Can you tell us something about your company?
Jumbo is a family owned heavy lift shipping and offshore transportation and installation contractor. We have been developing pioneering solutions for ocean transportation for 50 years, with 2018 being our 50 year Jubilee. And since 2003, Jumbo established a sound track record in the offshore installation market as well. Today we operate a versatile and in-house designed fleet of heavy lift vessels with a lifting capacity from 650t up to 3,000t of which two DP2 Heavy Lift Construction Vessels. We believe that engineering, safety awareness and environmental care stand at the forefront of a reliable operation. This is why Jumbo has invested, and continues to invest, in the latest state of the art engineering methods, software and equipment. Our success has been built on strong client relationships and as partners we strive to assist our clients in reaching their goals.
Our Offshore division has an office in Houston and our Shipping division is represented in the US by Universal LandSea Transport Inc. which is headquartered in Red Bank, NJ and a shared office in Houston.
Why did your company choose Texas?
Texas is a very important State for the (offshore) oil & gas market which is an important market for Jumbo’s Shipping and Offshore business. Furthermore the large EPIC contractors and freight forwarders are all represented in Texas and therefore a large number of our clients have an office in the State. Having a local Jumbo office means we can facilitate our project teams to increase efficiency and optimise operations, but more importantly by engaging directly with our clients we can stay relevant, keep connected and be on top of changing demands.
What kind of advice can you give to Dutch entrepreneurs who want to do business in Texas?
This depends a bit on the business you are in but if it is oil& gas related I would advise to have local presence in Houston. Information about projects all over the world is available in Texas and for many of these projects the decisions are taken in Texas. Be aware there is no such thing as THE Houston O&G network but there are many, take the time to find somebody that fits both the networks you want/need to be in and your own organisation that he or she will have to represent.
Currently the market to rent office space in the energy corridor, the place to be for the Oil&Gas Biz, is good so it’s a pretty good time to make the step into Texas with the market starting to pick up.
Make sure you have a good local accountant with international experience to support and advise you and your organisation. And…don’t forget to a least learn the basics about the Texans, Astros and Rockets! 😉
