Special profile: local dad at work

Mike Herbster

“Mommy, look, there’s the big crane I like!”

Whenever four-year-old Rachel Herbster drives by the Cameron LNG construction site, she yells with excitement and waves hello to “daddy’s work.” Mike Herbster usually can’t see his daughter because he’s busy at work fitting pipe for the project, as a member of the Aker Kvaerner construction team, the engineering and procurement contractor for the Cameron LNG project.

Herbster recently joined the project in February and says he values working close to his home in Carlyss.  Previously a pipefitter focused on shop work, he now gets to do more field work, and says he thinks Cameron LNG is beneficial to the community.

“It’s not only good for the economy,” says Herbster. “It’s been good for everything around here.”

Safety a top priority
He begins every work day by completing a task safety analysis. Everyone on site participates in this process and reviews it with each other. This is just one of the safety measures employed by the Cameron LNG construction team, who recently reached a milestone of one million construction hours worked without a lost-time accident. “It’s quite an accomplishment,” Herbster comments. “I haven’t seen that too often on other jobs.”

Herbster’s currently assigned to put together and lay an 18-inch high-density polypropolene pipe underground that will supply water to the fire hydrants around the LNG terminal. This important infrastructure component of the overall project will take nearly a year to complete.

It’s a family affair
Herbster has another local connection to the community and one that’s helping to keep workers energized. His in-laws, Mary and Steve Monceaux, run Babe’s Cajun Grill & Motel, a favorite restaurant and gathering spot among Hackberry residents. Brandi, Mike’s wife, works at Babe’s as well, and their two daughters, Rachel, 4, and Hannah, 7, help mom and grandma feed the patrons and keep them smiling.

Last month, Babe’s began making lunch deliveries directly to the Cameron LNG construction site. “It’s been a good deal all around for my family,” says Brandi Herbster. “We’re proud to be a part of this project.”