PVA members, during the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2010 in Tampa, Fla., elected Kevin Stier as President. Captain Stier is owner of River Cruises, Scales Mound, Ill.. River Cruises operates the 149 passenger Riverboat Twilight that offers two-day overnight cruises on the Upper Mississippi River. A longtime member of the PVA Regulatory Committee, Captain Stier has been a member of the PVA Board of Directors since 2003 and has served as PVA Vice-President and PVA Secretary-Treasurer.
Captain Jay Spence was elected PVA Vice President. Captain Spence is General Manager of Massachusetts Bay Lines in Boston, Mass. This second-generation, family-owned business has operated since 1963 and is the oldest operating year-round commuter service in Boston. Captain Spence has served two three year terms on the PVA Board of Directors, served as Chairman of the Original Colonies Region from 1992 until 2002 and has been an active member of the PVA Safety and Security Committee since 1996.
Paul Belforti, Entertainment Cruises, Chicago, Ill., was elected PVA Secretary/Treasurer. Belforti is Senior Vice President of Operations for Entertainment Cruises, headquartered in Chicago, Ill. Entertainment Cruises operates 24 boats in seven cities in the U.S. He has worked in the hospitality, retail and passenger vessel industries for 27 years. Belforti also served as General Manager and Regional Director for Spirit Cruises both for the Boston Operation and for Spirit Cruises Corporate. He has served on the PVA Board of Directors for the past three years.
Elected to the PVA Board of Directors for new or continuing terms were:
Terri Bernstein, B.B. Riverboats, Inc., Covington, Ky.
Donald Fromm, Bridgeport/Port Jefferson Steamboat, Port Jefferson, N.Y.
Marty Robbins, Vallejo Baylink Ferries, Vallejo, Calif.
Jeff Whitaker, Hudson River Cruises, Inc., Kingston, N.Y.