In 1974 when the economy went bad, John Hicks called it quits with the small construction company he had owned for six years. He took a job with Misener Marine and recalls, "I kind of found a home." He continues to enjoy the camaraderie that occurs when many people work for the same company a long time.
John's attraction to construction began very early, since his father owned a small construction business. A native of Panama City in Florida, John worked for his father while in school. He loves the cranes and tug boats involved in marine construction. His pleasure in operating equipment is what landed him the job with Misener in the first place. He started out as a crane operator on a temporary basis, got hired, and gradually moved up 10 years ago to construction manager. Praises Jeff St. John, who worked with John on the recently completed Myakka River Bridge, "This guy has an incredible wealth of experience that is rarely found these days."
In the last 10 years John has worked on numerous jobs in the Caribbean. His wife, Linda, accompanies him wherever he goes and she often serves as office manager. Both of them enjoy traveling. It's a good thing, because now they're off to a new assignment at the Thomas B. Manuel Bridge north of West Palm Beach. "We take our own furniture whenever we move," explains Linda. Both of them enjoy this nomadic life-style as long as they are close to fishing. "I can't get her to leave when we go out fishing," quips John.
