On Thursday, April 28, at a special reception for clients and business partners, Next Generation Marine announced the opening of its global headquarters in the New Orleans Metropolitan area in May. The new headquarters will serve as a central hub for Next Generation's thriving marine operations. In addition, the marine start-up celebrated the christening of two of its newest vessels at the Port of New Orleans Thursday night. 



"The marine industry is booming in the metro area and we are confident that our business will thrive here," said Captain Eddie Compass, IV, CEO of Next Generation Marine. "Contributing to the marine industry here in New Orleans is something I've always dreamed about, and now we have the opportunity to do it." 

Next Generation Marine is one of only two African-American owned marine transportation companies in the country to own and operate its fleet of vessels. Next Generation Marine was founded in 2015 by Eddie Compass, IV, and Julien Chouest, II.

"The marine and maritime industry is such a vital part of Louisiana's economy, and like most industries, it has been vastly under represented by people of color," said Congressman Cedric Richmond. 

Compass, a New Orleans Native, has more than 10 years working in the marine and maritime industry. He has traveled around the world logging time in Chile, Lima Peru, Ireland Angola, and Trinidad to name a few.

Compass earned his Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation from the Maritime Academy Texas A&M University. 

The company expects to hire an additional 60 employees by May 2017. This will bring the total employees from 40 to nearly 100. Salaries range from $60,000 for deckhands to six figure salaries for captains.