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People of Saltchuk

People of Saltchuk

The stories behind the Saltchuk family of companies

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Tropical

Tamara Lowe

Dominica Island Manager’s unlikely career a roadmap for women in shipping

July 22, 2021March 10, 2022 6 min read

Tamara Lowe: ‘My roles involve aligning efforts toward promoting an awareness among young women of the career opportunities available within the Maritime sector with the hope of addressing the under-representation of women in the industry.’ Tamara Lowe grew up on

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Mary Kiernan, Tropical.

Honoring “the Mother of Tropical”

May 24, 2021May 24, 2021 6 min read

Mary Kiernan passed away May 10; she recently celebrated 40 years with Tropical Shipping. Tropical Shipping Vessel Analyst Mary Kiernan, dubbed “the Mother of Tropical,” celebrated 40 years with the company on March 18, 2021. She passed away last week

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Julissa Moreta, Tropical Shipping

Safety Award finalist ‘fearless’ in preventing safety incidents

December 10, 2020December 10, 2020 4 min read

Julissa Moreta calls ‘time out’ on unsafe work situations in her native Dominican Republic Saltchuk Safety Award finalist Julissa Moreta was born and raised in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Her father, a regional sales manager, and her mother,

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Van Kent, VP, Tropical Shipping.

VP sees core values at work during 15-year tenure with Tropical

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 10 min read

Van Kent: ‘We’re always the first to arrive after a storm, and we not only help our employees but also provide help to entire communities. You don’t see that from a lot of other companies.’ Van Kent’s mother worked two

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Career mariner embraces life shoreside

March 16, 2020March 16, 2020 3 min read

Don Croal: ‘After 45 years, it’s still an adventure, not just a job.’ By Hilary Reeves Across the street from Dornsford (Don) Croal’s childhood home in Guyana lived a ship captain and merchant mariner who would one day change his

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Three years later, Foss’s FMC stays steady course

November 4, 2019November 7, 2019 5 min read

Career mariner Art Dahlin was named General Manager of Foss’s Columbia Snake River region – and the Fleet Monitoring Center – in 2018. By Hilary Reeves Foss Martime’s Fleet Monitoring Center (FMC) debuted to much fanfare on June 1, 2016

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Lead Reefer Tech’s diligence helps make Tropical port safer

August 30, 2019November 7, 2019 4 min read

Craig Coughlin’s observation on container safety garnered him a 2018 Safety Award nomination. By Hilary Reeves Craig Coughlin grew up working on cars in Springfield Virginia, attended a vocational high school and later trained as a diesel mechanic at a

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After years on the move, Tropical Controller finds home in Florida

August 28, 2019November 7, 2019 5 min read

Patti Tripp: ‘I want to continue to learn new things that will help me to keep advancing my career.’ By Hilary Reeves If there was anything constant about the early years of Patti Tripp’s career, it’s that she was constantly

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Edilio Brito will receive the President’s Award for Innovation in Safety for his commitment to improving forklift visibility.

Tropical Lead Mechanic named 2018 Saltchuk Safety Award winner

August 2, 2019November 7, 2019 4 min read

Edilio Brito will receive the President’s Award for Innovation in Safety for his commitment to improving forklift visibility. By Hilary Reeves Tropical Shipping Lead Mechanic and 2018 Saltchuk Safety Award winner Edilio Brito grew up in Miami, a talented guitarist

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Tropical Shipping Assistant Vice President Tim DiPietropolo in Miami.

Tropical VP works to make ‘big dreams’ reality for Caribbean partners

July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 9 min read

Tim DiPietropolo enjoys ‘sharing how exciting our industry and the Caribbean region is with the next generation.’ By Hilary Reeves The evening before the Tropical Shipping container ship Tropic Dawn’s first scheduled voyage into the shallow waters of Parrot Cay,

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Keyla van Heyningen, Tropical Shipping Island Manager, St. Maarten.

St. Maarten Island Manager turned devastating setback into success

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 7 min read

Keyla van Heyningen had been Tropical’s St. Maarten Island Manager for only a day when Category 5 Hurricane Irma crippled the island. By Hilary Reeves In 2015, Keyla van Heyningen was managing a produce company that imported goods from the

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Jeff Fiser, President and CEO, Tropical Shipping.

Tropical CEO welcomes new ships, sees improved service

April 16, 2019November 7, 2019 7 min read

Six new container vessels specifically designed for Tropical’s ports of call mark the largest shipbuilding program in Jeff Fiser’s storied career with the company. By Hilary Reeves On the morning of his first interview at Tropical Shipping, Jeff Fiser dressed

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Ashley Slater joined Tropical Shipping six months ago after four years with TOTE Maritime in Alaska.

Former TOTE Alaska supervisor learning the ropes at Tropical

March 1, 2019 3 min read

Ashley Slater moved from Anchorage to Palm Beach for a ‘change of scenery.’ By Hilary Reeves Ashley Slater began her career at TOTE Maritime Alaska in Anchorage. After four years, she decided she needed a “change of scenery.” “(In Alaska),

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ABOUT THE MAGAZINE

People of Saltchuk was created in 2014 to highlight the hard working people dedicated to making Saltchuk companies the best in their industries. We think the transportation industry is fascinating, and hope you find the stories here interesting, inspiring and enlightening as you learn about the companies and people that make up the Saltchuk family. If you have a suggestion for a feature, please > contact Emily Reiter

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

HILARY REEVES

Hilary Reeves spent 10 years as a newspaper reporter and editor before joining the Saltchuk family of companies as a consultant. Since People of Saltchuk launched in 2014, Reeves has interviewed more than 200 Saltchuk employees from operating companies all over the world. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Reeves is a former president of both the collegiate and local professional chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists, a graduate of the Society’s Ted Scripps Leadership Institute, and a Toastmaster. When she’s not writing, she loves to read, ski, and practice the piano. She lives in West Seattle with her husband and two young daughters.

Interested in working for the Saltchuk family of companies? Check out the Saltchuk Job Board for opportunities throughout the nation.

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