After more than three decades of working in the shipyard industry, Todd Thayse retired on Friday as the Vice-President and General Manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay.  A native of Kewaunee County, who grew up in Lincoln and graduated from Luxemburg-Casco High School in 1980, Thayse turned 60 years old this past Monday, having announced his retirement last October.  After first working for Peterson Builders Incorporated (PBI) in the early 1980s, Thayse started working at Bay in the sheet metal shop at Bay Shipbuilding in 1985 with hopes of pursuing more significant opportunities.  In 1991, Thayse began working in the repair side of the business, becoming a project manager and eventually leading the repair and conversion division of the shipyard.  He worked under Pat O’Hern, who later became vice-president and general manager of Bay Shipbuilding, a person Thayse considered his mentor.  After Fincantieri purchased Bay Shipbuilding from the Manitowoc Company in 2009, Thayse became the general manager and vice president in 2012.  The building of the first self-unloading vessels and delivering over 20 boats during his tenure are some of the accomplishments Thayse will remember most.  He plans to stay in the area and is currently the District 2 Supervisor on the Door County Board, which serves southern Door County.  Thayse and his wife, Deb, live in Forestville and have three adult children and eight grandchildren.  He is looking forward to being around family more, sporting events, and the many hobbies he has pursued.  You can listen to the entire conversation with Todd Thayse on the podcast page here. 

(photo courtesy of MarineLink)