOMS contractor as a unique individual and shared something positive about them with him and others. It was a revealing moment that showed a strong level of sincere caring and value for people Broussard has found isn’t always evident elsewhere.
“Knowing people on a personal level and what they value helps make a better culture that, in turn, creates more effective decisions and performance,” Broussard added. “I’m genuinely excited to steer this highly capable team of professionals and ultimately create a legacy in which we can all take pride.”
To contact Jody Broussard, email him at jody@gomarineservices or call (337) 534-4323.
