For the third year running MarineNews
was able to tap the minds of six prominent
industry leaders in an attempt to deliver
exclusive insights as to the direction of
the workboat and shallow draft market for
the coming years. Our annual “CEO Six
Pack” has become a perennial reader
favorite, and this year we are fortunate to
have yet another stellar collection of exe-
cuitves, including:
Al Anderson, Vice President of Gov-
ernment and Public Affairs, CHS Inc.
Raymond Butler, Executive Direc-
tor, Gulf Intracoastal Waterways Associa-
tion (GICA)
Rick Calhoun, President and Chair-
man, Cargill Marine and Terminal, Inc.
Steve Golding, President, Golding
Barge Line, Inc.
Gary LaGrange, President and
CEO, Port of New Orleans, and
Paul E. Mauer, President, Trinity
Marine Products, Inc.
Al Anderson • CHS
MN: What is the most important message
about the inland waterways industry that
needs to be conveyed to the media and
policymakers?
Anderson: The most important mes-
sage for our industry to convey to both
media and decision makers is that we
exist and that we are economically and
environmentally vital to the country.
It has always been amazing to me that the
most demonstrably efficient and environ-
mentally sound transportation mode is
either totally ignored or gets bad press.
Because we are a small, at times insular
industry, and because few reporters have
any knowledge or understanding of water-
borne transportation, about the only time
we make the newspapers or evening news
is when a tow hits a bridge or barges break
loose.
This is especially frustrating in my area
because there are so many positive stories
that media people could be telling. When
there are river cleanup efforts, for exam-
ple, local shippers and harbor service
companies lead the charge and provide a
towboat and barges to haul away the tons
of junk collected. Another story that was
never told was how Upper River Services,
a St. Paul harbor service company, along
with Cargo Carriers, and Caterpillar,
made it possible for Chad Pegrake and his
river cleanup organization to have the tow
boat they now use to clean up rivers
around the nation.
I realize that the industry has been in an
economic recession for many years and
unable to afford a well funded public
information campaign, but I think we as
individuals and our company leaders can
get to know which reporters might have
an interest in the river industry and work
with them on stories of mutual concern.
An excellent example of inexpensive
ways this can be done is MARC 2000's
recent list of the, "Top five endangered
locks of the Upper Mississippi System."
This list has gotten wide coverage both in
cities near the "endangered" locks and
elsewhere when the Associated Press
picked up the story.
MN: If you could have the federal gov-
ernment change one policy, what would it
be?
24 • MarineNews • June, 2005
The CEO “Six Pack”
Photo illustration by John Guzman
CEO Six PackTHE YEARBOOK
page 24.qxd 5/27/2005 9:45 AM Page 1
Digital Wave Publishing