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AWO ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The members of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry, elected Mr. H. Merritt Lane III as Chairman and Mr. Timothy J. Casey as Vice Chairman on Friday, April 18 during the AWO Spring Convention in Washington. Mr. Lane is President and Chief Executive Officer of Canal Barge Company, Inc., headquartered in New Orleans, LA, and served as vice chairman for the past year. Mr. Casey is President & CEO of K-Sea Transportation Corp, headquartered in East Brunswick, NJ.

Mr. Lane, in his remarks to the AWO Board of Directors following his election as chairman, explained his priorities for the coming year. His first priority is to continue the implementation of the association’s Transformation and Transition Plan and its Reorganization Plan in order to strengthen AWO’s internal administration and allow the association to focus more intently on the serious advocacy challenges it faces.

The new chairman’s goals also include: 1) Improving AWO’s capacity to identify and communicate issues, and use members’ expertise to identify solutions; 2) Developing an early warning system to identify emerging issues so that AWO can proactively engage them; 3) Making more time for and increasing staff capability to facilitate open, candid membership discussions; and, 4) Activating grassroots resources more aggressively and effectively to keep the industry and its issues utmost in the minds of elected officials.

 Mr. Lane has been an executive with Canal Barge Company, Inc. for 22 years, and has been President & CEO since 1994. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a finance concentration from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.

Founded in 1933, Canal Barge Company, Inc. (CBC) is a privately-owned, independent marine transportation company headquartered in New Orleans, LA. CBC specializes in the transportation of liquid, dry and deck cargoes, in addition to the storage of bulk liquid products. The company’s mission is to form long-term, mutually profitable partnerships with its customers by providing consistently high-quality marine transportation, bulk liquid storage and management services. CBC’s Web site is www.canalbarge.com.

The American Waterways Operators is the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry. The industry is a vital segment of America’s transportation system, safely and efficiently moving over 800 million tons of cargo each year.

 

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AWO is the leading national advocate for the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry.