40 Under 40 Winners: Parrish, Patterson, Phillips And Richards
The “40 Under 40” award was conceived for the 5th annual Inland Marine Expo (IMX) to highlight some of the industry’s future leaders. All award winners were nominated by various industry executives and peers for their hard work and dedication to the industry.
The 40 Under 40 awards were presented at IMX in St. Louis, Mo., May 22. This week, we recognize Benjamin Parrish, Brian Patterson, Jared Phillips and Brandon Richards.
Those interested in nominating individuals for the 2019 “40 Under 40” award will have a chance to do so later this year. To be included, nominees must be under the age of 40 as of May 20, 2019, the first day of the 6th annual IMX. Award winners will be recognized during the event for their outstanding contributions to the inland marine transportation industry in a variety of fields.
Ben Parrish
Benjamin Parrish is a project manager with San Jac Marine, Houston, Texas, where he oversees the new construction and repair of inland towboats at a startup shipyard owned and operated by Kirby Corporation.
Prior to this, he had been a port captain for Kirby Inland Marine. In addition to researching incidents to develop root-cause analysis and provide corrective-action plans, he coordinated across departments to solve operation, commercial and equipment challenges across a fleet of vessels and barges.
Parrish also developed, implemented and conducted training of the Kirby’s navigation program aboard all vessels. He acted as liaison between shoreside management and vessel crews to create and support knowledge of and adherence to changes in operational procedures and best practices, in addition to numerous other tasks.
Preceding his job at Kirby, Parrish worked as a vessel mate and pilot for Kirby for six years. Before that, he was a lieutenant with the U.S. Navy Reserve. From May 2008 until December 2016, he participated in two weeks of annual active duty with a focus on vessel readiness and inspections.
He received his bachelor’s degree in marine transportation from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 2008. In 2014, Parrish received his Master of Business Administration degree from Texas Tech University.
Brian Patterson
Brian Patterson, 37, is the construction operations manager at Amherst Madison in West Virginia. He has worked for the company for more than 19 years. Prior to this job, Patterson worked as the company’s director of safety and compliance, an operator/pilot, and a machinist.
He started with Amherst the day after graduating from high school. He attended the Mason County Career Center in Point Pleasant, W.Va., where he obtained a Certificate of Completion with Excellence in Machine Tool Technology.
He has since earned his Master of Towing Vessels License for the Western Rivers, NCCCO Crane Operator’s License, NCCCO Signalperson and Rigger Certification, a 40-hour HAZWOPPER Certification and an 8-hour HAZWOPPER Supervisor Certification; and has experience as an OSHA outreach trainer, shipyard competent person and as an American Red Cross instructor.
Jared Phillips
In 2011, Jared Phillips joined Parker Towing Company, where he currently serves as the operations and logistics manager. Before assuming his current responsibilities, he held roles such as corporate technology manager and barge freight pricing and contract analyst. He has also worked on numerous special projects.
A native of Huntsville, Ala., Phillips attended the University of Alabama School of Business, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in operations management. He has also completed executive education programs in corporate finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
He resides in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with his wife, Alison, and their sons, Parker, 5, and Theodore, 2. Parker Towing owns and operates more than 20 towboats and more than 330 covered and open hopper barges, a fleet of tank barges and six inland river terminals across the Southeast.
Brandon Richards
Brandon Richards joined PANOLIN America Inc. as CEO in 2017 after a long tenure with a major hydraulic component manufacturer. PANOLIN, a manufacturer of the highest performance biodegradable lubricants, has made significant strides in the marine, dredging, hydropower, and oil and gas markets since its reorganization led by Richards.
He received his bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Illinois State University.
