Milestones

OceanGate Inc. (OGI), a global provider of deep-sea manned submersible solutions, has named Seattle native Neil McCurdy as chief operating officer. In his role as COO, McCurdy will be responsible for administering OceanGate's corporate strategy and coordinating operations and sales programs to reduce costs and increase profitability. In addition, managing the production and roll out of OceanGate's next-generation submersible, the 3,000 meter Cyclops™, will be among McCurdy's chief responsibilities. His 15+ years of expertise in developing and managing high-performance worldwide sales and distribution channels for marine vessels and products will bolster the OceanGate executive management team.

"Neil McCurdy brings operational excellence as well as a customer-centric point of view to his new role as COO," states OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush. "Under his leadership, OceanGate will expand sales programs in the defense and energy markets. In addition, as OceanGate's Cyclops goes from the manufacturing stage to deployment, Neil's strength in increasing operational efficiencies will be critical to our product delivery schedule. We're particularly excited to have Neil join us as we build out our next-generation manned submersible."

McCurdy, who reports directly to the OGI Board of Directors and CEO Stockton Rush, comes to OceanGate following an exemplary career in the marine industry. Prior to joining OceanGate, McCurdy held top-level management positions with Grand Banks Yachts Ltd. (GBYL.SI), a Singapore-based international manufacturer of recreational marine vessels. During his tenure at Grand Banks, he served first as vice president of worldwide sales and service, managing international sales, service, and distribution networks in America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. He most recently held the position of vice president of sales administration and service, with executive-officer duties operating and administering Grand Banks' worldwide distribution network, as well as profit-and-loss responsibilities for the company's North American operations.