FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBIA RIVER STEAMSHIP OPERATORS ASSOCIATION HIRES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PORTLAND, OR – October 30, 2012 – The Board of Directors of the Columbia River Steamship Operators Association is pleased to announce the hiring of Michael Titone as the next Executive Director. Mr. Titone will begin work by mid-November, 2012 and will work with Jim Townley, the current Executive Director over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition.
Mike will be moving from the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana with his wife, Darlene. While in Louisiana, Mike founded the Mississippi River Maritime Association (MRMA), a large vessel agent trade association. During his tenure at the MRMA, Mr. Titone grew the membership to include 50 corporate members with annual dues of over $1,000,000. He represented the organization in the state legislature, with the Port Authorities, the US Coast Guard as well as other government agencies. Mr. Titone most recently was Vice-President at the Celtic group, a $150 million dollar organization providing logistics for large vessels on the Mississippi River and inland waterways.
Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University and is a Certified Public Account.
The CRSOA was established in 1922. The Columbia River Steamship Operators Association’s mission is to facilitate trade, provide business leadership, exercise principles of environmental stewardship, serve as an industry focal point, and promote operating policies and practices that are safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective.
The Board is pleased to welcome Mike Titone to the region and to the organization.
For further information contact:
Jim Townley
jrtownley@aol.com
503-939-7854
The CRSOA was established in 1922. Its area of influence includes the ports and waterways serving Oregon, southern Washington, and Idaho. It was originally named the Portland Steamship Operators Association and continued as such until 1994 when the name was changed to reflect a broader venue. Its area of influence includes all the major ports and waterways in the state of Oregon, Southern Washington and Idaho. The Columbia River is the predominant waterway in the region served by the Association.
CRSOA was a major force behind the “Inland Empire” vision for linking Columbia River ports to the international trading community in the 1930’s. It supported construction of the locks and dams that made possible navigation eastward over more than 500 miles of river to Lewiston, Idaho and enabled the important interdependency objectives of hydropower, flood control, and “the greening of the desert” to be made real. It was one of the founders of the Maritime Fire and Safety Association in 1984 and played a major role in expanding MFSA to include oil and hazardous material spill prevention, response, and mitigation in the early 1990′s.