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4 MARCH 2016 FOGHORN The Year Ahead On January 26th at the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2016 in Crystal City just outside of Washington DC I had the honor of succeeding Dave Anderson as President of the Passenger Vessel Association. I would like to thank Dave for his leader- ship and congratulate him on a successful year. Dave worked diligently along with the PVA staff seeking relief from the 2010 law on the proposed rules for out-of-water lifesaving and also in helping to bring the FLAGSHIP program into its final form. His attendance and contributions at the Coast Guards Yorktown Inspector Training Center along with other members and staff has beenand continues to be an important role of PVA. I appreciate the guidance from Dave and all the other past attending presidents as I begin my term as President. Every PVA President has a story on how they came into this industry. So you can understand where I came from I will give you a brief synopsis of my love for the maritime world. I have always had an interest in boats from my early teenage years when my father purchased an old wooden hulled 32-foot boat with a hole in the side. He and I worked side by side bending the ribs with a homemade steam tube and making the planks and chine to repair the old boat. We did a lot of fishing on the east end of Lake Erie and my love for the water and boats grew. After a year at Michigan State University I made the decision in 1980 to find a career on the water. I was accepted into the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and graduated with my First Class Pilots and Mates license for vessels of any gross tons on the Great Lakes and rivers. I sailed on three different Great Lakes bulk freighters. With the dying steel industry in the early 80s jobs were hard to come by. I found work outside of the industry in marketing and leadership research and training using my business degree. It would be 1994 before I made my way back to the maritime world as a harbormaster of a municipal marina. In 2001 I became General Manager of the Beaver Island Boat Company. Our company provides ferry service to the most remote island in Lake Michigan. Beaver Island is 32 miles from the mainland. Our vessels are two subchapter K car ferries. We are proud of our operation and the employees who work for it. Many of our employees are second and third generation. We are a small company with an important job our ferry boats are considered the lifeline to Beaver Island. I took a serious interest in becoming more involved in PVA in 2006. At that time Robin Trinko-Russell was PVA President and among her many accomplishments she strongly encouraged members to take part in PVAs committees as a way to assist our association in moving forward to identify important industry issues and future association leaders. I attended as many regulatory committee and board meetings as I was able and made many new friends along the way. I became Chairman of the regulatory committee in 2008 and also part of the Partnership Action Team with the U.S. Coast Guard. I have learned a great deal from my peers and the leadership of PVA. There is a wealth of knowledge in the association and my company is better off because of our involvement in the PVA. I also encourage you to become involved by par- ticipating in a PVA committee. The PVAAnnual Convention at MariTrends 2016 took place during the Blizzard of 2016. The federal government was shut down for the week and many of our attendees and speakers were tasked with adjusting their travel plans in order to attend our convention. Throughout the con- vention I witnessed an amazing staff and your President Dave Anderson prove how resilient our industry is. Staff worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure all planned activities and presentations were accomplished. Despite the blizzard we had a successful convention. A big thank you goes out to Entertainment Cruises for a lovely cruise onboard the Spirit of Washington along the Potomac River during the closing dinner. I know the staff and crew had to do a lot of shoveling to prepare for the cruise. Even with the government shut down Rear Admiral Paul F. Thomas Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy found his way to the convention to give his pre- sentation on his vision for the future and his concerns with cyber security reduction of our environmental footprint and the growing waterway use and its capacity. The Honorable Chris Hart Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board presented on the ongoing importance of safety. He continues to be concerned with fatigue distractions and automation leading to a lack of skills in all modes of transportation. It is clear these leaders in transportation have a high regard for PVA. PVA has built a relationship through the Partnership Action Team with the U.S. Coast Guard and also has worked with the NTSB on maritime safety-related matters. One of our own industry leaders Bob Shaw gave an enlightening presentation on the Hows and Wise of building great customer service and culture. There were many networking opportunities and round table discus- sions. Our Associate members were available through- out the conference displaying their products and offering many ideas and services. This association is strong because of the dedication of so many members. At this writing I just received word from our PVA staff of the accomplishment of PVAs highest legislative LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Margo Marks LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT CONTINUED ON PAGE 13