Berdon Lawrence News

C. Berdon Lawrence retires from Board after 13 years of service, William M. Waterman, former President of Penn Maritime, elected to Board. Kirby Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, is the nation's largest domestic tank barge operator, transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along all three United States coasts and in Alaska and Hawaii. Mr. Lawrence is retiring to devote more time to family and other business interests, having served as Chairman of the Board of Kirby from October 1999 to April 2010 and has served as Chairman Emeritus of the Kirby Board since April 2010. Mr. Lawrence was the founder and former President of Hollywood Marine, Inc. an inland tank barge company acquired by Kirby in October 1999.

Richard R. (Rick) Calhoun, Cargo Carriers, Chairman; Cornel Martin, President & CEO; Merritt Lane, Canal Barge Line, Vice Chairman; Rodney Weinzierl, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Vice Chairman;  Matt Woodruff, Kirby Corporation, Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Campbell Transportation Company, Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Channel Shipyard Company, Treasurer. Dan Mecklenborg, Ingram Barge Line Co., was named Immediate Past Chairman, and Berdon Lawrence, Kirby Corporation and Mark Knoy, AEP River Operations, were named Honorary Past Chairmen. Named to At Large positions were Michael Hennessey, CONSOL Energy Co.; Tim Parker, Jr., Parker Towing Company; Stephen Little, Crounse Corporation; and Dale Roth, Carpenter’s District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity.

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) announced the retirement of C. Berdon Lawrence, Kirby's Chairman of the Board, effective April 27, 2010, the date of Kirby's 2010 Annual Stockholders and Board of Directors Meetings. Mr. Lawrence has served as Chairman of Kirby since October 1999. He was the founder and former President of Hollywood Marine, Inc., an inland tank barge company acquired by Kirby on October 12, 1999. Lawrence will serve as a consultant to Kirby and will remain on the Kirby Board. Commenting on his retirement from Kirby, Lawrence stated, "Ten years ago on this date, October 12, 1999, we merged Hollywood with Kirby, combining the United States' largest and third largest inland tank barge companies, and by all business and financial measurements, it has been a very successful merger.

At the Annual Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Membership Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting held October 29 in St. Louis, the following officers and Executive Committee members were elected to serve or continue service for 2008-2009:  Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, remains as Chairman of the Board; Cornel Martin, was elected President and CEO; Steve Little, President and CEO, Crounse Corporation, remains as General Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., was re-elected Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Vice President, Channel Shipyard, remains as Treasurer. Former WCI President and CEO R. Barry Palmer was named President Emeritus. Also named to new terms as officers were Richard R.

Members of the commercial community of the Port of Houston, America’s second largest Port in terms of total tonnage, met last week in support of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI). At the Fourth Annual Maritime Training Benefit Luncheon, the area’s leading maritime transportation companies assembled for a fundraiser at the Institute’s training center in Houston. The October 22nd event raised over $77,000 for SCI’s Center for Maritime Education, which provides training for thousands of professional inland captains and pilots. An area hit in September by destructive Hurricane Ike, many operations in the Port sustained damage from the powerful storm, including SCI’s Center located within the 25-mile-long complex.

New study touts the economic and environmental benefits, plus the growth potential, of barge traffic on inland waterways. Anyone who has spent much time in the marine transportation industry likely is familiar with the various charts and graphs that tout the superior cargo carrying capacity and efficiency of barges versus trains and trucks.   C. Berdon Lawrence, Chairman of the Board of Kirby Corp. and Joseph Pyne, the ubiquitous President and CEO of Kirby Corp.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Chairman Dan Mecklenborg announced that an executive search has begun to identify a successor for R. Barry Palmer, WCI President/CEO, who has announced his intention to retire at the end of this year. WCI’s Executive Committee has retained JDG Associates, Ltd., , to conduct the national search for a successor for Mr. Palmer. A search committee to evaluate both internal and external candidates, led by Chairman Mecklenborg, has been organized and is composed of WCI Executive Committee members Rick Calhoun…

MarineNews is pleased again this year to showcase the thoughts and opinions of workboat industry luminaries and executives, including: Terry Becker, President, Riverway Co.; Larry Daily, President, Alter Barge Line, Inc.; Cherrie Felder, Vice President, Channel Shipyard Companies; William D. Friedman, Executive Director, Ports of Indiana; Berdon Lawrence, Chairman, Kirby and Peter H. Stephaich, Chairman of Campbell Transportation Company, Inc., and C&C Marine Maintenance, Inc. President Riverway Co. For those who may not be familiar with Riverway Co., we are a "medium" sized barge line that operates approximately 500 barges and eight line haul towboats, moving dry bulk commodities primarily on the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) named Mark Knoy, President of AEP Memco LLC as its next Chairman of the Board. Knoy succeeds Berdon Lawrence, Chairman of Kirby Corporation, as WCI’s Chairman. Mr. Lawrence served Waterways Council, Inc. since its inception in 2003, and before that, as Chairman of Waterways Work! “I look forward to working with WCI as we continue to educate those on Capitol Hill, in the news media, and the general public about the critical need to maintain and modernize our Nation’s ports and inland waterways infrastructure. WCI will continue to be the leading, unifying voice for this message,” said Knoy. “The inland waterways industry, and WCI, expresses its tremendous thanks to Berdon Lawrence, who has given so much of himself to improving the condition of the industry.

The National Waterways Foundation elected new officers and trustees at its recent meeting on October 3, 2007 in Houston, TX. Newly elected Foundation officers are Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., Chairman, succeeding Joe Pyne, President/CEO, Kirby Corporation, and Terry Becker, President, Riverway Co., Treasurer. R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO, was re-elected as Secretary. Re-elected as Foundation trustees were Craig E. Philip, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ingram Barge Company; H. Merritt Lane, III, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canal Barge Company; Howard H. Brent, Peter Stephaich and R. Barry Palmer.

At its Annual Meeting held October 1 in Houston, the Board of Directors of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) elected the following officers and Executive Committee members for 2007-2008: Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, Chairman; R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO; Steve Little, President and CEO, Crounse Corporation, General Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Vice President, Channel Shipyard, Treasurer. H. Merritt Lane III, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canal Barge Company; Peter Lilly, Chief Operating Officer--Coal, CONSOL Energy Inc., and Rick Calhoun, President, Cargo Carriers, were named as Vice-Chairmen.

As the inland waterways industry looks back on 2006 and forward to 2007, Waterways Council, Inc. • President Bush’s FY 2007 proposed budget requested a record level of federal funding for 11 Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-financed projects. The budget request proposed FY ’07 spending of $394 million for Inland Waterways Trust Fund financed projects, of which $197 million would come from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The remainder would come from general treasury funds, as required under current law. The President’s FY ‘07 budget request is the highest funding recommendation for IWTF funded projects since cost-sharing legislation was enacted into law in 1986.

At its Annual Meeting held October 18 in Nashville, the Board of Directors of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) elected the following officers and Executive Committee members for 2006-2007: Mark Knoy, President, AEP MEMCO LLC, Chairman; R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO; Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, First Vice Chairman and General Counsel; Kevin Sparks, Manager, Petrochemicals Marketing, Marathon Petroleum Co., LLC, Secretary/Treasurer; Peter Lilly, Chief Operating Officer-Coal, CONSOL Energy Inc., and Rick Calhoun, President, Cargo Carriers, Vice-Chairmen. Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co; H.

Kirby Corp., the largest U.S. tank barge operator, has agreed to buy Hollywood Marine Inc., an inland tank barge company based in Houston, for about $325 million. Kirby, also based in Houston, said the purchase price consists of $90 million in stock, $135 million in cash and the assumption or refinancing of about $100 million of Hollywood debt. Kirby plans to merge the privately-held company into one of its subsidiaries and hopes the acquisition boosts its profits in the year 2000 and add to cash flow. As part of the deal, Kirby will name C. Berdon Lawrence, Hollywood Marine's president and principle shareholder, as chairman of Kirby and make its current chairman, George Peterkin, chairman emeritus.

Kirby Corp, the largest U.S. tank barge operator, recently agreed to buy Hollywood Marine Inc., an inland tank barge company based in Houston, Texas, for about $325 million. While the company views Hollywood's operations as complementary to its core inland tank barge operations, some analysts were immediately skeptical of the effects on Kirby's bottom line. Standard & Poor's placed its triple-'B' corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings for Kirby Corp. on CreditWatch with negative implications. The CreditWatch listing reflects an increased debt burden that Kirby will incur as a result of its acquisition of Hollywood Marine Inc. As part of the deal, Kirby said it would name C.

Kirby Corp, the largest U.S. tank barge operator, recently agreed to buy Hollywood Marine Inc., an inland tank barge company based in Houston, Texas, for about $325 million. While the company views Hollywood's operations as complementary to its core inland tank barge operations, some analysts were immediately skeptical of the effects on Kirby's bottom line. Standard & Poor's placed its triple-'B' corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings for Kirby Corp. on CreditWatch with negative implications. The CreditWatch listing reflects an increased debt burden that Kirby will incur as a result of its acquisition of Hollywood Marine Inc. As part of the deal, Kirby said it would name C.

Despite a downgrading in rating from various credit agencies, Kirby Corporation's recent acquisition of Hollywood Marine is designed to reduce costs, as the inland tank barge operations of both companies are highly complementary. Kirby Corp, the largest U.S. tank barge operator, has agreed to buy Hollywood Marine Inc., an inland tank barge company based in Houston, for approximately $325 million. Kirby, also based in Houston, said the purchase price consists of $90 million in stock, $135 million in cash and the assumption or refinancing of about $100 million of Hollywood debt. "Hollywood's operations are complementary to our core inland tank barge operation and are an excellent fit within Kirby's strategy of growing our core businesses through synergistic acquisitions…

Kirby Corp, the largest U.S. tank barge operator, has agreed to buy Hollywood Marine Inc., an inland tank barge company based in Houston, for approximately $325 million. Kirby, also based in Houston, said the purchase price consists of $90 million in stock, $135 million in cash and the assumption or refinancing of about $100 million of Hollywood debt. "Hollywood's operations are complementary to our core inland tank barge operation and are an excellent fit within Kirby's strategy of growing our core businesses through synergistic acquisitions," Kirby CEO and President J.H. Pyne said. As part of the deal, Kirby said it would name C. Berdon Lawrence…