Business View Magazine - Dec 2023

THE NEXT GENERATION OF PRODUCT HANDL ING & SITE LOGISTICS 803 Main St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 | Office: (225) 317-7700 24-Hour Logistics: (225) 263-2323 | info@loadstarusa.com A S L OADSTAR ENTERS ITS FOURTH YEAR IN BUSINESS , WE PLEDGE TO CONTINUE TO EARN THE TRUST OF OUR INDUSTRY BY OFFERING THE HIGHEST QUALITY PERFORMANCE , SERVICE , AND VALUE . E X C E L L E N C E - F O C U S E D P E R F O R MA N C E Barge Tankerman Services Rail and Truck Loading/Unloading Rail Switching Operations Warehouse Operations Dock Operations Terminal Operations Scan to Learn More on paying down debt and making sure we finance our equipment as much as we can, which has put us in a very stable position as opposed to some other carriers, some of which aren’t here anymore. That’s given us a strong financial footing and allowed us to do things the way Frank wanted to do them. Slow growth; not getting over our skis and paying off equipment have helped us survive some of the downturns.” The most recent downtown the company has had to face was during the COVID pandemic. “Vessels were shutting down and we were not getting many employees through the door,” recounts Norgress. “It slowed down and we weren’t able to continue as far as full employment. You usually keep five or six crew per vessel, but there was a pause on that.” “We weren’t able to move people from deckhand to tankerman to the wheelhouse because we weren’t employing enough people. (A tanker man oversees liquid cargo transfer aboard oceangoing tank ships or inland barges. The position requires additional training and credentialing to handle the transfer of dangerous substances.) So it did slow down the company. It’s picking up slowly and we’re now able to hire more people to move through the system.” New hires will be necessary to operate the two new boats that are coming online – one this December, and one in the first quarter of 2024. “Those two boats coming out give us a lot of flexibility,” says Hays. “They’re strong enough to move a couple of 30ks, but small enough to where we can put them into place as harbor tows.” GOOD PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS ARE IMPORTANT As is true in any industry, high-quality suppliers and trustworthy partners are key to Chem Carriers’ continued success. For example, vital to the company are its relationships with various firms that offer tankerman services. Norgress explains: “When you’re discharging or loading a barge, or two barges at a time, the Coast 243 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12 CHEM CARRI ERS