Leadership

Mr. Lee Murphy is a 1978 graduate of Bowling Green State University. After graduation, he immediately began working for MP Industries based out of Baltimore, Maryland, which was one of the preeminent marine and industrial preservation companies on the east coast.

For fourteen years he served in various roles culminating in 1988 as the Marine Operations Manager. In 1992, Mr. Murphy left MP Industries to co-found United Coatings based out of Portsmouth, Virginia; which became one of the top providers of preservation services to the US Navy. In April of 2012, Mr. Murphy formed MARCOM Services LLC to provide the industry with an experienced “small business” option capable of providing a wide range of surface preparation and coating services.

George serves as the Vice President of MARCOM, where he leads the overall operations and strategy of the company. George holds a BA in Business and Economics from Randolph-Macon College and an MBA from the College of William and Mary.

George began his career in the Ship Repair Industry at Earl Industries, where he worked in production, quality assurance, cost estimating, and project management. George worked for General Dynamics NASSCO as a Program Manager following the acquisition of Earl Industries. In this role at General Dynamics, George achieved success negotiating contracts, initiating process improvements, and leading one of the largest Coatings divisions in the country.

In 2015, George was excited to join the team at MARCOM, a small family business. He has used his experience at one of the country’s largest shipyards to optimize MARCOM’s market fit as a small business provider and help drive exponential growth.

Outside of work, George enjoys spending time with his wife, four children, and goldendoodle.

Mr. Stuart Vest has enjoyed a prosperous career made possible by his tremendous ability to manage large crews successfully.

He appeared on the ship repair scene in 2007, working with United Coatings and Earl Industries, Inc. Mr. Vest operated in the capacity of Superintendent on many of their large projects. In July 2016, he was hired by MARCOM Services to be their Production Manager, where he continues to excel.

Mr. John Paul Adams has been a part of the corrosion control community in Norfolk, Virginia for more than thirty years. Beginning his career in the shipyard industry in 1986 at Phillyship of Norfolk, he cultivated his knowledge and graduated quickly to his new home in the Estimating Department.

Mr. Adams joined United Coatings, a division of Earl Industries, in 1993 as an Estimator, and was promoted to Estimating Manager in 2001. At that point, he was distinguished in his responsibilities, and was overseeing all preservation related work for Earl Industries, Inc. and United Coatings. In the period between 2010 and 2017, Mr. Adams joined another marine preservation company as Contracts Manager and Estimator. MARCOM Services had a need in October 2017 for an Estimator, which Mr. Adams happily accepted, reunited with many of the professionals he had once worked with at United Coatings.

Mr. Adams has extensive experience with marine related preservation on all vessels, from service craft to aircraft carriers, and in all forms of preservation and coating types. He is known as a consummate professional throughout the Norfolk, Virginia waterfront.

Mr. Kevin O’Connell came to MARCOM in the Spring of 2018 with twenty-fiveyears of experience in the marine preservation industry. He began in the maintenance department and quickly absorbed the facets of the industry as he continued in his career as a Supervisor and then Superintendent. His thorough knowledge of marine preservation allows him the opportunity to settle contractual disputes and oversee the Project Managers at MARCOM.

Mr. Matthew Key-Baldwin began his professional journey attending Apprentice School and later becoming an Industrial Sandblaster, working throughout the United States.

Ready to settle down and do less traveling, he was hired at United Coatings, a division of Earl Industries, Inc. as a Quality Assurance Inspector-in-Training in 2010. Over the next few years, he refined his skills, continuing in the ship repair industry with different companies on the Norfolk waterfront, getting rapidly promoted to Lead Quality Assurance Inspector. Mr. Key-Baldwin joined MARCOM Services in 2016, where he has been at the helm of our Quality Assurance Program as QA Manager.

Mr. R. Eric Strickland is a proud United States Navy Veteran, serving our country for twenty years before retiring and transitioning to his next calling. He owned his own commercial diving company for six years, and even dabbled in security for the cruise line industry. Always near the sea, he moved on to a Safety/Production Manager at a local ship repair company. In November 2017, Mr. Strickland was welcomed aboard at MARCOM Services, where he currently oversees our Environmental Health and Safety Department as well as our Quality Assurance Department.