PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Bollinger Shipyards has appointed Andrew Hinkebein to fill the role of director of government affairs. He will lead all state and local government relations efforts. Reporting to EVP Geoffrey Green, Hinkebein will collaborate with community and economic development partners to drive the company’s growth across the Gulf Coast.
“Andrew’s reputation and commitment to the Gulf Coast made him an obvious choice to represent Bollinger and its 4,000 employees in the communities, counties, parishes and states where we operate,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger’s president and CEO. “Our greatest asset is our people and Andrew will be critical to ensuring that our world-class workforce across our 13 facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi enjoy the continued support of our elected leaders across the I-10 corridor.”
Hinkebein has more than 16 years of experience navigating complex legislative and regulatory environments at the federal, state, and local levels. Recently, he served as state director for U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville in Alabama, where he oversaw operations across five offices, and collaborated with legislative staff to develop state-focused federal legislation.
“I’m thrilled to have Andrew join our growing team,” said Geoffrey Green, executive vice president of government and external affairs. “Andrew will play a vital role in increasing Bollinger’s engagement with our elected and community leaders across our entire footprint. As a company, we are working hard to establish South Mississippi as the center of excellence in building world-class icebreakers, a trade that was nearly dead for a half century. Andrew, among other projects, will be working with our local and state partners to make this vision a reality.”
Prior to joining Tuberville’s team, Hinkebein held the role of southern regional director for U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, where he advised the senator on regional issues and defense policy initiatives. He also spent time as the director of community and government relations at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, where he facilitated interactions with legislative bodies and advised on strategic messaging to advance the agency’s policy objectives.
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Hinkebein was trained in intelligence at the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center, deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and received commendations for his search and rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina.
Bollinger is a designer and builder of military patrol boats, salvage vessels, research vessels, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tugboats, rigs, lift boats, inland waterways push boats, and barges. The shipbuilder has 13 facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi.
