Blessey Marine is finalizing a purchase agreement on Thursday, June 6, with Bruce Burnham for the former BJ Ford location on US 90, just west of the SH 146 bypass in Liberty. The New Orleans-based marine engine business is acquiring the site to expand its operations in the Houston area.
This new Liberty location will be Blessey Marine’s second in Texas, alongside their existing Web Engines facility in Channelview. The purchase of the building was facilitated through Evermark Commercial Realtor Michael Templeton, who coincidentally used to sell cars and trucks at BJ Ford.
“We are relocating employees from the Channelview shop to Liberty,” said Clark Todd, President and CEO of Blessey Marine.
Most of these employees already live close to Liberty, in places like Dayton, Hull, Daisetta, and Mont Belvieu. Blessey Marine, a tugboat and barge company, primarily handles its own operational needs.
“A few years ago, we started looking at doing more vertical integration within our company,” Todd explained. “This meant less outsourcing of work, whether engine-related or other ancillary tasks for our tugboats and barges. We brought engine work in-house and have since grown significantly.”
The expansion not only supports the parent company but also allows Web Engines to undertake work for other tugboat and barge companies.
“We’re expanding from about 12,000 square feet in Channelview to a little over 25,000 square feet at the Liberty location, providing us with more room to grow. As a result, we will be hiring more employees, with a focus on recruiting workers from Liberty County and its surrounding areas. We have encountered significant challenges in dealing with Harris County, making it tough for us to expand our business and hire suitable employees,” Todd explained. “We recognize the potential in Liberty County for attracting skilled workers.”
In addition to mechanical work, the business will also create support positions such as office staff.
The increasing barge and ship traffic in the Houston area, driven by the booming oil and gas sector, has led to remarkable growth in the industry. This surge in demand, particularly for engine services, has motivated Blessey Marine to seize this growth opportunity and contribute to the overall development of the maritime transportation sector.
While there are several other companies offering barge and tugboat engine repair services along the Gulf Coast, Todd said Blessey Marine stands out as one of the larger family-owned and operated companies in the industry. The company was started in 1978 by Walter Blessey, Todd’s now-retired father-in-law.
“We are in direct competition every day with some of the bigger, publicly-traded companies,” Todd added. “Being family-owned and operated is a real big advantage for us. Another competitive advantage is the fact that I think we have the best people in the industry. It all kind of ties back to having great people, great benefits, great programs for our employees, so in turn we have the best employees. That’s really what sets us apart at the end of the day. We have a lot of pride and the commitment to doing things right each and every day.”
As for what people in Liberty County can expect to see at the site, Todd said they are planning very few changes other than signage and some minor office reshuffling.
“They’ll see a few of our trucks and trailers on the highway bringing engines in and taking engines out of our facility there. But the biggest thing is we just want to be a good local partner in the community and continue to provide great jobs and good benefits for folks who live in and around the Liberty area. And that’s really kind of the impetus of us moving the shop to that area is we think we that that area gives us that opportunity to hire some really good people over the next few years,” he said.
Great news … where can I apply for future office position?