Herman Brown

Herman Brown founded Brown & Root in 1919 and led the company as president and CEO until his death in 1962. Originally a road-building enterprise, during World War II the company built ships and developed a strong marine design and fabrication capability. Following the war, Brown & Root applied its experience to the offshore oil business, building the Kermac 16 in 1947, the first platform to drill for oil out of sight of land. The company became a leader in offshore pipelines, platforms and modular deck packaging with many compressor packages installed in Lake Maracaibo in the 50s and 60s.