Company News

Industry People On The Move

Heartland Barge Management has hired Jeff York as its sales and leasing manager. York, who resides in Virginia Beach, Va., has been working in the tug and barge equipment industry with crane experience for 25 years.

He grew up in Chesapeake, Va., and attended Old Dominion University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics.

Daniel Babin has been named president of Conley Marine Services following the completion of its acquisition of Kody Marine and its drydock and maintenance and repair yard in New Orleans.

Babin, who has more than 20 years of maritime experience, has held senior operational posts and executive maintenance and repair management positions. His prior engagements include, among others, Bollinger, Bisso, Quanta and Tidewater.

Bollinger Shipyards LLC, Lockport, La., announced the promotion of Matthew Kuehne to general manager of Bollinger Quick Repair. He is a 2007 graduate of the University of New Orleans. Since joining Bollinger in 2011, he has held the positions of assistant estimating and project coordinator, estimating and project manager, assistant operations manager and operations manager.

The Vicksburg Engineer District has selected Alainna O’Bannon as chief of its Programs Management Branch of the Programs and Project Management Division.

O’Bannon’s job duties include developing and defending the federal budget and preparing the fiscal year work plan execution. Prior to this assignment, O’Bannon was the operations and maintenance appropriation manager at the Mississippi Valley Division, which supports district offices located in St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans, La.

She began her career with the Corps in 2009 at the Coastal and Hydraulics Lab at the Engineer Research and Development Center. In 2010, she accepted a position in the project management branch and worked as a program analyst on numerous projects. She became a senior program analyst for Mississippi River and tributaries appropriation at the Vicksburg District in 2013.

O’Bannon earned an associate degree from Hinds Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York.

George Edward “Eddie” Bundren Jr. recently joined Patterson Manufacturing as vice president of sales. Originally from Paducah, Ky., Bundren brings 20 years of marine and shipyard experience, including cost analysis, project management and production of new builds.

His list of previous employers includes James Marine, Haliburton, Home Depot and Gander Mountain. He has a bachelor’s degree in history, business administration and accounting. He also has a master’s degree in business.

Ozinga Materials & Logistics welcomed James Dillman as its vice president and general manager of the company’s Middle River Marine & Terminal business.

His executive-level experience in the marine industry coupled with his extensive background in terminal and port management throughout the Great Lakes, Gulf, East and West coasts and international ports will go toward accelerating Ozinga’s growth at and beyond its current nine terminal and port operations.

Dillman, a retired U.S. Naval Reserves commander, received a degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy before becoming a stevedore superintendent. Throughout his career, he was the former CEO of Diversified Port Holdings, chief operations officer of Lake & River Logistics, and president of Metro Ports.

His experience spans the management of 21 shipping ports, stevedore operations and international vessel operations, as well as interactions with various port authorities around the world.

Jennifer Homendy was sworn in as a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The addition of Homendy means the agency now has all five board member positions filled.

She previously served as the Democratic staff director of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Most recently, she led a multimodal review of the DOT’s drug and alcohol testing program, identifying several safety gaps in the program. Prior to joining the House Subcommittee in 2004, Homendy held positions with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the American Iron & Steel Institute, and the National Federation of Independent Business.

She’s a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and certified by the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications on Core HazMat Operations and Missions-Specific PPE and Product Control.