Thunder Roads La/MS November TRLAMS_NOVW | Page 17

Maritime Biker By: Captain Steve brandon acosta It’s that time of year again, time to give thanks to all the people and things that make your life so great. Time to give thanks to people behind the scenes to keep our jobs flowing smoothly too, like Brandon Acosta of South Lafourche, A port engineer at Marquette Transportation that has been running out to every boat in the fleet to make sure their boats keep on working. I’ve been working with Brandon for a while now and finally got him to give me his story, and this is what he said: “Upon graduating high school in 1994, I began working at North American Shipbuilding and my love for boats and the maritime industry was born. Starting out as an electrician’s helper, I slowly moved up the ranks and became a marine electrician. This was a great experience, but I was hungry for more. I attended Delgado Community College and received my certification in HVAC (refrigeration and air conditioning). After receiving my certification, I jumped out of the maritime industry to focus on being a single parent to my 3 wonderful children. Working in the maritime industry requires a lot of time being away from home and at that time, it just wasn’t feasible for me. I needed to be home every night to cook meals, clean house, help the kids with homework and to just simply be a daddy. But I still had to provide for my children, that’s when I began working locally as a residential electrician and a/c technician. While sharpening my skills residentially, my kids got older. Although they still needed me, I had taught them to take care of themselves enough that I could be away from home a little more. That’s when I jumped back into the maritime industry and started working as a contracted marine electrician / a/c technician. And to be honest, I missed being on the water. That’s when I caught the eye of Marquette Offshore. I have been with Marquette Transportation as a port engineer for the past 6 years and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Although I’m not “offshore”, sea life is still in my blood. After 23 years in the industry, with many ups and downs, I am happy to be where I am today. I have 3 grown children, whom I’m incredibly proud of. Braxton is 22 and is in the 1st Armored Division in the United States Army based in El Paso, TX. Braydon is 20 and has followed me into the work force and is enjoying it. And Kylie Jo is 17 and will be graduating from high school in May of 2018. I’ve always had a love for bikes. As a kid, it started with dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. After graduation, I bought my first road bike. Now, when I’m not chasing boats for work or kids and all their activities, I ride my 2009 Harley Nighster 1200 XL/Bobber. I just love that old school look; white walls, springer seat, no fender. She’s hard on the back, but easy on the ride!!” You can catch Brandon out riding with me and all the other crazy ass captains (whenever we are all home together) for poker runs and especially now coming up Toys for Tots Runs so make sure you get out and support your local charities at this time of year! There’s Brandon story, tell me yours. If you would like to be featured as a hard-working maritime biker send me your story and pics to: [email protected] and keep the THUNDER rolling and let your story be told … www.thunderroadslams.com | November 2017 | Thunder Roads Magazine Louisiana/Mississippi 15