SOFEC CEO to retire after 29 years of service

President and chief executive officer (CEO) of offshore mooring systems provider SOFEC has decided to retire from the company after 29 years of service.

SOFEC said that its president and CEO Rick Hall would be retiring on 31 March 2021 after 29 years of service in the company and 21 years as its CEO.

Yuji Kozai, president and CEO of MODEC – parent company of SOFEC, said: “Hall will be working for SOFEC part-time as an advisor after his retirement, and I am looking forward to his contribution to the further growth of SOFEC”.

Hall added: “I have been planning my retirement for quite some time, and now with the current projects in good hands, and the beginning of the end of COVID in sight, it presents a good time to make this transition.

“SOFEC has been my extended family and my support group for all of life’s challenges whether personal or professional. I will truly miss SOFEC and all the people that make it so special”.

Hall was recruited to work at SOFEC in 1992 as a chief civil engineer for the Lufeng 13-1 disconnectable internal turret mooring system. After the project’s successful completion, he moved into leadership and acted as both the vice president of engineering and the vice president of operations.

He took over the helm as president of SOFEC in 2000 upon the departure of Bill Kiely Sr., one of SOFEC’s founders. FMC was SOFEC’s owner at the time and Hall led SOFEC through its sale to MODEC in January 2007. While serving as SOFEC’s president and CEO, he also served with MODEC by holding numerous board positions and has acted as the executive VP and COO of MODEC International since 2007.

Kozai and Hall have announced the new president and CEO Brent Konstanzer, who will step into the two roles on 1 April 2021.

Konstanzer has been with SOFEC since 2002 and is currently the director of business administration. He began his career working in various positions in the civil and structural engineering and water and wastewater construction industries.

He thanked Hall and MODEC management for the opportunity to serve as president and said: “I am thankful for the many years I have had to learn from Rick’s leadership. He has continued the original SOFEC culture, through many changes, but we have learned well and will continue his legacy of valuing our employees above all. It is the SOFEC people that have allowed SOFEC to thrive over the years”.