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Our History
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Leadership Team
Gary Faber, President and Chief Operating Officer
Gary Faber, an experienced executive with over 30 years of experience in the maritime industry, assumed the position of president and COO of Foss Maritime Company in October of 2006 after 5 years at the company in a senior leadership position.
Gary has extensive experience in marine engineering, vessel operations, salvage and project management. His expertise in successfully handling projects in extreme environments extends from the arctic regions of Alaska and Sakhalin Island, Russia, to the southern extremes of South America and the Caribbean. Gary's credentials include experience with assurance programs such as ISO and ISM as well as in general occupational and safety programs. His accomplishments include recognition for the United Sates Coast Guard Benkert Award for Excellence in Environmental Protection.
Previously, he was president of Seacoast Towing, which specializes in coastwise bulk petroleum transportation, and vice president for operations at Crowley Maritime.
Gary, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York, holds a U. S. Coast Guard Third-Assist Engineer License and has extensive training and certification in the incident command system.
Scott Merritt, Senior Vice President, Operations
Scott joined Foss in 1983 where he served in a number of positions until 1993 when he opened Foss’ San Francisco Bay Operation as its first manager. Later, as the regional director, Scott oversaw the growth of the region from a one tug operation to a provider of a wide range of harbor services including ship assist, tanker escort, petroleum transportation, regional towing, dredging and aggregate delivery. Scott returned to Seattle and in 2005 became senior vice president of Harbor Services and Regional Towing, and then senior vice president, Domestic Services, before being appointed to his current position in November 2007.
In San Francisco, Scott served as the vice-chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Harbor Safety Committee and 3rd vice president of the San Francisco Bay Marine Exchange Board of Directors. He was a member of the Technical Advisory Group that assisted the California Office of Spill Prevention
and Response (OSPR) in the technical aspects of writing current tug escort regulations. He was also a member of the USCG Afloat Committee on Security, the Northern California Marine Transportation System Committee and the Propeller Club of America. Scott is a graduate of the California Maritime Academy and holds a MBA from the University of Washington.
John Tirpak, Senior Vice President, Global Services, and President, Foss International
John Tirpak has about 30 years of experience in the shipping industry, mainly international. He has held executive positions with Hamburg Sud, Crowley Maritime and United States Lines and has lived and worked internationally for those companies. Tirpak has an undergraduate degree in economics and has completed work toward a master’s degree in international economics. He has been with the Saltchuk group of companies since 2002 and is president of Foss subsidiary America Cargo Transport Corp. He was appointed to the additional position of Foss senior vice president, Global Services, in January 2010.
David Hill, Vice President, Pacific Division
Dave is a graduate of North Park University in Chicago where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Communications and Scandinavian Studies. He worked for the U. S. Embassy in Sweden and then returned to Seattle to open an office for China Ocean Shipping Company as they launched their new transpacific services.
Prior to joining Foss as director of sales, Harbor Services & Regional Towing in 2005, Dave spent 16 years in the logistics and supply chain industry. As director of International Freight Services for APL Logistics in Seattle, Dave was responsible for international and domestic operations generating annual revenues of $120 million in freight forwarding, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage product development, sales and customer service. His experience also includes executive positions with FedEx Trade Networks, previously known as Tower Group International, and Geo. S. Bush & Co. He became vice president of Sales & Marketing at Foss in 2006 and vice presidend, Harbor Services, in 2007. He is currently responsible for the company’s traditional harbor services and marine transportation activities on the West Coast, including Alaska.
Marc Villa, Vice President, Atlantic Division
A native of Boston, Marc holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Boston College. He served as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army in Vietnam and holds a U.S. Coast Guard 1,600-ton masters license. Marc was one of three founders of Constellation Tug Company and was president of the company when it was acquired by Foss in July 2006. In January 2010, he was named to an additional position, vice president of the newly formed Atlantic Division, which includes Constellation, Cape Harrison Foss (a joint venture in Newfoundland), and the former Gulf Caribe Maritime, based in Mobile, Ala.
Susan Hayman, Vice President, Corporate Development
A 1980 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Susan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Her career includes seagoing work for Exxon Shipping as well as railroad experience for CSX. She also served in domestic and international positions with American President Lines where she became operations vice president for Europe, area manager for Central Europe and global vice president for Port and Container Security. After being called to active duty in the United States Navy in 2002, Susan returned to APL as global vice president for Environmental Affairs.
Formerly Vice President, Health, Safety, Quality and Environment, Susan was appointed to her current position in July 2008. She is responsible for strategic planning, including environmental initiatives. In her previous job, Susan spearheaded the development of the hybrid-powered, low-emissions tug, which entered service early in 2009.
Mike Magill, Vice President, Technical Services
As vice president, technical services, Mike is responsible for Foss Shipyards and the Purchasing and Engineering departments. Mike came to Foss in 2010 with 29 years of experience in the marine transportation industry. Previously, Mike held a variety of positions at Foss sister company Sea Coast Towing, then with K-Sea, after the acquisition of Sea Coast Towing by K-Sea. At K-Sea, his responsibilities included divisional operations, fiscal performance, safety and compliance on the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico and internationally. Mike came to Sea Coast with 20 years of international sailing and vessel management experience, and upon joining the company was tasked with oversight of all engineering and operations. Mike is a graduate of New York Maritime College with a Bachelor of Engineering degree and holds an Unlimited Engineering License.
Frank Williamson, Vice President, Safety, Quality and General Counsel
Frank Williamson joined Foss in 1994 as Counsel, was promoted to assistant general counsel in 1995 and general counsel in 2004. He was given the added responsibility for safety and environmental programs in July 2008.
As general counsel, Frank is responsible for all Foss legal decisions, strategy and negotiations. Frank developed and implemented the Foss Maritime Company Environmental Compliance Program, Hazardous Materials Management Plan, Pollution Prevention Plan and Document Retention Plan.
Prior to joining Foss, Frank worked at the Garvey, Schubert & Barer law firm in Seattle for six years and has extensive experience in litigation, environmental law and general maritime law. Frank has degrees from the University of Vermont and the University of Washington.