Busch Awarded the 2002 Thomas Crowley Trophy

Todd Busch, Director of Sales for Crowley's Ship Assist and Escort Services business unit, was awarded the 2002 Thomas Crowley Trophy, Crowley Maritime Corporation's highest honor, at ceremonies held last night in Anchorage, Alaska. Created more than a decade ago, the Thomas Crowley Trophy award honors employees with outstanding performance, whose dedication, leadership, initiative and productivity most clearly reflect those of the company's founder. The trophy, a limited edition, bronze sculpture depicting young Thomas Crowley as he ferried goods to and from ships on San Francisco Bay in the early 1890s, is a tribute to the founder of the company as well as the winners of the award. Tom Crowley, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO, presented the award at the ceremony, which was attended by the company's board of directors and management team. Included in the group were previous Thomas Crowley Trophy recipients: Bruce Harland, Director, Operations; Craig Tornga, General Manager of Oil Industry Services; Alex Sweeney, Vice President & General Manager, Valdez Services; Charlie Nalen, Vice President, Environmental Safety and Quality Assurance, and Rinus Schepen, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Latin America Services. "Todd has been a major contributor to the company's success for a number of years," said Crowley. "He is very conscientious, possesses attention to detail, and is always looking for new business opportunities inside and outside his normal scope of responsibility. He is very responsive to the needs of customers and has worked to build strong relationships." Busch is widely credited with helping to secure several high-profile towing contracts, including those involving the historic battleships USS Missouri, USS New Jersey and USS Iowa, as well as the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany. He also helped secure a role for Crowley as a contractor for the U.S. Navy's 2001 Ehime Maru recovery and relocation operation in Hawaii. The Ehime Maru sank in 2,000 feet of water on Feb. 9, 2001 when it was struck by the USS Greeneville, a Navy submarine practicing an emergency-surfacing maneuver off Diamond Head. The Navy contracted with Crowley to design, engineer and execute the plan to lift the Ehime Maru from an interim shallow water recovery site, transport it to deepwater and dispose of it 6,000 feet to the ocean floor about 12 miles off Oahu. Since being promoted in 2001 to director of sales for Ship Assist and Escort Services, Busch has revitalized Crowley's market approach and is focused on strengthening the company's position in the very competitive ship assist business. "To receive the Thomas Crowley Trophy, the company's most prestigious award, is a tremendous honor," Busch said. "It is impossible to achieve an award like this by yourself, rather it is more a reflection of the excellent work done by the ship assist and escort services teams in Alaska, Washington and California, and by others who support us throughout the Crowley organization." Busch joined Crowley in 1987 as an ordinary Seaman and since that time served aboard company tugs as a chief mate. He came ashore in 1994 as a Dispatcher; and has held a variety of other positions with increasing responsibility. He has been responsible for the company's marine services contract business, overseeing pricing and the negotiating of contracts, as well as the commercial activities for Crowley's emergency services, and the U.S. Navy Salvage Contract. He was promoted to his present position as director of sales for ship assist and escort services in 2001. Busch serves as a director, representing Crowley on the board of the Marine Response Alliance LLC. Prior to joining Crowley, Busch sailed with the Southwest Alaska Pilots Association. He attended Arizona State University and holds two licenses: Master, 100 Gross Tons Inspected Vessels, and Mate, 200 Gross Tons Inspected Vessels.