As land continues to erode from coastal Louisiana and recent natural disasters have made shoreline resilience a bigger U.S. priority, marine and dredging contractor Weeks Marine Inc. has “stepped on the gas” in the environmental services sector, says CEO Richard Weeks. The Cranford, N.J., contractor debuts among the Top 200 firms this year at No. 34, with $327.6 million in 2013 list revenue. “We saw a need, and it’s become a much bigger part of our business,” he says.
Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill revved up an already developing market for Weeks in Louisiana coast rebuilding, marsh creation and barrier island renourishment. "These things take a long time to unfold, but they have unfolded," Weeks says. "Things like Katrina and the BP oil spill just bring more focus to the issues."