Rusty Murdaugh, who has been serving as interim president at Austal USA, has been named president.
Murdaugh joined the Mobile shipbuilder in 2017 as chief financial officer and took over as interim president after the departure of Craig Perciavalle. Since taking the helm, Murdaugh has worked to add steel shipbuilding capabilities at Austal, which up until that time built exclusively aluminum-hulled vessels. He also led the company in acquiring additional waterfront property and service capability on the Mobile River.
“Over the course of the last six months, the company has secured multiple contracts under Rusty’s leadership and is well-positioned for continued growth,” said Austal USA Board Chairman Larry Cavaiola. “Rusty has a clear strategic vision to grow the company’s business and lead Austal USA’s worldwide operations.”
Murdaugh’s selection “comes as the company grows its diverse portfolio of new construction, service and support, and autonomous vehicle contracts,” Austal said in announcing the new president. “The company has submitted a bid to build the U.S. Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter and is executing a preliminary design and concept study for the U.S. Navy’s Light Amphibious Warship program. The company also recently secured two services and maintenance contracts, expanding its post-delivery business.”
Says Murdaugh, “I am honored to be selected to lead this great company,” adding, “I am excited about the opportunity to lead the world’s finest shipbuilders, and I’m looking forward to the growth ahead in the coming years as we win new shipbuilding and ship maintenance contracts.”
Earlier, Murdaugh worked with Esterline Corp., Avnet, United Technologies (formerly Goodrich) and Honeywell.
With 3,300 employees, Austal USA is Mobile’s largest industrial employer.
