Chad Verdin always knew he would wind up working on towboats. Reflecting on the 23 years he’s been a captain and the years on deck before that, he calls it… Read More
Features
Stories on some of the unique and colorful people who populate the barge industry. Human-interest articles on companies and individuals who make a difference in people’s lives, all while keeping the boats and barges moving.
For Capt. David Woodford, working on the river is in his blood. “My great grandpa was a pilot, and then my grandpa was a pilot,” said Woodford, 66, of Savannah,… Read More
The 10-year-old girl stood, waiting at the bus stop near her house, one Monday morning near the start of summer break. Her routine thus far that summer had been to… Read More
Born in Galliano, La., and growing up in Larose, Capt. Dean Plaisance speaks in the French-inflected cadences of southern Louisiana, a region that has traditionally supplied a big contingent of… Read More
Capt. Phillip “P.J.” Steely knows the exact date he went to work for what is now Southern Devall Towing. “September 8, 2006,” he said. “That’s when my life changed forever.”… Read More
Having recently become a full-time pilot for Ingram Barge Company, Roman Cail is part of a younger generation of towboatmen moving up and taking over. Like so many towboatmen, Cail… Read More
With today’s mobile workforce, longevity in any one place isn’t as commonplace as it used to be. Decades spent in voluntary leadership, even less common. But one place where long-term… Read More
Our company, American Commercial Barge Line, continually employs better ways to manage everyday tasks, such as being safe on tow or in the galley and smarter ways to handle emergencies. Read More
Clark Todd has been president of Blessey Marine Services, a New Orleans-based towboat and barge company specializing in the transport of tank barges, since 2007. In December 2021, he also… Read More
The year was 2006, and Errin Howard, mother of three, had just quit her job leading a Cincinnati-based environmental education program to stay home with her children. Then came a call… Read More
