UPDATE: Harbor District Responds to Crowley Controversy, Commits to ‘Highest Ethical Standards’

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A top Crowley executive working on offshore wind and port development efforts on the North Coast parted ways with the company this week. Crowley, a private marine services and logistics company, has faced increased scrutiny in recent months – both locally and nationally – following allegations of sexual harassment and assault within the company. 

Crowley’s Director of Corporate Communications David DeCamp confirmed that Jeffrey Andreini, Vice President of Crowley Wind Services, “is no longer with Crowley,” but did not provide any additional information on the matter.

Andreini via LinkedIn

The company recently received a complaint against Andreini alleging sexual harassment of  “a subordinate Crowley employee” at a bar during an offshore wind conference in Sacramento earlier this year. 

In an email correspondence between Redwood Coast Energy Authority Executive Director Matthew Marshall and Crowley’s Chief People Officer Megan Davidson, which was obtained by the Outpost through a Public Records Act Request, Marshall states Andreini’s behavior “was egregious enough that [he] felt compelled to personally intervene and stop the behavior.” 

[Note: Names were redacted from the email correspondence but Marshall confirmed that the alleged harassment was perpetrated by Andreini. He did not name the other employee.]

“I’m disappointed to have to share this troubling information with you, but after speaking with numerous local women subsequent to the above incident my impression was that this behavior was not an untypical or one-off situation and so I would feel remiss in not escalating the matter,” Marshall wrote in the Aug. 22 email. “Please contact me by email or my cell [number] below for additional details. So that you are aware, I will be informing other local stakeholders concerned about these issues that I have brought this matter to your attention and that I am awaiting your response.”

Davidson thanked Marshall for bringing the issue to Crowley’s attention, adding that “the safety and wellbeing of our employees is important to me and the entire leadership at Crowley.”

“Although the company did not learn of the events when the alleged incident occurred back in May, we have since been apprised of the situation and are handling the matter,” Davidson wrote in an emailed response. “We strive to protect the privacy rights of our employees involved in investigations, particularly the complainant and witnesses. For that reason and to preserve confidentiality, we are unable to provide details regarding actions taken by the Company.”

Marshall questioned whether Davidson would need any additional information from eyewitnesses to the alleged incident and invited the company to contact him for their contact information.

“I think we have what we need but will pass on your contact information should our investigator have any questions,” Davidson responded. “Thank you for your willingness to speak with us.”

Earlier this month, The Times-Standard published an op-ed written by Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James asking the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District to reconsider its port development partnership agreement with Crowley given the “troubling history” of the company’s workplace culture.

“These allegations, which picture a rotten company culture, are concerning and worthy of further investigation given the historical and present-day crisis of sex trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) in California and the United States. They also give necessary reasons to consider reopening negotiations regarding port development,” James wrote. “We are concerned about the process for selecting this developer and its lack of transparency for issues surrounding tribal safety and protection, women’s rights, and sexual assault, as well as the choice to use a company with such a troublesome track record on relevant issues.”

James goes on to write that Crowley “has had six months to engage with [the Tribe] on the critical issue and has yet to make any fundamental public or private commitments towards addressing this company-wide problem.” James suggests that the company is “incapable of making much-needed institutional change.”

Shortly after the op-ed was published, a coalition of environmental organizations – the Environmental Protection Information Center, Humboldt Baykeeper and the Northcoast Environmental Center – sent out a joint statement in support of the Yurok Tribe.

“We are steadfast in our beliefs that this project cannot exacerbate the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis. Addressing climate change and having safe, community-oriented developers cannot be mutually exclusive,” the statement says. “Recent allegations of sex trafficking against Crowley are troubling. We ask that the [Harbor District] — in partnership with local Tribal Nations—take a proactive approach by transparently and thoroughly re-examining the potential port developer.”

The Harbor District has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Outpost regarding the district’s partnership with Crowley or allegations against Crowley and its employees. We’ll update this post if we hear back.

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PREVIOUSLY: 

• Harbor District Announces Massive Offshore Wind Partnership; Project Would Lead to an 86-Acre Redevelopment of Old Pulp Mill Site
• ‘Together We Can Shape Offshore Wind for the West Coast’: Local Officials, Huffman and Others Join Harbor District Officials in Celebrating Partnership Agreement With Crowley Wind Services
• Crowley – the Company That Wants to Build a Big Wind Energy Facility on the Penninsula – Will Be Opening Offices in Eureka
• Harbor District Officials Talk Port Development as Offshore Wind Efforts Ramp Up