Craig Perciavalle takes helm at Austal USA

DECEMBER 13, 2012 — Austal USA has promoted Senior Vice President of Operations Craig Perciavalle to President.

“I am pleased to see Craig Perciavalle take the helm,” said Austal USA Chairman Rear Admiral Dugan Shipway, “He is a true American shipbuilder who will deliver on our existing naval contracts.”

Mr. Perciavalle is currently serving as Senior Vice President of Operations. He joined Austal USA in 2007, serving in a number of senior management positions while overseeing Austal’s transition from a small, conventional commercial shipyard to an efficient, modular manufacturer of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship and Joint High Speed Vessel.

“Craig helped design, build and staff Austal’s American facilities” said Andrew Bellamy, Austal’s Chief Executive Officer, “he is uniquely prepared to transition this shipyard into serial production and manufacture ships at a pace unmatched in the United States today.”

Austal USA Interim President and Chief Financial Officer, Brian Leathers, was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Perciavalle is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Engineering Systems. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

He has twenty years of experience in the shipbuilding and repair industry and has worked at several Gulf Coast shipyards, including: Bender Shipbuilding & Repair in Mobile, Alabama; Atlantic Marine in both Mobile, Alabama and Jacksonville, Florida; and Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana. Mr. Perciavalle has held various senior management positions successfully overseeing commercial and government new construction and repair programs of diverse vessel types; most recently the Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV) and Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), both high-speed aluminum vessels presently being built by Austal for the U.S. Navy.

Currently, Mr. Perciavalle serves as an Executive Control Board Member of the National Shipbuilding and Research Program (NSRP) focusing on reducing the cost of acquiring, operating and maintaining Navy ships.
Mr. Perciavalle lives in Baldwin County, Alabama, with his wife and two (2) children.