Posted on June 16, 2025
As capital projects ramp up across the Gulf, a new Louisiana company has emerged to meet the region’s growing logistics demand. “Right now, we’re sitting in the hottest capital projects market,” said Brent Patterson, managing partner at newly-formed Gulf of America Logistics (GOAL), based in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Patterson is a veteran in more than one sense, having served more than six years in the U.S. Navy as logistics manager for aviation squadron VS-29 and in fleet readiness roles with the Pacific Fleet.
In logistics, he’s a former materials manager at Kiewit and has owned trucking companies. More recently, he spent 11 years as a senior vice president at Blue Water Shipping, the Danish-headquartered project cargo specialist.
Louisiana has become one of the most active and opportunity-rich markets for the project cargo sector in North America, driven by a surge in large-scale industrial investments across energy, petrochemicals, LNG and infrastructure. With its deepwater ports, access to the Gulf and extensive inland waterways, the state is positioned to generate all manner of heavy-lift business in the coming years.
Billions of dollars in capital projects are underway or in advanced planning stages — including liquefied natural gas terminals, hydrogen hubs, carbon capture and storage facilities, and refinery expansions, all of which require specialized cargo handling, oversized equipment transport and multimodal coordination.
Rock Bordelon, Partner, Gulf of America Logistics; Kim Montie, Executive Director, Cameron Parish Ports, Harbors and Terminals; Brent Patterson, Managing Partner, GOAL
The state’s economic development initiatives and federal support through programs like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are further accelerating activity. Ports such as Port Fourchon, the Port of Greater Baton Rouge and the Port of Lake Charles are expanding capacity, while major EPC contractors and OEMs are investing in local fabrication yards and modular assembly facilities.
The GOAL for Gulf Projects
Asked about his eye-catching company name, Patterson told AJOT: “Look, there’s clearly an America First agenda right now, and for sure we’re speaking to that. We have a solution and a clear message: You don’t have to offshore supply chain logistics for a U.S. Gulf project anymore.”
Patterson said there’s growing desire to award logistics contracts to U.S.-domiciled entities — a trend he said applies to both public and private sectors.
He pointed to “hundreds of millions of dollars” spent on logistics services that have gone to overseas-owned companies. “It doesn’t make sense anymore,” he said. “We’re watching all this money be offshored from Louisiana, and there’s no local solution. That’s what we’re offering.”
GOAL’s primary focus is servicing capital projects in the region, Patterson said, but the company also offers transportation engineering, feasibility studies, barging, rail and trucking, as well as international 3PL services including chartering, HSSEQ and customs clearance.
The leadership team reflects its strategic focus. GOAL benefits from the involvement of Rock Bordelon, owner and CEO of Allegiance Health Management, who joins as a partner in Gulf of America Logistics. A prominent Louisiana entrepreneur with deep ties to the region’s business and regulatory landscape, Bordelon brings valuable local insight, commercial acumen, and strong regional connections.
Comments Patterson: “Our fellow partner Chuck Paddock comes from the barge industry, having served 14 years at Ceres Barge Line. I think everybody’s very concerned about barge capacity, and we have those solutions.
“Before that, Chuck was in the steel industry, handling import/export, which makes him incredibly valuable for some of the steel industry construction going on here. He understands that sector.”
GOAL’s vice president of operations, Keith Lincoln, meanwhile, brings more than 20 years of experience as director of logistics at Bertling Logistics Inc. Patterson said the leadership team has been carefully chosen to bring both technical competence and political understanding to the table.
“We have a very smart, technical team,” he said. “But we also understand the commercial and regulatory landscape.”
Patterson emphasized the importance of local knowledge in navigating Louisiana’s permitting and levee systems, as well as its unpredictable coastline. “Louisiana is very difficult,” he said. “You don’t need one solution for a project — you need 20 solutions.
“We’re from here. We’ve lived through all these storms, and we’ve worked with our equipment in all these storms. And you know, these storms are getting stronger, they’re getting more violent. They’re coming earlier, and they’re staying later.
“Knowing how to navigate the permitting system, the levee system, takes a lot of experience. It’s not unlike going down and operating in Guyana or any other remote area. Our understanding of the waterway and bridge systems throughout the state ensures we can mitigate the inherent risk that comes with operating in Louisiana.”
Securing Port Facilities
Patterson said GOAL is in the process of securing a port facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana — something that could offer a further strategic advantage as the state’s project market heats up. The company has also struck an exclusive arrangement to provide asset-based trucking services.
“Louisiana can certainly handle more than they’re getting,” he said. “We’re working closely with the state, too. This business is very aligned with the state’s goals.”
Asked what advice he’d offer to overseas clients or partners uncertain about the new administration’s trade policy, he said: “It is causing some uncertainty, but there are also opportunities to sit down and have discussions about the project.
“We’re in the business of finding solutions. Give us a call because we’re extremely involved in Washington, D.C., and we’re very involved in Baton Rouge, the state capital.”
Looking ahead, Patterson said the short-term goal is to offer the industry a domestic solution that adds value to projects already slated for construction. Longer term, it’s about ensuring Louisiana companies benefit from that development.
“What we’re doing is defragmenting the supply chain, defragmenting risk to the project, and doing that with a veteran-owned, local content company. We’re a very driven group, and I think that comes from our military backgrounds. You know, we pay attention to detail. We’re in this for the mission.
“There hasn’t been an American projects company out there like this since Transoceanic,” he said. “We finally have a chance to do it in our backyard.”
