Corigliano Reflects On Career Advancing Industry Safety

Ron Corigliano did not start out looking for a career in the inland river industry. While he was growing up, the steel industry in the Pittsburgh area was still vibrant, and soon after getting out of school, he worked in construction. The drawback was winter layoffs, and with the steel mills beginning to decline, he looked for other areas in which to work. 

He met Bill Stile, longtime port engineer for Campbell Transportation Company Inc. (CTC). Stile was in search of someone to work in maintenance at the CTC landing at Dunlevy, Pa., and Corigliano started there in 1986. After CTC acquired G&C Towing at Point Pleasant, W.Va., in 1991, they formed Kanawha River Towing Inc., and Corigliano was made the assistant port engineer and managed preventive maintenance programs for 22 vessels, implemented and maintained the U.S. Coast Guard Cooperative Uninspected Towing Vessel Inspection Program, performed regular compliance inspections and supported operations and logistics as needed. 

Members of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) developed the Responsible Carrier Program in 1994, creating an industry-specific safety program for the towing industry. Corigliano was involved in this effort from the beginning. Once it was in place, he was instrumental in putting the RCP into operational practice at CTC. He reiterated a quote that he made in a recent issue of the AWO safety newsletter, “Navigating to Zero.”  

“The RCP wasn’t about checking boxes,” he said. “From the start, it was about taking ownership of safety as an industry and holding ourselves to a higher standard.” 

Corigliano continued to work with AWO and other working groups, such as the Coast Guard’s Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC). Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, CTAC, through industry experts such as Corigliano, helped the Coast Guard form policy on vessel and facility security, emergency preparedness and the transportation of high-consequence cargoes. 

He joined the RCP Standards Board in 2016 and has served on a broad range of industry and government committees in addition to CTAC, including the CTAC Hazardous Cargoes Security Subcommittee, the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) and the TSAC Towing Vessel Inspection Working Group. He also served on the Shipbuilders Council of America Compliance Committee and the board of the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau (TVIB) and in leadership roles across numerous AWO working groups and committees. 

Asked what he has enjoyed most in his career, he quickly said “working with the mariners.” He went on to say, “This industry offers a great opportunity for anyone willing to put in the work. You can come in with no experience and, through on-the-job training and commitment, grow from entry-level to leadership in just a few years. But long-term success depends on safety and commitment to constant improvement. Pay attention, slow down, and take ownership of the systems designed to protect people, the environment and the industry itself.” 

In addition to his service with AWO and the regulatory working groups, Corigliano had served since 1998 as environmental compliance manager for vessel and shoreside operations in the marine division of Blue Danube Incorporated, the parent company of CTC. In July 2009, he began managing the company’s land-based properties, becoming director of governmental affairs and property management. In January 2018, Corigliano became director of commercial property management for the company, a role in which he served until his recent retirement in February. 

In December 2025, after 11 years of service, Corigliano stepped down from the AWO Responsible Carrier Standards Board. His work on the RCP Standards Board and other AWO working groups contributed greatly to safety improvements for AWO members and the industry at large. 

Reflecting on his nearly 40-year career, Corigliano said, “It has truly been a great journey. Thank you to all my friends, colleagues and mentors who have supported me along the way and made my career so rewarding, and a special thanks to all the mariners I have shared this journey with. I am grateful for the relationships, experiences and memories we’ve shared.”