Gov’t Officials Tour Great Lakes Shipyard
U.S. U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez traveled to Cleveland on Monday, June 6, to meet with Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, Chairman Ronald Rasmus of The Great Lakes Towing Company and members of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Workforce Investment Board to discuss the crucial role that sector strategic partnerships play in equipping workers with the skills they need to compete in today’s labor market. “Sector strategies” are employer-driven partnerships of industry…
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Launches New Rail Loop
Largest Construction Project in Decade, Improves Service for Shippers. The Port of Cleveland held a ribbon-cutting today to mark the launch of a new rail loop that will provide better and more efficient service at the port, and improve access to markets throughout North America. “We needed to reinvent the way the Port connects shippers to railroads,” said Port CEO Will Friedman. Slightly more than a mile long, the rail loop connects the two sides of the port’s rail system for the first time, allowing cargo to move on either CSX or Norfolk Southern, the two Class 1 railroads that serve the port. The loop doubles the port’s rail capacity and will give more shippers opportunities to use the Port to transport larger volumes to more markets.
Great Lakes Towing Company Leadership Changes
Joseph Starck Jr. will take over as President of Great Lakes Towing Company. Starck joined the towing company in 1991 and was most recently its Vice President – Engineering. Since April 2009, he has also been President of the company’s shipyard division, which operates under the name Great Lakes Shipyard. Starck has been successfully leading all new construction and repair contracts for the company's Shipyard business, and will now be responsible for all of the towing company’s tugboat and shipyard activities on the Great Lakes. Starck is a graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College, and has an MBA from Case Western Reserve University. George Sogor was named Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer.
Great Lakes Towing Celebrates 100th Anniversary in Detroit
The Great Lakes Towing Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary providing tugboat services in the port of Detroit. The company's founding shareholders include many of the nation's great industrialists, including John D. Rockefeller and James R. Sinclair. In continuous business for 100 years, it has been a significant marine operations link in one of the major economic lifelines of North America. The company owns and operates more than 50 tugboats. In fact, it is the largest U.S-flag tugboat company engaged in towing on the Great Lakes. Four tugboats - Wyoming, Wisconsin, Vermont and Pennsylvania - are assigned to harbor towing services in Detroit, with additional tugs coming from Toledo available to meet surges and emergency needs.
