Industry Panelist Bios
Martin Curtin, Curtin Maritime Corporation
Martin Curtin, CEO of Curtin Maritime, began his career as a tugboat captain. He started Curtin Maritime in 1997 and built his first tugboat to enter into the West Coast market. As the owner and for a long time, only captain in his business, he has established a company that constantly maintains high efficiencies, high safety standards, highly skilled crews, and unrelenting innovation.
Rick Iuliucci, The Vane Brothers Company
Captain Rick Iuliucci, Vice President, joined the Vane Brothers Company on April 4, 2007, responsible for fleet operations for all Vane Brothers vessels and facilities. Vane maintains a current fleet of 130 US flag Tug and Tank Barge units, trading on the US East Coast , West Coast and Gulf Coast, with operations in Eastern Canada and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Vane Brothers Captain Iuliucci was the Director, Delaware Bay Operations, responsible for both commercial and technical management of Overseas Shipholding Group America’s Lightering Fleet and Northeast US Residual Fleet.
Captain Iuliucci has served in the maritime industry for more than 39 years, 17 of which he actively sailed aboard conventional ocean going tugs and barges, and ATB’s with Maritrans. In his seventeen years at sea he sailed in all deck capacities from Deckhand to Master. Prior to commencing his sailing career Captain Iuliucci attended the Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, MD. He currently maintains a Unites States Coast Guard Master’s license has had extensive experience in lightering operations conducted in the Delaware Bay and the offshore waters of the United Sates east coast and gulf coast. Captain Iuliucci has attended and participated in various professional and educational certificated courses including the United States Coast Guard Federal on Scene Crisis Commander, the Executive course provided by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Cornell University’s Industrial Labor Relations School.
Captain Iuliucci maintains board directorships with the Seaman’s Church Institute of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange and the American Waterways Operators of America, including an appointment as Vice Chairman for AWO’ s Atlantic Region Board of Directors, he has previously held the position of Coastal Sector Committee chairman, one of the Executive Committee seats. Captain Iuliucci is a Member of the Mariner’s Advisory Committee in the Port of Philadelphia and serves as Treasurer and an officer of the organization.
Captain Iuliucci is presently serving as a managing board member of the Philadelphia Area Maritime Security Committee under the authority of the United States Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Sector Delaware Bay and has received a Federal appointment to serve as an Executive Steering Committee member for the United States Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Area Committee. Captain Iuliucci serves as an alternate Company Security Officer for the Vane Brothers Company.
Brian Buckley McAllister is the President of McAllister Towing. Founded in 1864, McAllister Towing is one of the oldest and largest maritime transportation companies in the United States. The company owns and operates over 50 tugboats, a dozen barges, and three ferries. The company has over a dozen offices along the East Coast and Caribbean, from Portland, Maine to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The company performs ship and barge assist services, ocean towing, coastwise transportation, bunkering, and salvage. Headquartered in New York, the company is owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the family. For more information, see www.mcallistertowing.com.
Mr. McAllister works with a number of other organizations involved in the maritime industry, including Steamship Mutual P&I Club, the Maritime Law Association, the American Waterways Operators, the Coast Guard Foundation, and the Seamen’s Church Institute. A graduate of Hamilton College and UC Hastings College of the Law, he is admitted to practice law in New York, California, and a number of federal jurisdictions. Prior to joining the family company, he was an Associate at Hill, Betts & Nash LLP.
Will Roberts, Foss Maritime Company, LLC
Will Roberts joined Foss in 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) where he was responsible for building the customer facing team to support Foss Maritime’s ALWAYS SAFE. ALWAYS READY. company culture. In 2018, Roberts was named Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, he is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the company’s fleet, the full-service Seattle shipyard and the marine engineering and naval architectural services team.
Prior to joining Foss, Roberts served as Senior Vice President, Customer and Services–Americas, for global marine systems and services provider Rolls-Royce. During his tenure at Rolls-Royce, Roberts also served in the roles of Sales Manager U.S. West Coast, Vice President Global Customer Training and Services Development based in Aalesund, Norway, and Chief of Staff to the President of Rolls-Royce Land & Sea in London, UK. Roberts began his career in the U.S. Navy as a qualified Deck and Engineering Officer onboard the U.S.S. Honolulu, a fast attack submarine based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Roberts graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Ocean Engineering, and holds a Masters of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. Most recently Roberts completed a course of study at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
James C. Fowler serves as Managing Director of Marine and Stevedoring Operations for Cooper Marine & Timberlands Corporation and Executive Vice President for Blakeley BoatWorks.
Cooper Marine & Timberland's (CMT) operations are powered by 20 towing vessels, more than 400 hopper barges, and one of the country's largest fleet of dry bulk gantry and floating derrick cranes. The company’s marine footprint includes the Tennessee-Tombigbee River system, Ohio River, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Illinois River, Arkansas River, Cumberland River, Black Warrior River, Tennessee River, Tombigbee River, Mobile River, and Mississippi River. CMT’s world-class stevedoring operations include two deep-draft bulk cargo terminals in the Port of Mobile and numerous inland marine terminals throughout the states of Alabama and Mississippi.
Situated on 26 acres in heart of the Port of Mobile and with capacity to simultaneously service up to 15 towing vessels and barges, Blakeley BoatWorks (BBW) is a full-service shipyard specializing in small vessel repair, barge repair, and new vessel construction. Equipped with a 1,900-ton floating dry dock, 660-ton travel lift, and four covered fabrication shops, BBW is the state of Alabama's premier towing vessel shipyard.
Previously, Mr. Fowler served as Vice President for Information Technology and Assistant Vice President at Cooper/T. Smith Corporation, one of America's largest privately held international maritime firms. Prior to returning to his home state of Alabama, Mr. Fowler served as Operations Manager for Crescent Towing in New Orleans, Louisiana and as a manager of stevedoring and maintenance operations at Cooper Consolidated in Darrow, Louisiana.
Mr. Fowler earned his Master of Business Administration with a specialization in finance from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration at The University of Alabama, where he also served as the president of the Student Government Association and student representative to The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees.
Mr. Fowler is the Vice Chairman of the Mobile Airport Authority and currently serves on the boards of directors for the American Waterway Operators, Reese's Senior Bowl, Propeller Club of Mobile, and the city of Mobile Industrial Development Board. Mr. Fowler previously served as board member for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and as Secretary of the Mobile Chapter of The University of Alabama National Alumni Association. He is active in the Rotary Club of Mobile, Coastal 150 (Coastal Alabama Partnership), and Order of Fuse (Fuse Project). He serves on numerous alumni advisory boards at The University of Alabama, including the Board of Visitors for the Culverhouse School of Business and Administration. He and his wife Meg reside in Mobile, Alabama and are members of Covenant Presbyterian Church.
William H. Hanson is the Senior Vice President – Government Relations & Business Development. A 40 year veteran of the dredging and maritime construction industry, Bill Hanson has been with GLDD for 29 years and a Vice President since 2004. In 2013, he opened GLDD’s first office in Washington DC. Mr. Hanson began his career with the US Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston and Los Angeles, and then worked for Connolly Pacific of Long Beach, California before joining GLDD in 1988. At GLDD, he served in management roles in the North Atlantic and Southern Divisions as well as managing Latin America for 12 years. Mr. Hanson serves on several Federal Advisory committees as well as on boards of groups with national and regional interest to GLDD, and several academic advisory boards related to ocean and coastal engineering. Mr. Hanson is a 1979 Ocean Engineering graduate of Texas A&M, where he was named a distinguished alumni in 2013.
Mr. Judd was named President & CEO of Marquette in June 2020. Mr. Judd had served as President of Marquette since April 2017 and prior to that served as Executive Vice President starting in October 2015. Mr. Judd also served as a member of Marquette’s Board of Directors from March 2007 through September 2013. From 2004 through 2013, Mr. Judd was a private equity professional with KRG Capital Partners where he held various titles and was promoted to Managing Director in 2012. Prior to joining KRG, Mr. Judd was an Associate at The Cypress Group and also worked as an Analyst at J.P. Morgan in its Industrials M&A Group. Mr. Judd earned his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in Economics and Political Science from Yale University.
Clark Todd, the middle son in a family of three boys, was born and raised in Lufkin, Texas. While growing up, he spent much of his spare time on the athletic fields enjoying competitive sports. When he was not practicing or playing competitive sports, he was in the woods hunting and fishing in his native East Texas and on his family’s farm near Lufkin. Clark chose not to pursue a professional baseball career after being drafted out of high school by the Chicago Cubs in the 1997 Major League Baseball Amateur draft. Instead, he took his athletic and academic abilities to the University of Texas at Austin where he played baseball for the Longhorns and graduated in 2001 with a BS degree in Business Communications with an emphasis in finance. Clark feels he made the right decision to pursue his college studies which allowed him to start his business career with Blessey Marine Services in 2001. While working with Blessey, Clark furthered his academic pursuits by earning his MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2006.
Clark was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Blessey Marine Services in 2005. He is one of the youngest executives in the industry and with the support and guidance of Walter Blessey, Owner and CEO of Blessey Marine, he intends on working hard to maintain the core values that have allowed the company to become an industry leader. It is Clark’s belief that Blessey Marine is not just a company that he works for, it is a family of dedicated individuals with a common goal, whose mission he will help to accomplish. He and his wife, Laura Blessey Todd, have three children, Cooper (12), Caroline (9) and Cate (7). Along with his duties as corporate president and father, Clark still makes time to coach his kids in their respective sports. He also enjoys outdoor sports, hunting, cooking and volunteering as a family within the community.
Clark currently serves as Immediate Past Chairman of the Board for Junior Achievement of New Orleans. In addition, he serves as an Executive Board member and current Treasurer of the American Waterways Operators, Board Member for National Waterways Foundation, The US Chamber of Commerce’s Energy and Transportation committee, and Executive Director of the Estes Family Foundation.