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TOTE Maritime Alaska to Move its Headquarters to Tacoma in Spring of 2020

August 13, 2019

TOTE Maritime Alaska announced today that it plans to relocate its headquarters to Downtown Tacoma from its current address in Federal Way. The transition will bring nearly 150 TOTE employees to the 909 A Street Building every weekday. Employees of the company are excited about having access to all the restaurants, parks and amenities Tacoma has to offer as well as being part of a growing, urban community.

“TOTE Maritime Alaska helped build the Port of Tacoma and we are excited to be 100% located in the city that has supported our business and growth over the years. We look forward to bringing the TOTE office to Tacoma and are grateful for such a warm welcome,” said TOTE Maritime Alaska President, Grace Greene.

The upcoming move, planned for Spring 2020, will be TOTE’s second location in Tacoma, including their office at the Port of Tacoma, where they currently operate two cargo ships serving the Alaska market. Mayor Woodards reached out to Greene to congratulate her on the decision to choose Tacoma as home base.

“I am pleased to welcome TOTE Maritime’s corporate headquarters and the approximately 150 family wage jobs it will bring to Downtown Tacoma. I applaud the new ownership group for investing in and adapting this important property into a multi-tenanted space,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.

With historical roots in the Tacoma area, TOTE is looking forward to the office upgrade. Sellen has been hired as the general contractor on the project with Bonewitz providing project management and BCRA as architect. TOTE Maritime Alaska will continue supplying Alaska via their twice weekly shipping service between Anchorage and Tacoma.

Young Brothers Names Industry-Veteran Paul Stevens Interim President

July 26, 2019

HONOLULU, HI – Shipping industry-veteran Paul Stevens has been named the interim-president of Young Brothers, LLC (YB), following the resignation of Joseph Boivin, Jr., who has served in the role since January 2018.

Stevens brings more than 40 years of experience in the maritime industry, spending 27 years with Matson, Inc. before joining Foss, YB’s parent company in 2003. Since retiring as President & CEO of Foss in 2017, Stevens has remained close, serving as a YB board member and Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Saltchuk, Foss’s parent company.

“I’m humbled and proud to lead this legacy company that touches every family across the Hawai’i’s diverse communities,” said Paul Stevens, interim-president of Young Brothers. “I look forward to supporting the outstanding men and women of Young Brothers as they work to deliver exemplary service to our customers, move Hawai’i’s economy forward and improve the lives of local residents.”

“We appreciate Joe’s commitment to the company and he leaves with our gratitude and aloha,” Stevens added.

Serving the state since 1900, YB’s commitment to Hawai’i is stronger than ever. The company plays a critical role in Hawai’i as the water carrier responsible for transporting all cargo that originates and ends in the state. To meet the needs of the neighbor island communities, YB operates 12 regular sailings per week to every major port in Hawai’i and is the only water carrier serving all islands, including Moloka’i and Lāna’i.

Since 1999, Young Brothers has invested more than $180 million in new vessels and shoreside equipment. Between 2007 and 2010, four new large 11,700-ton capacity barges, as well as a 5,600-ton multi-deck roll-on/roll-off barge for vehicle transportation were added to YB’s fleet. With nine tugboats and eight barges, YB conducts over 1,250 interisland voyages per year.

In mid-2018 the first of four new 6,000 horsepower, Tier-4, 123-foot American-built tugs began entering service. The more than $80 million investment in new tugs will reduce the average age of YB’s tug fleet to 12 years from 44 years, which will increase the company’s operational efficiency, reduce emissions and improve supply chain reliability.

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge Expand North Slope Operations

July 16, 2019

Newly acquired assets start work for the season in Prudhoe Bay

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Cook Inlet Tug & Barge (CITB), an independently managed subsidiary of Foss Maritime Company, announced today that operations on Alaska’s North Slope are officially underway for the 2019 ice-free season. Three newly acquired tugs, along with barges and shore equipment, will be operating out of Prudhoe Bay for approximately the next three months.

“It is great to see these vessels on the water and ready to work,” said Jeff Johnson, President of CITB. “These shallow-draft tugs and barges are ideally suited for work on the North Slope waterways and the Western Alaska markets.”

The three newly acquired tugs include the Sag Wind, the Kuparuk Wind, and the Kavik Wind, each of which are 64 feet long, 27 feet wide, and with a very shallow draft of only 3.4 feet. They are each powered by three 1095 HP CAT 343D engines.

“The ice-free season in Prudhoe Bay is short, so we’re glad to have such capable vessels available there to support the oil and gas industry as well as construction activities on the North Slope,” said Johnson. “These versatile workhorses help round out Cook Inlet and Foss operations in Alaska.”

This resident equipment and existing trained mariners on the North Slope operations further expand CITB and Foss operations in the Arctic, and complements our harbor towage, oil and gas support services, mining and construction support, and offshore marine transportation services.

TOTE Executive Phil Greene Receives Seamen’s Church Institute 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award

June 11, 2019

NEW YORK CITY – Phil Greene, Jr., TOTE executive vice president and senior advisor, was presented the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Seamen’s Church Institute’s 42nd Annual Silver Bells Award Dinner, where he was recognized for his 40+ years of leadership and service to the U.S. Armed Forces, seafarers in the U.S. and beyond, and others engaged in the international maritime industry.

Greene was joined by his family, close friends and members of the TOTE executive leadership team at the annual Silver Bells Award Dinner, which raises funds to support the Seamen’s Church Institute’s mission of advocacy, education and chaplaincy for merchant mariners at America’s ports.

“Phil has dedicated his career to serving his country, fellow seafarers and the maritime industry and there is hardly a more deserving recipient for this Lifetime Achievement Award,” said TOTE President and CEO Tim Nolan. “His embodiment of TOTE’s core values – safety, commitment and integrity – complement the Seamen’s Church Institute mission and exemplify TOTE’s commitment to supporting the maritime community.”

As executive vice president and senior advisor for TOTE, Greene provides counsel on many of the company’s top priorities. An enduring advocate of maritime industry interests, he currently sits on the board of directors for the United Seamen’s Service and the National Cargo Bureau. Greene is also a member of the American Shipping Bureau and the Marine Society of the City of New York.

Greene joined TOTE in September 2012, serving as president of TOTE Services from February 2013 to January 2019. Prior to joining TOTE, Greene held a series of prominent federal service roles, including U.S. Department of Transportation Chair at the National Defense University (Washington, DC); Superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, New York); and Senior Executive Service at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

These responsibilities followed an active duty Navy career from 1978 to 2010 in which he received various service and unit awards, including the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (four awards), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards).

Having long championed the importance of developing and shaping our nation’s future mariners, Greene was chosen to be the Distinguished Alumni Speaker at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Class of 2016 commencement ceremony. He was recently honored with the Kings Point Light of Leadership Award as a Lanier Lecturer to the Regiment of Midshipmen. He is a three-time recipient of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation’s Outstanding Professional Achievement Award and was named Kings Pointer of the Year in 2011.

Greene is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. He also holds post graduate degrees from the National War College and the Naval Postgraduate School. In addition, he holds a merchant marine license as master.

“Phil has had an extraordinarily distinguished career and we are honored to consider him a member of the TOTE family,” said Nolan. “On behalf of all the TOTE operating companies, we are grateful for the many contributions he has made and continues to make to our organization.”

Foss Welcomes New Chief Financial Officer

June 5, 2019

SEATTLE, WA – Foss Maritime Company announced today that former Vice President of Finance at Esterline Technologies, Mike Welch, has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Welch will lead the company’s financial functions and performance while supporting the organization’s long-range strategic goals.

Prior to joining Foss, in his role as Vice President of Finance at Esterline Control & Communication Systems, he oversaw the financial performance of five business units, managing roughly $350M in sales. He led a team of nearly 40 people including five direct reports. In his fifteen years with Esterline Welch took on numerous roles. As the VP of Finance, he helped develop and implement new strategies and programs, resulting in improved profitability.

“I’m really looking forward to having Mike on our team,” said John Parrott, President and CEO of Foss Maritime. “We were impressed with his work at Esterline and are excited to have him on board.”

Welch started his career in public accounting at a firm in Detroit, Michigan – his home state. He relocated to Washington in 2002 and joined Washington Mutual as a Senior Analyst, then transitioned to Esterline in 2004.

Along with a commitment to safeguarding company financials while building and supporting strong teams, he is also focused on operating with the customer in mind. “It is important that we all focus on adding value for our customers. The finance team and myself are committed to supporting our customers, both internal and external, with high quality work and drive for continuous improvement,” Welch said.

He went on to add, “I felt strongly that Foss shared these values and would be a great place to work. I’m excited for this opportunity.”