In 1926, the Hendry family entered the maritime business when Captain F.M. Hendry founded the Hendry Corporation in Tampa, Florida. Under his determination and principled leadership, and continuing with the leadership of his son, Aaron W. Hendry, the Hendry family of companies has grown and prospered. Aaron, a fourth-generation Floridian, learned the business first-hand beginning in his mid-teens as a deckhand on a company tug and working his way up through the ranks as a boatman, foreman, mate and lever man. In addition to re-nourishing most of Florida’s beaches and dredging many of the southeastern channels and harbors, the Hendry Corporation dredged and created land from Miami to Georgia.
Today, through Aaron’s vision, the Hendry family of companies now includes a diverse range of maritime businesses which consist of commercial and government ship repair, stevedoring and marine terminal operations, marine environmental services, and maritime employee staffing. Major operating companies include Gulf Marine Repair Corporation, Universal Environmental Solutions, LLC, Anchor Sandblasting and Coatings, LLC, Port Hendry Terminals, and Port Staffing, Inc. Ownership of these companies has been consolidated in Hendry Marine Industries, Inc., a holding company owned by the employees and the Hendry family. Hendry Marine Industries, Inc. continues to grow and invest capital for the future.