Employee of the Year Spotlight: Issac "The Warrior" Dantin

Safety Director Issac Dantin is the first Danos employee to receive a champions belt from the company; that’s because he is the first employee to be honored as both the Field Employee of the Year and Staff Employee of the Year. 

Issac got his start in the industry when he was working on a tugboat. He met a man who worked for Chevron, and Issac asked how he could find a job like his. The gentleman told him he needed to get a job with Danos & Curole. 

Issac showed up to the Danos office in Larose and was greeted by Business Development Rep. Billy Hebert. He filled out paperwork, took a drug test and started working as a roustabout at the Chevron Leeville Shorebase the next day. That was in 1996. Soon after, he was promoted to yard foreman and then moved on to shipping and receiving, dispatching and then shorebase supervisor. 

During his time as supervisor, many people, including Reed Pere and Mike Guidry, were instrumental in his development.  

“I learned a lot about the culture of Danos from them,” says Issac. 

After working for the company for 10 years, he had made a positive impression on many and was honored as the 2007 Field Employee of the Year.  

In 2008, Issac got the “golden ticket.” He was hired by Chevron as a shorebase coordinator. He worked this job for two years until he got a call from Danos telling him the company was looking to hire a safety manager.  

“My first instinct was, ‘I’ll keep my ears open,’ since safety management wasn’t necessarily my specialty.” But Danos was interested in Issac for this role. 

Issac met with Owner Eric Danos to discuss the opportunity. Since this was a staff role, he wouldn’t work weekends, which was a big factor that weighed heavily on his decision. Issac wanted to be off on Sundays to be present at home and at church. He wanted time to be involved with his family and community. 

He told Eric, “If you’re 99% sure I’m the guy, then I respectfully decline. But if you’re 100% sure, then you know my answer.”  

Eric’s response? “You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure.” 

And just like that, Issac became safety manager at Danos, “without knowing anything about managing a safety department,” according to Issac. However, safety had always been an important part of his career.  

“Eric took a chance on a down the bayou boy from Golden Meadow to own one of the most important parts of the company—the safety of our employees,” he says.  

Eric taught Isaac business savvy—how to manage, budget and adapt to his new role.  

“I appreciate Eric for being patient and living our purpose of developing people. Eric challenged me to build mentorships and develop relationships with the operations team. He showed me how to develop great people,” said Issac. 

Eric was a hands-off manager, though, and let Issac be creative on the safety journey with no restrictions. Issac teamed up with Marketing Manager Nicole Williams to figure out how safety could essentially be marketed. 

“Our customers just loved it,” he says. “Still, today, the marketing team continues to be a huge aid to safety. We have to present a message in a way that is consumable, and we just can’t do it without marketing.” 

In his first year as safety manager, the total recordable incident rate (TRIR) was the company’s lowest yet at 0.3. Over the next few years, the company was recognized for its safety achievements through several awards, including the National Ocean Industries Association’s Safety in the Seas Award, which took Issac on a trip to Washington, D.C. Issac recalls that Owner Hank Danos had the opportunity to meet with some “top dogs,” but instead, he chose to spend time with Issac on his first trip to the nation’s capital.  

“That was one of the highlights of my career,” says Issac, “That trip to Washington and walking the National Mall with Mr. Hank.” 

Over the years, safety has evolved. Some years have been better than others. But that’s also part of the attraction for Issac who says, “One of the coolest parts about safety, is that when you’re given the reigns to be creative and come up with new ideas to solve challenges, it’s never dull. It never stops. I think that’s what keeps me passionate. There is always another problem to solve. We have a great team that can solve it, but even greater than that, we can lead the industry. We can bring new, proactive solutions that can help our employees, our customers and even our competitors.” 

As safety has evolved, so has the safety team. Issac feels blessed to work with great people, and he gives credit to his team members for everything he’s able to accomplish. But he has also played a significant role in the growth and development of his team members - many who have moved into other positions or moved on to work for customers. Every person on his team has a development plan.

“They’re always working to take someone else’s position, including mine,” says Issac.  

This is the type of employee development and mentorship that has earned recognition from coworkers, with one saying, “His passion for winning is contagious, combined with his enthusiasm for coaching. Issac could get anyone to run through a wall for him.” 

Another coworker mentioned his accessibility, saying, “He’s always on. He’s always available. He’s a natural coach, and he’s a warrior.” 

Purpose 

Outside of his safety work, Issac loves being a part of the Danos Foundation and is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the committee from day one.  

“It’s a big joy to be a part of and be an advocate for the Foundation,” he says.  

Along those lines, the Danos Purpose remains the most important thing about Danos for Issac.  

“The Danos family living every aspect of the Danos purpose is key. In their lives, they genuinely honor God and allow us an awesome place to work,” he says. “But they also develop great people - giving them opportunities to grow.” 

In 2019, Issac was promoted to safety director, the role he holds today. However, he still has the heart of a roustabout. 

“I may be in Houston at a customer meeting in slacks and dress shoes, but when I look down, I see Dickies and steel toes. I feel like we have to advocate for our employees in the field who are right now loading pipe or walking platforms or hanging scaffolding. They are building up the company and who we are. Each of them is extremely important, and we need to support them. They are our why,” he says. 

A calling 

Before joining Danos, Issac attended Criswell College in Dallas, Texas, after high school, and he served as a youth minister. That’s always something that’s been very important to him. 

“I had the desire to pastor, but I never had the calling,” says Issac. “Some people may not understand that.”  

But Issac says God opened the door for him a few years ago when he was able to serve as pastor at Live Oak Baptist Church in Point Aux Chenes. In January 2024, he began serving as the pastor at First Baptist Church in Lockport. 

The goal behind coming back to Danos was always to provide him the opportunity to do ministry and coach youth sports in the community.  

Through his job, Issac developed public speaking skills through Safety Focus events and customer presentations. He believes this was part of God’s plan to exercise this skill and enable him to speak in front of a congregation. 

“Now, I get the best of both worlds,” he says. 

Issac’s job at Danos has given him the ability to serve as a bi-vocational pastor, but it has also allowed him to be an involved father and present for his family. He gives all credit to his wife, Sonya, his high school sweetheart. The two have been married 29 years. Together, they have three children: two daughters, one son, and one precious grandson.