ARLINGTON, Va. — Gibbs & Cox Inc., a leading independent naval architecture and marine engineering firm, has announced the appointment of Keith Harper as Vice President and Group Manager of the Gibbs & Cox Design Group.
In this role, Mr. Harper will be responsible for providing guidance, direction and oversight regarding technical approach, schedule adherence, product status and technical quality for naval and commercial projects. He will also be responsible for staffing and training required to meet the schedule and quality goals of Gibbs & Cox and our customers.
"No other American naval architecture firm can match Gibbs & Cox's nearly nine decades of Navy, Coast Guard, and commercial ship design and engineering," said Rick Biben, Gibbs & Cox Chief Executive/President. "Keith brings over 30 years of ship design and program management experience on scores of hull designs operating around the world today in military and commercial fleets."
Mr. Harper began his career in the maritime industry as a designer in the Newport News, Va., office of Gibbs & Cox in 1984. Since then, he has served as:
- Supervisor of the HVAC Department, overseeing the detail design of HVAC systems for the DDG 51 Class destroyers utilizing Computervision's 3-D Modeling Work Stations.
- Manager of the Mechanical Department responsible for technical quality and specification conformance of drawings and products developed for construction, overhaul and repair of naval ships and commercial craft.
- Assistant Vice President of the Design Group responsible for managing the daily activities for a full service design group, supporting the development of Functional and Detail Production drawings as well as the development of detailed 3D product models. Harper also supported the development of manning projections, staffing plans and departmental budgets for various Government and Commercial programs assigned to the Design Group.
Mr. Harper is replacing Jerry Pinkard, who is stepping aside after 36 years at Gibbs & Cox, the last 16 years as the Design Group's VP. Mr. Pinkard has provided outstanding leadership to the Design Group and plans to continue supporting Gibbs & Cox as a part-time employee.
Gibbs & Cox is a global leader in maritime engineering and design, with nearly 7,000 vessels designed to our standards since 1929. Gibbs & Cox supports military and commercial clients in the U.S. and internationally with all phases of marine design, construction, and lifecycle management. Independent and privately held, Gibbs & Cox, headquartered in Arlington, Va., has offices in New Orleans; Newport News; New York;Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C.
