The stories behind the Saltchuk family of companies
Merrilee Gorman is ‘deeply concerned with doing the right things the right way.’ Vessel Operations Manager Merrilee Gorman began her career at Tropical Shipping 38 years ago as a File Clerk in Accounting. “When I first started at Tropical, it
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President Jeff Johnson: ‘independent streak’ of Alaskans fuels culture of advancement Cook Inlet Tug and Barge (CITB) crews meet the return of winter this month armed with a series of mariner-engineered safety improvements aimed at addressing the inherent dangers of
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Tropical Shipping Shipside Operations Supervisor Robert Ackley is a 2021-2022 Saltchuk Safety Award nominee after a series of pinch-point finger and hand injuries led to co-creating a tool that allows the company’s stevedores to hold lifting cables away from cargo,
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Project Manager Carly Remm has proven to be a great asset for Foss Atlantic, having successfully triaged many of the safety issues encountered during the reactivation of a fleet of dilapidated vessels, returning (to date) five vessels back into safe
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As a new hire to Foss Maritime, Leray Leasure was nominated for a 2021-2022 Saltchuk Safety Award for stepping up to address safety issues within the company’s Columbia Snake River fleet. During the past two years, he’s championed improvements in
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Coleen Kaneshiro: ‘I wanted to slow down, and I did. The experience gave me time to reflect on where I was in my career and where I wanted to go.’ Like many born and raised on Oahu, Aloha Air Cargo
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Foss Maritime Regional Operations Manager Ed Ehler was nominated for a 2021-2022 Saltchuk Safety Award for working directly with customers and crew to make sure progress toward safer operations takes place. “This is not easy, and it is time-consuming,” said
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Our photo essay of the USS Kitty Hawk’s final sea voyage The USS Kitty Hawk USS Kitty Hawk was named for the site of the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight in 1903. The lead ship of the Navy’s second class
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Michael O’Shea: ‘I’ve really been blessed in my life. My only wish would have been to have my mom along for the ride.’ Not long after Michael O’Shea was born, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. “There was never a
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Ben Ostroff: ‘I believe in giving decision-making power to the people closest to the operation.’ In the weeks following the completion of Ben Ostroff’s first semester at Pitzer College—a top-ranked liberal arts school near Los Angeles where Ostroff was planning
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Kimo Haynes: ‘This pandemic has been the greatest challenge of my career, but I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together.’ It’s been almost two years to the day since Hawaii recorded its first case of coronavirus.
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Rose Rodriguez: ‘You really have to think like an Alaskan.’ When NorthStar Energy Recruiter Rose Rodriguez has open jobs in Alaska, she doesn’t rely on the usual recruiting platforms to fill them. Instead, she meets potential applicants right where they’re
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Paul Stevens: ‘I somehow fell in love with the industry.’ Paul Stevens never imagined a career in the maritime industry. A quintessential “gentle giant,” his imposing presence and breezy charisma belie his quiet Jersey upbringing. “New Jersey was a great
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