VSRA Ship Repair Radio

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, John Polowczyk sits down with Jon Garrity, Founder and CEO of Tagup, to explore the intersection of modern technology and the deckplates. Bringing an impressive background that includes degrees in physics and economics from MIT, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and extensive industrial management experience at GE, Jon is leading the charge in deploying art...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with the 2025 VSRA Tradesperson of the Year winners: Meaghan Parish, our Senior Tradesperson of the Year, and Gisaun Brothers, our Junior Tradesperson of the Year. Both of these outstanding individuals come from Colonna's Shipyard, where they have set the standard for technical mastery, safety innovation, and community leader...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with Rachel Sciullo, Maritime Welding Tech Program Director at the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI). Bringing 15 years of multifaceted trades experience—spanning commercial underwater diving, crane manufacturing, quality leadership at Steel America, and certified welding inspection—Rachel offers a powerful, deckplate perspectiv...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with Larry Ryan, Operational Risk Manager at Vigor Marine (MHC Norfolk) and Chair of the VSRA OSHA Partnership Subcommittee. Drawing from a nearly 30-year maritime career that began managing shipboard facilities in the U.S. Navy and spans a decade overseeing risk, wharf operations, and hot-work coordination at Vigor, Larry brings...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with Doug Smith, President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance. Bringing four decades of public and private sector leadership across Hampton Roads (including service as City Manager for Norfolk and Deputy City Manager in Portsmouth and Virginia Beach), Doug shares an insider’s look into the competitive business of regional busin...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with Rear Admiral Dan Lannamann, Commander of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center (CNRMC). The conversation focuses on the operational and administrative realities of ship maintenance, diving squarely into the depot maintenance dilemma of getting the surface fleet in and out of the yards on time. Admiral Lannamann, who serves as...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with Congressman Bobby Scott, who represents Virginia's third congressional district and serves as a long-standing member of the bipartisan Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus. The conversation focuses on the critical role of the ship repair industrial base and the ongoing fight to keep ships homeported in Hampton Roads. Congre...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John sits down with Dr. Antoinette "Toni" Johnson, Director of Workforce Development at Paul D Camp Community College. The conversation focuses on expanding the recruitment map and activating untapped talent outside the immediate urban centers of Norfolk and Newport News. Dr. Johnson details how Paul D Camp is turning raw talent from rural and s...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, who represents Virginia's second congressional district and serves on the Armed Services Committee. The conversation focuses on the critical need for a predictable workload and adequate funding to keep the naval fleet ready. Congresswoman Kiggans details her role in taking the operational hurdl...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, John Polowczyk sits down with Jay Prock, President of Tidewater Staffing. The conversation dives straight into the realities of the maritime industry's workload peaks and valleys, exploring how temporary staffing serves as a necessary pressure-relief valve for private yards managing unpredictable Navy maintenance schedules.  Jay details how Tidewater Staf...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John sits down with Todd Estes, Vice President of Workforce Development and Innovation at Virginia Peninsula Community College. As a member of the Community College Workforce Cooperative (CCWC), Todd breaks down exactly where the next generation of our maritime workforce is coming from and how regional institutions are providing a nearly debt-free pipelin...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, host John Polowczyk sits down with one of Washington's most powerful voices on naval readiness, Congressman Rob Wittman, representing Virginia's first district. As the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, Congressman Wittman breaks down the critical importance of the maritime indus...

In Episode 07 of Ship Repair Radio, host John sits down with Rear Admiral Diana Wolfson, the Director of Fleet Maintenance for U.S. Fleet Forces Command. With a trailblazing background as the first woman to lead an American naval shipyard—serving as the commander of both the Puget Sound and Norfolk Naval Shipyards—Admiral Wolfson brings an unmatched, hands-on perspective to fleet readiness.  The c...

In Episode 06 of Ship Repair Radio, VSRA President John Polowczyk sits down with Mark Whitney, Executive Director of the Virginia Digital Maritime Center (VDMC). With decades of executive leadership spanning the U.S. Navy, private industry at BAE Systems, and regional workforce development, Mark offers a comprehensive look into why the ship repair industry is struggling to adopt new technology. Th...

In Episode 05 of Ship Repair Radio, host John sits down with Kevin Terry, Senior Defense Advisor for the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the ship repair industry today. With 40 years of experience supporting Navy ship material readiness, including his time as General Manager of General Dynamics NASSCO Norfolk and Commanding Officer at the Superv...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, VSRA President John Polowczyk sits down with Shawn Avery, President of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. They tackle a persistent but outdated narrative: the supposed lack of a maritime workforce in Hampton Roads. Shawn details the massive, coordinated "workforce generation machine" actively supplying talent to both the shipbuilding and ship repai...

In this podcast episode of Ship Repair Radio, VSRA President John sits down with Rear Admiral Kayvon Hakimzadeh (commonly known as "Admiral Hak"), Commander of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Bringing his perspective as a former Naval aviator, Admiral Hak discusses his observations after his first year in command, highlighting both the exceptional responsiveness of government flyaway teams a...

In the inaugural episode of Ship Repair Radio, the official podcast of the Virginia Ship Repair Association, we tackle one of the most critical debates currently facing the waterfront: workload versus workforce. While the prevailing narrative often centers on a workforce shortage, we flip the script to examine why a volatile, unpredictable, and declining workload is the real issue impacting modern...

In this episode of Ship Repair Radio, VSRA President John Paul sits down with Jahlani Williams, the 2024 VSRA Junior Tradesperson of the Year and current Sheet Metal Lead at East Coast Repair and Fabrication. Jahlani shares his inspiring journey from navigating unfulfilling jobs after college to discovering a rewarding, long-term career in the maritime industry.  Listeners will get an inside look...

Welcome to Episode 000 of Ship Repair Radio, the official podcast of the Virginia Ship Repair Association! Hosted by VSRA President John Polowczyk, this introductory episode sets the stage for the vital conversations ahead. Make us your go-to station and tune in every Monday morning for a weekly update on everything happening in the ship repair industry. We will be diving deep into the critical is...