December 3, 2019

Welcoming the Mary Helen to the Michels fleet

The Michels family and executives stand in front of the Mary Helen tugboat.

If gold is the traditional gift for a 50th anniversary, what is appropriate for a 48th?

The Michels family opted for steel, and a lot of it, to honor the tenure of Office Manager Mary Ausloos, the first and only secretary of our late founder, Dale Michels. The Michels family surprised Mary by unveiling the name of the latest addition to the corporate fleet—a tugboat named Mary Helen. The name was presented in November, just a few days after the anniversary of Mary’s hire date of Nov. 1, 1971.

“Nautical tradition calls for vessels to be named after someone who is loyal and dependable, making Mary an obvious choice,” said Kevin Michels. “Mary is one of Michels’ longest-serving employees and has witnessed our growth from a small regional contractor into an international powerhouse.”

“Mary has kept us on course for nearly 50 years,” Kevin said, “and I’m betting she’ll do the same for this tugboat.”

Why does Michels own tugboats? We use them on waterways including the Great Lakes to move barges when working on marine projects and transporting material.

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