Shobai A. Budzik

Shobai has been with CISD Marine since 2017 when he was selected for a college internship to focus on preparing assignments for surveys, and an introduction to the industry. Before joining CISD Marine, he attended Texas A&M University at Galveston, where he attained a Bachelor of Science in Maritime Business and Administration. He has been an Eagle Scout since 2012 and was also a member of the Texas A&M Corp of Cadets. These experiences helped Shobai establish a dedication to hard work and good attitude.

While in college, I was working in the construction industry and enjoyed working outdoors, but was looking for a career that aligned with my education. The opportunity to work as a marine surveyor kept me working outdoors, developed my industry knowledge, and gave me some insight to running a small business.

Almost every part of the job feels like solving a puzzle. Whether it’s locating cargo, identifying the cause of damage, estimating a claim, or choosing the best course of action, there are multiple paths forward and each assignment offers its own unique challenges. You never know what you’ll find when the hatch covers open. We’ve also built a fantastic group of customers that I genuinely enjoy working with. Many of them see us as trusted partners rather than just vendors, and helping them navigate and solve their challenges is incredibly rewarding. 

The support. We have an amazing team that is always willing to assist if there are scheduling conflicts, whether work-related or in our personal life. The support also extends to training. With established leaders in the surveying industry, we are never short of people to talk to and help guide in whatever challenges may arise. We’ve also built a substantial reference guide, checklists, and tools to ensure the success of the individual surveyor.

We had an established customer importing a new commodity of steel billets, and a major claim developed on their second shipment. While you might think that billets are a “raw” material and they cannot be damaged,  we started observing that a large percentage were bent along the length. Through working with our customer and the ultimate consignee, it was determined that the damages exceeded the tolerance, and the material wouldn’t be suitable for the intended purpose. We began working through the challenge of determining the cause of damage, demonstrating the conditions, estimating the potential claim amount, obtaining security, and working towards minimizing the claim to the greatest extent. Ultimately, our initial estimate of damage quantities were spot-on with the end result. The detailed work undoubtedly led to significant recovery from the responsible party, and ensured the customer they were in great hands.

I spend a significant amount of my spare time in health and fitness. I was raised in a family of athletes, with a mother that ran ultra marathons into her 50s, and an older sister who is a specialized fitness instructor. The constant challenge to not fall behind and a friendly sibling rivalry, pushes me to maintain a healthy lifestyle. When I am not in the gym I enjoy online video games with friends.