Saltchuk names Salazar, Estencion 2024 safety award honorees
August 20, 2024
Saltchuk is pleased to announce the honorees for the 2024 Saltchuk Safety Awards. Nominations received from across the Saltchuk family of companies highlighted incredible stories of safety mentorship, examples of going above and beyond, leading safety culture, and innovating to make operations safer for employees and the community.
The Michael D. Garvey Award for Distinguished Service in Safety is awarded to an individual who displays distinguished service at a Saltchuk company with regard to safety.
Aldin Estencion, 2024 Michael D. Garvey Award for Distinguished Service in Safety
Carlile Hostler Aldin Estencion is the 2024 Michael D. Garvey Award for Distinguished Service in Safety. A daily stretching program started five years ago at Carlile has helped to nearly eliminate soft tissue injuries, but these programs don’t happen without consistent champions. Each morning, Al, a well-respected 18-year Carlile veteran, leads employees at Carlile Transportation in Tacoma, Washington in a series of exercises designed to keep everyone moving safely throughout the day. “Aldin has been a model employee for safety and reliability,” his nominator says. “He continues to be a great asset to Carlile and all of the employees around him.”
The President’s Award for Innovation in Safety is awarded to an individual responsible for an innovative idea that improves safety behaviors or activities at a Saltchuk company.
George Salazar, 2024 President’s Award for Innovation in Safety
Tropical Shipping Senior Cargo Handling (and Hazmat) Specialist George Salazar is the 2024 President’s Award for Safety Innovation honoree. After witnessing a near-miss situation in which cargo wasn’t properly secured on a flatrack container, George took action. “Loading flatracks entails many risks — for the person loading, for the drivers and for everyone on the highway daily,” he said. To ensure safety for all parties, he used a 40-foot shipping container to create a flatrack inspection depot at the Miami warehouse. Inside, he stored tools — chains, cutters, straps, measuring poles and more — that he needed to ensure each flatrack load was secure and would pass inspection. George went beyond just creating the depot, he volunteered to work nights, training a new crew and ensuring processes and safety were consistent across the team.
2024 Honorable Mentions:
- Michael Correa, Mechanic Crew Chief, Aloha Tech Ops
- Sal Griffith, Operations Manager, St. Thomas, Tropical Shipping
- Tomas Merel, Electrician, TOTE Services
- Drew Nanouk, Cargo Agent, Ryan Air
- Hector Rodriguez, Operations Manager & Vessel Planner, Tropical Shipping
- Ronald Rodriguez, Cargo Operations Manager, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico
- Scott Jason, Manager, Marine Operations, Vineyard Wind, Foss Offshore Wind
- Blair Teddy, Port Captain, Pacific Northwest, Foss Maritime
- Nathan White, Assistant Foreman, TOTE Services
- Donell Wilson, 289 Mechanic, TOTE Maritime Alaska
Congratulations to Aldin and George and thank you to all the 2024 nominees for making Saltchuk companies safe workplaces. This fall, People of Saltchuk will feature the stand-out achievement of the 2024 honorees.
For information regarding Saltchuk’s safety awards program, contact Saltchuk Head of Safety Michiel Versteeg, , or Communications Director, Emily Reiter,
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