Building a Strong Reputation in Marine Construction

Pangea Enterprises
Written by fmgadmin

Pangea Enterprises is a leader in the American oil, gas, and maritime industries. Guided by CEO Marco Pesquera’s unique perspective on company needs and industry trends, Pangea sets itself apart through the quality of its work and the skill of its tradesmen.
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Pangea specializes in new design and repair of onshore and offshore construction, piers, platforms, pipelines, and more. Based in Houston, Texas, the company serves a number of prestigious clients in the oil and gas, security and defense, and shipbuilding industries on projects in Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, and offshore sites in the Gulf of Mexico. The company offers a comprehensive line of marine, shoreline, and construction solutions including:
• Construction and conversions of drilling rigs and barges
• Installation and decommissioning of facilities
• Piping and structural fabrication
• Pressure vessels
• Subsea components, Pipeline End Termination (PLET), Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM), manifolds, and control systems
• Offshore component systems
• Rig refurbishment and repairs
• Platforms and jackets

Pangea also provides project management services such as construction management, procurement services, interface management, and budget and schedule oversight. With a focus on quality, safety, and profitability, the company is committed to exceeding clients’ expectations. The company’s services also include interface management services, coordinating the involvement of key stakeholders to ensure alignment of objectives, effective communication, and successful planning and execution of each project.

Under the leadership of CEO and founder Marco Pesquera, Pangea has developed a niche and built a reputation for excellence within the industries it serves. Founded in 2001, the company once looked quite different than it does today.

Pesquera began his career as a financial planner, providing benefits packages to construction companies. He soon discovered that many marine and industrial construction companies faced challenges related to project management and contractual obligation fulfillment that included the ability to maintain reliable and dependable manpower, and recognized this as a unique opportunity. Pesquera with his business knowledge developed a business-consulting firm that offered an array of consulting services that provided effective solutions to businesses and their workforce needs. “Dependable, reliable and most importantly qualified skilled manpower is a key essential in this industry,” Pesquera explains.

Pesquera put his expertise to work, offering services to help businesses identify solutions to human resources problems. “That was the first face of Pangea,” says Pesquera. “We were the company that was assisting employers with solving their manpower needs. It was a good service, and we did very well for many years, from 2001 up to 2009.”

In 2010, the economic recession took its toll on the construction industry. Seizing opportunity once again, Pangea evolved to offer new services. The company recruited experts in marine construction operations to lead the transition into marine construction management and services. Today, Pangea has evolved in marine construction and project management.

The company continues to leverage its business expertise, analyzing and developing a unique one-stop business plan that includes but is not limited to highly skilled manpower, a capability that sets it apart from other providers in the industry. At the heart of Pangea’s success is its leadership team and its highly trained and experienced welders, fabricators, pipe fitters, and certified tradesmen.

Recognizing a shortage of skilled manpower, Pangea meets the needs of its clients by utilizing qualified skilled labor to supplement their existing labor force with temporary workers. “As the marine construction and oil industry continues to grow, it has become more apparent that highly qualified manpower is a key factor in the survival rate of any business in this industry. Every plausible option has to be considered and used in order to meet all contractual obligations,” Pesquera shares.

The number of skilled laborers in the US has decreased in recent decades; Pesquera cites a societal shift emphasizing college degrees over technical trades. Despite the many well-paid jobs available, enrollment in technical and trade school programs continues to decrease. Meanwhile, the demand for skilled labor continues to rise, forcing many employers to source temporary labor. “Right now we have a high demand for skilled labor. There are plenty of engineers, but it’s a struggle to hire qualified skilled labor,” Pesquera explains.

This is an opportunity that Pangea recognizes, making possible the consideration of temporary manpower, significantly solving US companies’ needs to hire and deal with specialized tradesmen. Pangea utilizes in its projects highly efficient and experienced craft laborers that are legally authorized to work in the US.

Pangea also differentiates itself through a commitment to providing added value, which defines the company’s culture and work. “What makes you different, what makes you special? In this industry, it’s taking responsibility, from the worker in the field to the project management team. From the moment we sign the contract, we become a partner with our client,” says Pesquera.

Pangea’s culture of honor and excellence shapes every facet of its work, from hiring workers to interacting with clients and completing projects. With an emphasis on building a highly motivated workforce, Pangea recruits employees who are driven to succeed. “We want individuals who actually enjoy what they do and take pride in it,” says Pesquera.

Among the company’s leadership, respect is a core value, and there is a deep sense of respect for the company’s employees and the work that they do. “The office staff understands that, when we sign a contract, [the laborers] are the ones doing the actual work. We have to respect that and take care of them,” Pesquera states. As a result, Pangea’s employees are deeply loyal to the company. “We have 80 percent retention of skilled labor workers,” Pesquera notes, “and that’s unheard of in this industry.”

Furthermore, Pangea’s leadership places an emphasis on proactively and aggressively addressing challenges. Despite the decline of the oil and gas industry in recent years, Pangea continues to grow its business and take on new clients. “We don’t believe in sitting around and waiting for work to come. We have to be proactive instead of reactive,” says Pesquera.

Pangea sets itself apart through the added value it provides to its clients. Other companies tout their ability to complete projects on time and on budget; to Pangea, this is a given, and the company is focused on going above and beyond. Taking on full responsibility for all aspects of a project, Pangea strives to minimize the burden on the client and to be a partner the client can rely on. “It’s not in writing, but our clients know it. And once they experience it, they are pleased with our work.” The company prides itself on making the process as easy as possible for its clients.

Looking ahead, Pangea’s leadership team anticipates continued growth as the company turns challenges into opportunities. When asked what the downturn of the oil and gas industry means for Pangea, Pesquera is confident. “The demand for marine construction and pipe fabrication services will continue; there will always be boats. When it comes to pipe fabrication, there’s always a fear that [the US] is going to move away from oil. However, with natural gas, or nitrogen, or any natural resource, it still has to be run through a metal duct or pipeline. So as long as there are ships and natural resources that need to be processed, we’re in business.”

As America’s skilled labor gap widens, the company will continue to grow its business by meeting the need for highly skilled and specialized manpower. “We are many years ahead of the game,” Pesquera states. The recruitment process in this business can become very complex, therefore Pangea keeps optimizing its hiring process, and its data pull of experienced loyal workers that provides a competitive edge that is hard to imitate. “We are building a niche, which is providing quality and cost effective services, focusing on added value, and building a good prestigious reputation,” says Pesquera.

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