Posted on February 2, 2023
Company founder and industry titan Brian D’Isernia retires after 46 years
PANAMA CITY, FL – Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) is pleased to announce Joey D’Isernia has been appointed CEO and Chairman of the Board. After more than 46 years in the role, company founder Brian D’Isernia is retiring and proudly handing over the leadership to the next generation. Joey was appointed president in 2015 and has spent his entire career working in the shipyard with his father and brothers.
“We all stood on Brian’s shoulders as he built this company from the ground up. I am deeply humbled as I step into this role knowing how much my father sacrificed for us and for this company. We will carry on his legacy and maintain Eastern’s core values of delivering our clients exceptional service and the highest quality vessels,” said Joey D’Isernia.
As president, Joey oversaw Eastern’s unprecedented rapid recovery following Hurricane Michael in 2018. During this recovery, the company also made landmark achievements in its execution of the Offshore Patrol Cutter project for the United States Coast Guard. Under his leadership, ESG has transformed from a commercial shipyard to one that excels in the management and execution of government shipbuilding programs as well as commercial programs. The company today employs more than 1,600 and has produced more than 350 complex and diverse vessels.
Brian D’Isernia will serve as “Chairman Emeritus” of the company, in recognition and appreciation of his lifelong commitment to the company.
“Building this successful company spanning half a century has been an incredible source of pride, but my greatest achievement is my family. I have every confidence that under Joey’s leadership the next generation of D’Isernia shipbuilders will continue our proud legacy and the next fifty years will be a shining success,” said Brian D’Isernia.
Eastern employees, industry leaders, and public officials have expressed their gratitude for Brian D’Isernia’s impact in the community. Brian started his career as a lawyer, became a commercial fisherman, and soon turned his passion of commercial fishing into building his own fishing vessels. He eventually progressed from commercial fishing into vessel construction, opening the shipyard in 1976. In 2017, Brian D’Isernia was awarded with the NMHS Distinguished Service Award.
Mr. D’Isernia has been married to the love of his life, Miriam “Mimi”, for over fifty years. They are blessed with ten children, and six of them work at the shipyard today. Mr. D’Isernia’s love of family has also carried over to the shipyard, as Eastern’s dedicated employees have a hard working, family-oriented shipbuilding philosophy.
