Larry Porter, Master Trainer at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, was the recipient of the Gulf States Shipbuilders Consortium’s 2014 Navigator Award. Each year, GSSC honors an individual who has displayed outstanding leadership or made other significant contributions to the development of the maritime workforce. Porter received the award at the organization’s annual meeting held in Biloxi, Mississippi, April 2‐3, 2014.
According to Byron Dunn, GSSC’s president, “Over the years that I have been honored to be associated with Larry, he has always been focused on one thing, putting people to work. His selflessness and dedication to training others is why he was nominated and rightfully named this year’s Navigator Award recipient.”
When asked about Porter’s contributions to workforce development, John Shows, Associate Vice President of Community Campus and Career/Technical Education at the college, commented, “As the Master Trainer and leader for the Maritime Workforce Training department at MGCCC, Larry’s commitment to quality and his drive for excellence is exemplified in his everyday work ethic.”
A master trainer and welding instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Porter’s leadership and guidance have resulted in the training and placement of approximately 670 welders in the shipbuilding/maritime industry in the past year alone and the college’s Welding program serves as a model for other colleges in Alabama and Louisiana.
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