Witt O'Brien's Launches Strategic Growth Initiative

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2016

"Our company was originally founded to build resilience in the oil and gas, shipping and government sectors," said Tim Whipple, CEO. "We've retained that core focus, but have also expanded in energy and transportation and diversified into healthcare and education. Our international growth plan will build on our traditional strengths and expand our coverage of the fragmented resilience market by integrating new regional, sector and service capabilities.

"The need for resilience solutions – to prepare for, respond to and recover from high-impact events -- has never been greater," Whipple stated. "Responsible leaders in the public and private sectors need to be ready for a wide range of disruptions, from large-scale events (such as natural disasters, terrorism or infectious disease), to organization-specific challenges (such as cyber breach, regulatory issues or hazardous material leaks). Shifting threats and vulnerabilities can lead to catastrophic impacts on communities and businesses alike.

"We've helped our private and public sector clients through many of the largest disruptions of the past two decades, including Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon, 9/11 and the avian flu outbreak," Whipple continued. "We're currently working on high-profile issues as varied as Zika preparedness, rail safety and mass-casualty planning. We offer a unique combination of hands-on incident management with strategic crisis advice. We make a difference by partnering with our clients to save lives, protect assets and build enterprise value."  

To support this new initiative, Witt O'Brien's is expanding its operations hub in Houston, TX, including its 24/7 command center. The company will remain headquartered in Washington, D.C. and will continue to support Central and South American clients through its joint venture Witt O'Brien's Brasil.

Witt O'Brien's is a division of SEACOR Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CKH). "We remain strong believers in the market for resilience solutions," added Eric Fabrikant, SEACOR's Chief Operating Officer. "As Tim and his team complete their strategic review, we are delighted to support a dynamic plan that drives growth and value for Witt O'Brien's and its customers, as well as our shareholders."

About Witt O'Brien's