The Waterways Journal
9 July 2007
By Nelson Spencer
When Capt. Deane Orr, vice president-river operations for Consol Energy Inc., was a little boy, he lived in Charleroi, Pa., down the hill from the most respected man in town, a community leader and successful businessman. During the winters, he would trudge to the top of the hill with his snow shovel and clean the man's driveway for him.
It just so happened the gentleman everybody so greatly admired was none other than Howard S. Guttman, of Guttman Oil Company and one of the founders of Mon River Towing Company, which, alas, Consul now owns. Furthermore, the "man at the top of the hill" was also the namesake of a towboat Consol renamed on June 7 the mv. Capt. Deane Orr, after the "little boy at the bottom."
"Now," said Jim Grech, Consol's senior vice president, to Orr at the renaming festivities, "you've climbed that hill. You're on top of the hill. You're the respected individual. Everybody holds you in high regard. You're the man everybody looks up to. Congratulations."
Consol held the celebration aboard the excursion boat Gateway Party Liner in Pittsburgh, at the mouth of the Monongahela River.
Orr started with Consolidation Coal Company in 1972 as a deckhand on the towboat R.L. Ireland. Less than a year later, he had earned his mate and first class pilot license, and was promptly promoted to pilot. At 23, he was the youngest assigned pilot in Twin Rivers Towing Company, which is Consul's river transportation unit.
In 1978, when he attained his master of towing vessels license, he assumed responsibilities as captain on the mv. John L. Rozance. He moved ashore in 1986 as port captain.
In 2000, after attending 10 years of night school to earn his business management degree, he rose to manager of the river division. A year later, Consol promoted him to general manager and then to the post he holds today, vice president-river operations.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Mark Knoy, president of AEP River Operations, called Orr a "riverman's riverman." Knoy chartered a plane to fly a group of Orr's St.Louis friends to Pittsburgh for the reel rechristening. He told the crowd of 150 or so well wishers that the honoree could always he counted on to be there, at various industry meetings, voicing a strong opinion.
"He is a very candid communicator with a great big heart," Knoy said.
Orr served on the board of American Waterways Operators, as well as being a member of the executive committee and chairman of the Ohio Valley Region. He also served on the boards of National Waterways Conference, Waterways Council, Pittsburgh Maritime Association (of which he is past president), Waterways Association of Pittsburgh (of which he is also past president) and Pittsburgh Maritime Club. He is currently serving his second term on the Inland Waterways Users Board.
Grech explained why Consol was honoring Orr, pointing out the length of his career, his work ethic and safety record, and the fact that so many people identify Consul's river division with him.
"Everyone in the industry, the Coast Guard, Corps of Engineers, other towing companies, customers; when they talk about Consol river operations, they talk about Deane Orr. The two are synonymous," he said.
On the lighter side, Grech entertained the audience with such Orrisms as "carb night," "going sailing with the captain," "that's why God made tailors," "not had for a fat kid from Charleroi," and "boxing an orangutan."
Orr responded by telling the gathering how Grech broke the news to him about the renaming. He said lie was on his way to the shipyard, "dressed down in my blue jeans and steel toes," when Grech called and asked if he could swing by the office, where everybody wears a coat and tie and there's likely to be customers and other well-dressed people. So, he said no, and explained why, but Grech persisted, saying he needed Orr "in front of him."
Finally, he canceled his trip to the shipyard, telling them his day was shot, and detoured to the office. When he got there, he continued, Grech started going through his whole bio, his 35 years with the company, and on and on."I'm thinking I pretty much know all this. I couldn't figure out what he was getting at. I'm already a vice president, it wasn't raise season, and we already had Mon River. Then all of a sudden he says `in recognition of all that, we're going to name a boat after you.'
"I'm telling you, I'm not speechless very often. Anybody who knows me, I'm 35 minutes ordering a cheeseburger with mustard and fries. I could feel my jaws move, but nothing was coining out. Everything was piling up on me, and I started moving sideways in the chair. I thought I was going down in the senior vice president's office.
"That was several months ago. I've had time to reflect on it, and one thing I am absolutely certain of is I didn't do this alone. I've got a long list of people behind me," Orr said.
He recounted how Consol grew from seven boats and 300 barges to a company with 19 boats and 650 barges with the acquisition of Mon River Towing, and how, with the help of many people, the company reduced the number of reportable incidents from 21 to three the first year after the purchase.
Orr said there are just not enough opportunities for advancement to recognize all the people who deserve one, and that he had been very fortunate.
In describing the river division of Consolidation Coal Company, which dates back to the late 1800s when it was nicknamed the Combine, he said "we were just a little company over the hill that did transportation for the coal company."
Shortly after being named manager, he was given the opportunity to take the vice president's job by J. Brett Harvey, president, who arrived by helicopter during a tour of the river facilities and told him "anytime you get something like this, you've got to put your mark on it."
Orr said he already had a winner going, without needing to make sweeping changes. Then, soon after he assumed the new responsibilities, the German owners divested themselves of company stock, which allowed Consol to tow other companies' products, unencumbered by the Jones Act.
"People started calling us, and within six months, we were pulling in a half million dollars a month that nobody expected. It just continued to grow from there," he said. "We never had so much fun in our lives."
The Rev. Joe Cerenzia, an ordained minister who is director of Consol's public relations department, officially blessed the vessel and presented the ship's Bible to Senior Capt. Forest "Lee" Jenkins and the ship's flag to Capt. Terry Hurst. He also gave Orr a framed photo that showed Orr early in his career holding a safety poster, aboard a boat that had been recognized as the "Best in the Business."
Orr's daughter, Deanne, broke a champagne bottle over the vessel's H bitt to properly christen it.
The 143-foot, 3,200 hp. towboat Capt. Deane Orr spent over two months at Missouri Dry Dock & Repair Company in Cape Girardeau, Mo., undergoing major renovation before emerging freshly painted and scrubbed down for the christening.
It was built in 1952 by Missouri Boat & Machine Company in Cape Girardeau and was originally the Stanton K. Smith, owned by Missouri-Illinois Barge Line, also of Cape Girardeau. Mon Riverbought it in 1996, renaming it the Howard S. Guttman.
Rivermen have admired the boat's lines for years, and several onlookers commented on the vessel's graceful profile at the rechristening ceremony.Missouri Dry Dock replaced the port and starboard steering rudder trunks, built and installed two new eight-inch tail shafts and one new seven-inch intermediate shaft, and did all the work necessary to convert the bearings from oil-lubricated to water-lubricated.The shipyard also rebuilt the hydraulic steering cylinders, replaced 60 feet of bottom plate, and reconditioned the flanking rudders and propellers.
Workers installed new flooring and paneling in all living spaces, replaced and modified the pilothouse main window, installed a new set of deck winches, and encirched the hull with Rubbumper, which is Missouri Dry Dock's patented brand of fendering.
Marine Systems Inc. of Paducah, Ky., totally rebuilt the twin GM 16-567C diesels. They turn 78- by 55-inch propellers through LST-H-3400 reduction gears with a 3.05:1 ratio.
Consol Energy Inc. bought Mon River Towing Inc. and its subsidiary JAR Barge Lines LP, both of Belle Vernon, Pa., in January 2006, creating one of the largest and most experienced river operations in the area.
Besides the Capt. Deane Orr, Consol has renamed the Explorer, R. Barry Palmer; the Leo D. Guttman, Steve Young; the Sarah S, Wes McDonald; and the Jacob G, Gabriel. Also, the company brought back the names of two of its wellknown steamboats by renaming the Jessie B. Guttman, Mongah, and the Lillian G, Champion Coal.