Paducah Propeller Club Looks Ahead Under New President

The Paducah Propeller Club looked forward to the year ahead while reviewing past accomplishments at its January 14 meeting.

The meeting was the first for new club president Ian McVicker, the Marquette Transportation river division’s vice president of corporate compliance and regulatory affairs. He will serve for the next three years.

“What an exciting time,” he said. “Many projects are in the works that are directed by the maritime industry and the businesses that support our industry.”

Several businesses are expanding locally, he noted. Among them, General Matter has announced plans to build a $1.5 billion uranium enrichment facility west of Paducah. Global Laser Enrichment is developing an adjacent plant to repurpose depleted nuclear tails.

Business opportunities also exist at Paducah’s Triple Rail site, and engineering continues for the McCracken County Riverport Authority’s planned Riverport West project. Business at the existing port’s Federal Trade Zone (FTZ) designated storage space has begun picking up since federal tariffs have gone into place, he said. The port also recently completed a major refurbishment of its bulk cargo facility. Port director Jimmie Garrett will be the guest speaker at the February 11 meeting, providing more details.

Additionally, construction is already underway for Paducah’s new riverboat cruise dock downtown and for a new jointly owned city-county sports complex, McVicker said. Supporting construction and business growth, Paducah’s Barkley Regional Airport will offer daily flights to both Houston, Texas, and Chicago, Ill., beginning in February.

McVicker announced one change moving forward is that small summaries of actions taken at the club’s monthly board meetings will be discussed at the membership meetings. That will serve to keep the membership up to date on how the club is making a difference, whether through advocacy, promoting the maritime industry or charitable giving. It will also help keep members advised of important upcoming events, he said.

Secondly, he noted that the club got quite a bit of positive feedback on the River Industry Christmas Party it hosts annually, but also some suggestions for improvement. The club plans to send out a survey to solicit feedback.

While new to the club presidency, McVicker has spent more than three decades in maritime service. He served 25 years with the Coast Guard, with experience that included the inland rivers, before retiring from active duty and joining the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). He worked in the towing vessel regulatory program before later joining Marquette Transportation.

In his nine years with Marquette Transportation, McVicker has served in progressively senior leadership roles, including port captain and vice president of vessel operations before attaining his current position.

In addition to his positions with Marquette and the Paducah Propeller Club, McVicker is vice chair of the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority board and is an executive committee and board member of TVIB.

Outgoing president Caleb King, senior operations manager for the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau (TVIB), was the guest speaker for the meeting. He served from June 2018 to December 2025.

King provided information about the organizational purpose and objectives of the Propeller Club before focusing on some local highlights from the past year and objectives for the next year.

Paducah’s club was chartered in May 1943. Its all-time high membership was 230 to 240 members. King noted that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club had dwindled to 62 members and was at risk of dissolving. Membership is now once again increasing, with 155 members, he said, and he believed an achievable membership goal for 2026 is 200 members.

King said the club is also looking at increasing educational opportunities and working both with the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce and Propeller Club “ports,” its name for local chapters, in Evansville, Ind., and Nashville, Tenn.

“We all have common interests, and there ought to be a way to explore that that’s beneficial to all of us,” he said.

He added that despite the challenges club membership has faced, the Paducah club can be proud of its accomplishments.

“I’m always excited when we can find ways to make a positive impact,” he said following the meeting. “Sometimes that’s through donating money, sometimes it’s political involvement, and sometimes it’s connecting people. In 2022, in collaboration with other Propeller Club ports, we were able to donate $17,500 to the Community Foundation of West Kentucky, which in turn directly donated to Living Lands & Waters, which had helped tremendously with cleaning up the Tennessee River after the horrific long-track tornado passed through western Kentucky. In 2022 and 2023, we made purposeful effort to engage Kentucky State Rep. Randy Bridges to express the importance of the Jones Act, deliver testimony to the Transportation Committee, and help secure a Concurrent Resolution in support of the Jones Act. In 2021, we started what has become an annual baseball social at the Paducah Chiefs. Members bring their family members, and we host local Coast Guard representatives with their family members.”

King said he is excited about the club moving forward under new leadership.

“While I’m happy with the time I’ve served as president, it is good to turn things over and let new ideas spawn continued growth,” he said. “We have an amazing board of directors and a great blend of seasoned representatives and some younger representatives.”