Brian Disernia founded Eastern Shipbuilding Group in 1976 on one acre of leased land on Watson Bayou in Panama City. He was a commercial sword fisherman and wanted to build shipping vessels for himself. What started as a one-man operation is now run by his children. It has more than a thousand employees and has landed a very sought-after contract. Eastern Shipbuilding is still a relatively small fish in a big pond when compared to others around the country. So being awarded a contract to build a Coast Guard offshore patrol cutter or O.P.C is no small feat. “Like the story of David and Goliath, little Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Bay County, Florida stunned the world by winning this construction project,” said President Joey Disernia. >video, click to read< 10:30