Social
Kirby Corporation has a long history of supporting charity.
Giving Back to Our Industry
Kirby has a long history of supporting foundations, associations, and institutions whose charitable work
is related to Kirby’s core values.
Seaman’s Church Institute
U.S. Coast Guard Foundation
Focuses on the well-being, education, and morale of the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and their families. Kirby has proudly supported this organization for more than 30 years.
Many other industry associations and foundations
- • National Coast Guard Museum
- • Waterways Council Inc.
- • National Association of Manufacturers
- • American Bureau of Shipping
- • Regional Associations
- – The Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association
- – Texas Waterways Operators Association
- – Louisiana Association of Waterway Operators
- • National Waterways Foundation
Other Industry Associations and Foundations
Other Organizations Sponsored
Supporting Our Local Communities
Kirby shares its success with the communities we live and work in by helping to protect the environment, giving charitably, and encouraging volunteerism.
Galveston Bay Foundation
Promotes advocacy, conservation, education, and research related to Galveston Bay. In the last decade, Kirby has donated ~$1,000,000 to the foundation.
Charitable matching donation program
– Kirby matches qualifying employee charitable contributions
– More than 60 nonprofit organizations benefited from this program in 2023
Other organizations sponsored include:
– United Way
– Muscular Dystrophy Association
– Hermann Park Conservancy
– Numerous customer charitable events
Promoting Women in the Workplace
In addition to supporting local communities and national industries, Kirby is also involved in supporting women’s organizations that help further women’s success in the maritime industry.
WIMOs: Women in Maritime Operations
- WIMOs is dedicated to retaining, advancing and promoting women in the maritime industry through knowledge sharing and continuing education.
- ~17% of eligible employees in the Marine Transportation Group are members.
- Kirby serves in leadership roles at the national level (President) and local level (Treasurer)
“Educate. Engage. Elevate.”
Women Offshore
The Women Offshore Foundation propels women into meaningful careers through access to a worldwide community and professional development resources, while raising awareness among industry leaders and decision-makers about issues affecting women on the water.
“Connect. Share. Inspire.”
Supporting Our Employees and Communities When Disaster Strikes
to provide our employees and their families support and resources when they need it most.
The Kirby Disaster Relief Fund
Nonprofit charitable organization that provides support to Kirby employees, families, and communities affected by natural disasters or qualified family hardship. Kirby matches all employee contributions to the fund at 100%.
Teams and emergency supplies are ready to deploy to affected areas to protect and aid employees and their families when natural disasters occur including hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding.
Kirby has a long history of assisting distressed people and vessels on the water.
In the last three years Kirby and its employees raised
$1 million+
Over 300 employees received assistance
Employee Benefits and Engagement
At Kirby, our employees are our most important assets. Wellness, education and training, and employee engagement create
positive morale and a family-friendly atmosphere.
Employee town hall meetings with executive leadership across the country
2023 Total Employee Compensation & Benefits:
$~700+ million
Average Tenure of Employees:
~11 years
Generous medical, health and wellness, retirement and assistance programs offered to all employees:
- Fitness centers or discounted gym memberships
- Access to virtual visits for physical & mental health to promote wellbeing
- Extended maternity leave
- Access to financial planning resources
- Employee Assistance Program
- Comprehensive retirement plan
- Weight Loss & Coach Program
Significant investment in our employees through training and education
- Various management training opportunities
- Tuition reimbursement for certification, undergraduate and graduate degrees
- Eligibility for scholarship for all non-executive employee children – Robert G. Stone Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Corporate Culture Survey Insights
Employees are unified in our commitment to safety
Employees believe that Kirby has a customer focus and clear strategic direction
Employees are proud to work for Kirby and have a personal sense of accomplishment
focus and clear strategic direction
Training and Education
At Kirby, our employees are our most important assets. We believe personal and professional development is necessary for a work
environment to thrive and achieve its best results. Kirby takes pride in training and educating its employees so that they are equipped to
accomplish tasks and grow in vocational and leadership pursuits.
Safety Skills Training
- Environmental
- Health
- Safety classes
- Environmental, health, and safety topics include:
- Global safety principles
- Slips, trips & falls
- Universal waste rule
- Defensive and distracted driving
- First aid basic and medical emergencies
Leadership & Development Skills
The company’s leadership and managerial training includes in-person and an online training curriculum that is available to both supervisory employees and those employees that aspire to move into such roles in the future. It includes a series of classes focused on management essentials that provide in-depth education in specific subjects such as leadership, strategic thinking, coaching and people development, decision-making, problem-solving, and communication.
- Business writing
- Risk-based thinking
- Initiating and planning a project
- Transitioning into a project management role
Compliance
Additional training for employees on the programs below:
- Business ethics guidelines
- Anti-corruption training
- Cybersecurity awareness
- Diversity and inclusion
- Human rights
Kirby Marine Transportation
Distribution & Services
- The Kirby Training Center utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and instructional aids and has a full mission bridge simulator to provide U.S. Coast Guard (“USCG”) approved certifications and training.
- The marine segment provides a clear career progression for vessel personnel from entry-level deckhand to captain.
- The training at Kirby has continued to evolve since its inception. The pandemic followed by the labor challenges most industries now face has increased the need and opportunity to further enhance our educational offerings. Kirby consistently undergoes stringent review of syllabuses and modifies courses based off student and existing mariner performance.
- Kirby proudly employs individuals from all educational backgrounds. Its training center provides a career path to jobs paying well above the median without requiring a college degree or the associated cost.
2023 Highlights:
- 2300+ certificates were issued for the completion of courses at the training facility, of which approximately 1000+ were USCG approved classes
- Graduated 142 Tankerman, exceeding the goal of 84
- Graduated 31 Steersman, exceeding goal of 30
- In Distribution and Service, the Company facilitates training courses via online and Instructor-Led classes that cover a broad range of skills and products.
- Operate 7 Training Centers with internal Instructors.
- Offer multiple career progressions within its numerous job groups.
- Utilizes the latest technology in the Industry
Technicians participating in an electrical troubleshooting
class at the Houston Training Center
Marine Transportation – Career Advancement
Pathways to Diversity
Kirby is making inroads in diversity…
Our people are the most important asset we have at Kirby, and our Core Values promote a workplace that values mutual respect, knowledge sharing, and teamwork. We continue to advance our “People” core value through our ongoing efforts around promoting our culture and workforce development. Our current initiatives include robust hiring and promotion practices, our leadership development training initiatives, and our corporate-wide inclusion and diversity training. This training is provided to managers and employees to support continued advancement and includes coaching, mentorship, and effective feedback.
- Elected first female board member in 2015 and second in 2019, and third in 2023
- Elected a new racially/ethnically diverse board member in 2021
- Women represent 20% of the Executive Leadership staff including:
- EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
- VP of Human Resources
- Women represent ~27% of the managerial and professional staff
- Directors and Vice Presidents in Finance/Accounting, Marketing, Legal, Human Resources, and E-Commerce
- Diversity training is provided to managers and supervisors
