Traylor Bros. Invests in Ballard Marine Construction

EVANSVILLE, IN. –Traylor Bros., Inc. announced today it has signed a definitive agreement to make a significant financial investment in Ballard Marine Construction, LLC, with the option to purchase majority ownership in the future. Traylor Bros. and Ballard Marine Construction are very successful specialty contractors with excellent reputations in their respective industries. Specific terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

Traylor Bros. is one of the nation’s leading heavy civil contractors. The company has been recognized for their innovative construction techniques to build landmark bridges, tunnels, and marine structures. With an emphasis on safety and ethics, Traylor Bros. is at the forefront of industry-leading safety programs and is a founding member of the Construction Industry Ethics and Compliance Initiative.

Ballard Marine Construction, originally an underwater diving specialty company, has grown over the past 16 years into a turn-key general contractor serving a variety of clients in the hydropower, tunneling, industrial, nuclear, water utilities, and marine industries worldwide. The company provides various services in the areas of underwater construction, underwater inspection and surveying, environmental/remediation, plant maintenance, ships husbandry, and contaminated and potable water diving under a wide variety of contract types, including CMAR, EPC, and Design-Build.

Traylor Bros., as a major investor, will focus on developing the strategic partnership between the companies. The companies will closely collaborate, partner in joint ventures, and augment one another’s service offerings. Specifically, Ballard now provides their clients with a more robust service line that includes inspection & survey, constructability, engineering and design, self-performed underwater construction, and heavy civil marine and underground solutions.

“We are excited to partner with Ballard in growing their market share and providing exceptional turn- key marine and underground services to their clients worldwide. Ballard and Traylor share a culture that prioritizes people, ethics, and innovation. This likeminded thinking will simplify the integration process, allowing us to concentrate our efforts toward designing and building quality projects. I am certain we are better as a team than as separate companies.” – Mike Traylor, Co-President, Traylor Bros., Inc.

“The investment by Traylor Bros. achieves a critical strategic growth initiative for our company. We chose to partner with Traylor because of the cultural and operational alignment that exists between our two companies, including expertise in relevant markets and our deep commitment to safety and quality. Our partnership results in a truly compelling value proposition for Ballard’s global clientele and the infrastructure market in general. We are very excited to bring to bear the benefits of this team to meet our clients’ objectives.” – Jesse Hutton, President and CEO, Ballard Marine Construction

Both companies will continue to operate under their current leadership, with Jesse Hutton as President and CEO and Shilo Hutton as Vice President and CAO. Chris and Mike Traylor will continue as Co- Presidents of Traylor Bros. A joint strategic integration team will be created to begin the process of evaluating the combined business opportunities, operating structures, and internal processes.