Partnering w/ Boeing, General Dynamics & Native American Tribes: ALAN LERCHBACKER, Fmr. Shipyard CEO

Alan Lerchbacher has spent decades operating at the center of defense manufacturing and institutional partnerships.

From his early days managing 168 people on the USS John F. Kennedy at age 22 to leading the Challenger recovery operations, his career is defined by adapting to unprecedented challenges.

In this conversation with Mia Funk and Bruce Piasecki on Business and Society and The Creative Process, he unpacks his transition into scaling commercial shipyards and his latest venture, Featherstone, which partners with Native American tribes and CBRE to develop BRAC sites for clean energy.

He shares his approach to mergers and acquisitions, the necessity of diversity and active listening in leadership, and how AI is rapidly reshaping global maritime strategy.