IGOR MISKOVIC – Project Manager

Early in life, Igor carved out a path dedicated to the marine industry.  In his youth, he was a semi-professional soccer player but went on to become an accomplished sailor, earning his Coastal Skipper Certification in the Adriatic Sea before going on to sail around Europe. Igor attended universities in Belgium, France and Italy where he specialized in Motor Yacht and Sailing Design, graduating with 2 Master’s degrees – one of which was in Naval Architecture.

His love of travel coupled with his ability to speak more than one language afforded him the opportunity to work in Italy for a luxury yacht manufacturer exposing him to the world of superyacht project management.  This knowledge opened the door for a move to the USA where he received further certification in Project Management in New York City.  In 2015, Igor joined the TMI team and brought with him a wealth of experience in new build project management and of equal importance, is his enthusiasm.  His passion for success is a benefit for all of us.

Paula, who graduated from Lloyd Memorial High School in her hometown of Erlanger, KY first visited Savannah in 1994 at the tender age of 28, with her family.  In 2002, she committed to a new life here with her husband Mike,  their 4 children and their 7 grandchildren – initially working for Gulfstream, an internationally renowned private jet building facility as office administrator with payroll responsibilities.  After meeting Mr. Tom Brooks (a colleague here at TMI), she developed an interest in accounting thanks to his guidance and his enthusiasm for the subject of numbers.  As a result of his tutelage, Paula has been responsible for the Accounts Payable Dept., which includes preparing our paychecks and so understandably, she is loved and respected by all at TMI, but for all the RIGHT reasons!

In 2015, Paula ran the JCB Mud Race for charity.  Such was her enthusiasm, that she managed to coax a number of other employees to join her in 2016 – all of whom have vowed to relive the experience and support the same charity again this year,  in the summer of 2017.  She is passionate about trains, steam  in particular, taking her vacation riding one whenever time permits.  She has 2 personal wishes in life, one is to ride the Orient Express from “wherever it starts, until wherever it ends” and the other is to become a published author as writing is an equally strong interest of hers.   “The Diary of a Steam Train Traveller” comes to my mind…

Thunderbolt Marine is proud to announce that we will be adding a 3-axis CNC  (computer numerical control) router to our inventory in mid-January.  The industrial sized CNC router that is manufactured in Cartersville, right here in Georgia,  has a 5’ x 10’ bed with an 8” vertical travel.   Furthermore,  the CNC router is equipped with a probe for digital scanning and copy routing.

With our new router,  we expect to reduce time producing a vast variety of items such as panel cutting, molding making, jigs, plugs, molds and acrylic nesting making.   However,  this wonderful machine has many more possibilities that our innovative craftsmen and customers alike,  are sure to explore.

This tool has long been on our wish list and we believe that combined with our existing skilled crafts, it will bring us up to date with today’s demands.

Ed has been working in the Machine/Mechanics Dept., for the last 8 years since he joined TMI.  After 2 tours in Vietnam as a UHI helicopter pilot, Ed, a native of New Jersey, continued his army career as an Instructor at Hunter AAF.   Upon leaving the army, he enrolled at Armstrong State to major in Economics.   For summer work,  he joined the  Savannah Machine & Foundry Company shipyard because of his interest with “all things boating.”   Working his way up the system through various departments and in a variety of jobs, he became a Ship Supervisor but has owned many titles in his 45 years within the industry.  Married with 1 child and several pets, Ed owns both a sailboat and a center console which he will put to good use during his retirement in June 2017. We will be very sorry to see Ed go but envy his opportunity to enjoy all the things he most appreciates when he has time on his hands – like finishing a custom made model boat which hasn’t (apparently) seen daylight since the late 80’s!   He enjoys every aspect of the ship repair business, evidenced by his work ethics and is no more partial to one particular task than another.  On behalf of everyone here at TMI and his loyal customer base, we wish him well for the fun years ahead and we thank him for his services to our country.

Most people know Dave Orr. He is recognized at boat shows and in boatyards all along the Eastern Seaboard, but primarily here in Georgia where his business has been based since 1995. Originally from Jacksonville, Dave recognized a need to establish a locally based marine propulsion and gen-set service industry to support the well-established commercial and rapidly growing private sector in and around our city of Savannah. Having built a strong reputation at our facility over many years, PPS and TMI enjoy a great relationship with our mutual customers based on our combined expertise, quality, knowledge, efficiency and dedication to the marine industry.
Performance Power also have offices in Pompano and Stuart, both located in Florida.  Dave is particularly proud to share the spotlight with Eric and Tony; 2 loyal employees who have helped him build his industry for over 20 years.

http://www.performancepowersystems.com

This summer, TMI embarked upon major refurbishment of an existing building located in the north end of the yard near the front gate.  Initially used to house smaller boats for painting, and then more recently for mast maintenance/finishing, this one story building has undergone a refit to include an enclosed preparation area with a separate “clean” room for brushing and/or polishing and a mezzanine area intended for office space and storage, with some work space for items like removed handrails.  In addition, a 32 ft long downdraft committed heat controlled finishing booth for paint, wood finishes and varnishing has been installed.  Expected to be finished later this Autumn, our Finishing Dept., will be able to accommodate a large number of interior items removed from vessels to efficiently complete tasks in a dedicated dust-free environment.

When TMI first opened its doors in October 2003, hydraulic tasks fell under the umbrella of the Machine Dept., until it was obvious there was a need for a separate department dedicated entirely to the demands for these specialized skills and services.

Our Foreman – Tony Heyden, once an engineer with the British Royal Navy and a previous employee of Quantam Marine Engineering, has headed up the department since its infancy.  Tony is still authorized by Quantam and Naiad along with other brands to perform services on their products here.  He is very ably supported by Ryan Giles, a native Savannahian whose background is in aviation but who has been with us for the last 4 years having spent some years in the machine shop before switching trades.

Both are passionate about troubleshooting, breaking down and rebuilding stabilizer systems.  Despite being a highly efficient team of two, the demand for hydraulic services is so great, that they are actively recruiting new team members for the department.  Tony, Ryan and TMI have in their words “recognized the need to expand their shop and diversify their department so that they can make a bigger impact on their customers’ demands for quality control, knowledge of all systems and greater attention to smaller details”.

Tony is fast approaching retirement.  He is very much looking forward to it and has been actively planning his future for some years now.  He will be greatly missed by all of us here at TMI as he will undoubtedly by his many loyal customers, but we are confident that he has imparted a great deal of knowledge onto Ryan.  We wish Tony well for a long, healthy and happy retirement.

Ongoing Commitment to Better Service

Jose Arce  was recently certified as a Technician Type 1 in air conditioning and refrigeration by Mainstream Engineering Corporation, an EPA approved testing organization.  This certification is mandatory for those performing maintenance, service, repair or disposal of an appliance that contains refrigerants.

James McKinney has met the criteria established by the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) for certification as a Composite Boat Builder.  The course includes construction, production and advanced manufacturing processes, structural details and hardware installation, quality assurance and safety & environmental compliance.

Early one Saturday morning on a mercifully overcast day in June, Team TMI joined forces with 1400 others to participate in the JCB 5^th Annual Mud Fest, a charitable event stretching 5 miles over the boggiest, muddiest, nastiest, wettest, swampiest man-made course in the area!  Not one of us broke any land-speed records, nor did any of us come first in our class but we all reached the finish line with no life changing injuries, yet with fun memories and exaggerated accounts of the challenging obstacles on the course.  The event raised money for the Lady Bamford Center – which provides education and social skill development to children from 6 weeks old to 5 years in age assisting children and families in every community where JCB maintains a manufacturing facility.   As hard as it might be to believe how much enjoyment the activity generated,  our enthusiasm has encouraged more employees of TMI to plan their participation in next year’s event!

www.ladybamforcenter.com