From Louisville, Kentucky, former CEO Mr. Mike Hagan joins me with a previous podcast guest and associate of his, Mr. Jim Fox, to chat about industry history and development. Starting out after college as a management trainee with ACBL, Mr. Hagan reminisces about dispatch back in the 70s, Mr. Joe Bobzien, efforts over the years to improve accounting and dispatch systems, the advent of technology onboard vessels, the rampant overbuilding of the barge fleet across the industry in the late 70s and early 80s, and the Russian grain embargo that put Brazil and Argentina in the grain business.We also hear about the acquisition of Texas Gas (and it's subsidiary, ACL) by the CSX Railroad, antitrust litigation, John Snow, a business venture in South America, a new quality program, Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Mr. Hagan's journey to retirement thereafter. It's a long one, but it tracks history from a rare perspective and set of life experiences. Pause as necessary, but come back to it! Enjoy!

Interim Executive Director of the Port of South Louisiana, Mr. Brian Cox, joins me to talk through a career in stevedoring that began in 1999 on the dock in New Orleans with Coastal Cargo as a clerk, eventually leading him to assume a vessel supervisor role, and then a jump to Associated Terminals at their brand new Globalplex facility in 2005. As opportunity would have it, he stepped into operations and management roles with the Port of South Louisiana in 2017, and, since August of 2025, has served as the Interim Executive Director. Please check out our sponsor at https://portsl.com/

The Sultana Disaster, pt. 3

By: Capt. Lee Hendrix (Ret.)

https://towboatcaptain.substack.com/p/out-out-brief-candle

To support his efforts and check out more, head to his Substack. You can subscribe for FREE!

The Sultana Disaster, pt. 2By: Capt. Lee Hendrix (Ret.)https://towboatcaptain.substack.com/p/a-deadly-schemeTo support his efforts and check out more, head to his Substack. You can subscribe for FREE!

The Sultana Disaster, pt. 1By: Capt. Lee Hendrix (Ret.)https://towboatcaptain.substack.com/p/the-cross-of-deathTo support his efforts and check out more, head to his Substack. You can subscribe for FREE!

Connected on the river back in the 90s, a pair of old retired river men join me to catch up on life these days and reminisce about their careers and the days long ago. From meeting at Kinder's Restaurant with Adrian Hargrove and Popeye to sitting across the aisle from one another in court, their careers ran in tandem over the years. Ol' Sam takes over the interview in stride and I settle comfortably into their meandering trips downriver as we float through the decades with them. We hear about legal proceedings with which they were both involved, safety and the expectations of deck crew, and a disconnect evident in the crews of today relative to the standards of the past. We'll probably do this again sometime.

Born in 1949 in poverty, Capt. Lee Hendrix stumbled into the industry and found himself on a grand adventure that spanned a great many years. We hear about his early life growing up in St. Louis, his first boat, the M/V HAVANA ZEPHYR (now the mighty MERLIN BANTA), the good old days, the ill-fated steamer AMERICAN QUEEN, and the Army Corps' M/V MISSISSIPPI. His wealth of experience and connections is unmatched.

Captain Lee Hendrix gives us a brief overview of his more recent professional experiences ahead of our 90-minute visit debuting tomorrow night.

Reflecting more on his career and experiences in the industry, we hear more about Jim and John Fox, Dave Fleming, black powder rifles, Mike's father, and George Marble. We hear all about his experiences growing up in dispatch from the mid-80s forward, the famed record MISS KAE D tow, fleeting operations, the acquisition of AEP River Operations and the subsequent transition to ACBL, and dispatch and logistics systems across the decades.

Retired and tough to pin down, Mr. Mike O'Neil finally joins me on the show. We hear about his early life in the Greater New Orleans area, familial connections to the industry, the development of industry over the years through acquisitions and mergers, Jim Fox, Sonny Ivey, Patrick Morton, Jim Farley, Tom Fisher, Dave Dewey, Cliff Mosby, and Wayne Sanborne. He reminisces about his time in fleet dispatch working on floating offices, the S/V New Orleans and the M/V Louisiana in the lower harbor, and we hear also about the history of the Missouri River Barge Line, Valley Line, Federal, and about ACBL from which he retired not long ago. We worked together for a brief period following the AEP acquisition, but I knew him only by name back then.Part 2 with Mr. O'Neil will debut in a couple of days...