The President’s Message

Mike Jarvis

ASA President

American Salvage Association

Hello and welcome to the winter edition of Soundings. I'd like to start by extending my appreciation to everyone who helped make the Alternative Fuel Symposium the success that it was. Kelly Tiechman and staff from T&T volunteered their time and provided space and support for this event. Over one hundred people attended the workshop. The importance of opportunities like this cannot be overstated; bringing ASA members together to network and educate them on future issues that may arise in our industry is paramount.

I am extremely proud that the members of this organization genuinely support each other in our various ventures and milestones achieved.  Going one step beyond that and utilizing each other's services whenever possible is perhaps the greatest benefit of belonging to the ASA. We should all strive to employ a member when the situation allows; making our group stronger and attracting new members by the allegiance we show within our community of industry professionals.

Charleston Heavy Lift/Stevens Towing recently celebrated a new addition to their shipyard, capped off with a fantastic celebration attended by many ASA members. I was in attendance at the christening of their new 820 metric ton travel lift and greatly appreciated the opportunity to be part of such a proud moment in the Steven's family legacy. They were wonderful hosts and it was great to see so many familiar faces coming together to celebrate this milestone.

Although this hurricane season wasn't punctuated by a great number of named storms, Ian wreaked havoc in southwest Florida, reminding us to never let our guard down. I'm currently in Ft. Myers working on relief efforts and the storm damage was significant. It impacted many other areas including our members in South America. My deepest sympathies go out to the families who have lost loved ones in this catastrophe. Hurricane Ian took the lives of 109 people, making it one of the deadliest storms in recent history. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all who were affected.

As I write, preparations for our annual meeting in New Orleans are underway.  We look forward to another successful gathering with several highranking government officials invited to present to our membership. For a recap of the AGM please see our membership committee’s article in this issue.

I wish everyone happy holidays and a safe and prosperous 2023.  Most importantly, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the many volunteers who keep the American Salvage Association relevant and successful.

Mike Jarvis