G&G Shipping growing with the Bahamas

G&G Shipping growing with the Bahamas

With 10 specialized vessels serving the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos markets, it's hard to believe G&G Shipping founders Steve Ganoe and Mike Grandonico literally started out by refurbishing an abandoned boat they found along the Indian River.

   High school buddies from the Space Coast area, Ganoe and Grandonico took a stab at the traditional working world after graduation, but decided it would be better to take their reclaimed boat and start chartering trips to the Bahamas. As they became known for cruising passengers back and forth, they started to get requests to deliver some occasional personal effects, like a freezer or a set of tires.

Steve Ganoe (left) G&G Shipping president, and Mike Grandonico, vice president, founded the company for charter trips to the Bahamas that now have 10 vessels serving the trade.

   Nearly 17 years later, the pleasure trips have given way to a highly successful shipping operation that handled more than 1 million tons of containerized cargo last year. G&G offers 35 sailings a week in its niche market, specializing in the outer islands of the Bahamas and avoiding Nassau where some of the bigger carriers in the trade compete.

   'G&G is the vital link for a lot of the smaller islands,' notes Jim Hampel, chief operating officer, who joined the company three years ago when continuing growth prompted Ganoe and Grandonico to bring in an executive-level manager and administrator.

   Like almost everything about the company, Hampel notes, the management structure still has a direct line, daily hands-on approach harking to the earliest days of the company when both owners handled every aspect of their business, whether it was as captain, stevedore, mechanic or accountant, with a business plan focused on 'controlled-growth' and based on conducive market demand.

Jim Hampel, G&G Shipping chief operating officer, at Port Laudania.

   At the beginning, Ganoe, a natural mechanic who can work on the engine of his classic GTO, was the wizard of the engine room, while Grandonico would be reading the sailing charts and tide tables. That has translated into a partnership in which Ganoe holds the title of president, focusing on company strategy and vision, while Grandonico is vice president, and has a more direct hand in oversight of vessels, port service and operations. Hampel said his job is to handle the growing administrative duties and day-to-day organization.

   Although G&G does not call on Nassau, the growth of the company reflects the overall growth and expansion of the wider Bahamian economy.

   Ongoing construction projects, ranging from the large-scale resorts of Paradise Island to extensive second homes popular in the neighboring Turks & Caicos Islands, have driven the demand for services calling the outer islands. Since some projects take years to build out, G&G typically carries a mix of construction materials and less-than-containerload cargo.

   In general, Hampel explains, G&G moves about half construction materials and half containerized cargo. Describing the cargo evolution for developing islands, he said G&G will start by delivering equipment to clear the land, then bring in construction materials from reinforcement bar to concrete, then everything else on up through roof tiles. Finally, when buildings have been completed, the cargo shifts to personal effects and finally containerized supplies and consumer goods.

   As the company has evolved, it has built a fleet of vessels designed for the specific needs of this niche market.

   As 2007 begins G&G has 10 ships, ranging from the original 90-foot vessel to up to 250 feet. The fleet is versatile, able to carry cargo ranging from heavy industrial equipment to containers to deck-loaded cargo. The most common element among G&G vessels is that they can deliver cargo into shallow-draft ports that are inaccessible to the vessels of most carriers.

   For example, the Island Express and its three sister ships, provide roll-on/roll-off service, as well as lift-on/lift-off service if desired, and is often used for exclusive charter shipments because of its unique beach landing capabilities.

   Other options at G&G include tug-and-barge service for breakbulk cargo or containers, as needed.

   G&G now operates from a headquarters office with adjoining warehouse adjacent to Port Everglades on Eller Drive. The company is able to use service at Port Everglades common-user terminals, or sail from its private terminal at neighboring Port Laudania. The carrier also has a marshalling yard adjacent to the terminal there.

   Because of the close proximity to the Bahamas, the operations are geared for quick cargo turns, with freight rarely sitting in the warehouse for more than a day. G&G can accommodate six sailings out of Port Laudania most days, and turns a vessel in an average time of four hours, Hampel noted. Most voyages are completed within 24 hours, with the longest taking only 42 hours.

   From the multipurpose vessels to the ability to call at so many locations throughout the Bahamas, G&G services are distinctive for their flexibility and personal attention to the needs of individual customers.

   One shining example of this flexibility was the company's ability to respond with help during the harsh 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. G&G delivered the first shipments of fresh water and generators into Freeport, Grand Bahama — where much of the island was under five feet of water and its airport shut down — after Hurricane Frances tore through the Bahamas at in 2004. The company received a special commendation in August 2006 from the Bahamian government for its special efforts in that storm.

   As the building boom continues in the Bahamas, G&G expects to continue to grow as well. It will begin work on its 11th vessel, another 190-foot ro/ro ship with a draft of only seven feet, later this year.

   But as the company grows, it will continue to operate with the personal, hands-on management it has had from the beginning.

   'We control our own destiny,' Ganoe explained.