Leadership Team
Paul Morton – President
Paul Morton is a Baton Rouge, LA native and graduate of Louisiana State University. Prior to joining St. James, Paul operated his own accounting firm in Baton Rouge. Paul has been with St. James since its inception. Initially he acted in a capacity as the corporate accountant through his accounting firm. In 1997 he joined St. James in the role of Vice President and General Manager. Finally, in 2006, along with John Crane, he completed a deal to purchase St. James and took on his new role as President.
John Crane - Vice President Sales and Marketing
John Crane spent his childhood in South Korea where his parents were second generation missionaries. After graduating from Eckerd College, and a stint assisting his father as a surgical technician, John entered the shipping business. John’s career has included employment at Strachan Shipping Company, International Marine Terminals, TECO Transport and Trade Corp, and IC Rail Marine Terminal. In 2003 he joined St. James as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Jeff Morton- Special Projects
Jeff holds a bachelors degree in Business Economics from Wofford College and an MBA with a concentration in Operations Management from Georgia Tech. Prior to joining St. James in 2008, Jeff spent 4 years with The Home Depot as a supply chain manager. In his role at The Home Depot, Jeff developed supply chain optimization models to provide a road map for the redesign and overhaul of the existing Home Depot US distribution network. Since joining St. James, Jeff has focused on an array of projects that improve efficiency and increase performance for the organization.
Jerry Ryan - Director of Stevedoring Operations
Jerry spent his formative years in the United States Marine Corps where he participated in the first Iraq war. After serving in the Marine Corps, Jerry has since worked in the liquid and dry bulk industry spanning from the port of New York to the Lower Mississippi River. Jerry joined St. James in 2004, bringing his 20 plus years of operational and management experience with him, and was appointed Director of Stevedoring in 2009 . In his role as Director, Jerry is responsible for overseeing and developing the stevedoring operations of St. James. Jerry has been instrumental in bringing process and procedure to the St. James world.
Gene Himes - Stevedoring Manager
The namesake of our Gottwald crane, the "Gene H" and with St. James for 25 years, Gene's experience is unsurpassed on the Mississippi River and is a valuable resource for the company as well as our customers. Gene's experience is only surpassed by his dedication to St. James and his drive to provide the most safe and efficient service possible.
Joe Myers - Stevedoring Manager
Joe spent 37 years at Burnside Terminal before retiring and the next day joining St. James in 2002. Joe brought a wealth of knowledge about stevedoring and product handling and has helped St. James expand its reach. In 2009 St. James honored Joe’s contributions by naming our new crew boat the Mr. Joe and the floating office barge the Mighty Joe Myers. It is a truism at St. James that Joe has forgotten more than most people know about stevedoring.
Chris Settle - Stevedoring Manager
A Texas native, Chris joined St. James in 2006. Chris attended Lamar University in Beaumont Texas. He has brought a wealth of safety and training skills to the organization. As a stevedore manager, Chris handles compliance issues and monitors St. James safety programs.
Dean Throener - Stevedoring Manager
Dean came to St. James from ARTCO. Originally from Nebraska, Dean still returns home every year to harvest his father’s corn crop. Dean has made a number of contributions to the success of St. James including being skilled at working with barge lines to get the job done. Though new to stevedoring, Dean has found a home at St. James.
Patrick Muscarello - Stevedoring Manager
A graduate of Louisiana State University and a Baton Rouge Native, Patrick joined the St James team in early 2011. Patrick brings with him over 15 years of experience on the river with 10 of those years spent stevedoring grain vessels. His background in operating both an export grain elevator and a bulk liquids terminal on the Mississippi River has given him the experience needed to come right on board with St James as a Stevedoring Manager.
Mindi Gremillion - Traffic and Logistics
A Baton Rouge native, Mindi joined St. James in 2004 as St. James' receptionist and accounting clerk. In 2006 she moved into traffic and logistics and has truly become the voice of St. James. Mindi brought a tremendous amount of dedication, energy, and a desire to fight for the customer to the St. James team. You don’t want to get between Mindi and her customers.
Patty Sheets - Traffic and Logistics
Reared in Ascension Parish, Patty has been involved in the river business for many years. Her experience in barge dispatching gives her a platform to understand the inner workings of the stevedoring world. Patty is dedicated and focused on keeping the communications flowing between St. James and its customers
David Ryan - Director of Sales
A New Orleans native, David moved back to the area to join St. James in January of 2009. David spent 20 years in the bulk liquid terminal operations area managing facilities and overseeing various programs. During his tenure at those facilities, David had the responsibility to develop, implement, and maintain programs such as the ISO 9000 quality program, the maritime security programs, and all regulatory compliance for two petrochemical terminals within the Port of Hampton Roads, having a combined capacity of over 63 million gallons. Under his guidance, these facilities were one of the first in the nation to secure approval by the Dept. of Homeland Security for the FSP of the facility. David was a founding member and the first Executive Chairman of the Board for the Suffolk, Virginia CERT program. With the melding of his operational experience and his customer relationships, David is an integral member of our team.
Tara Sevario - Accounting
Tara started working at St. James as a high school student. She has previous experience in our traffic and logistics areas and brings that expertise to our accounting team . Tara’s sense of humor and dedication to St. James comes through in everything she does.
Irene Melancon - Administration
Irene was the first employee of St. James. She is a St. James Parish native and the namesake of the crane "Miss Irene." Irene has a passion for the children of Romeville Elementary and has led St. James Stevedoring's outreach to the local St. James Parish community. She also has a heart for the people of St. James Stevedoring and is quick to speak up for them. Irene never forgets a birthday or a company anniversary – if an event or celebration takes place it is a certainty that Miss Irene has had a significant involvement.
CJ Labauve- Maintenance Manager
CJ started as a ship trimmer with SJS in March of 1987. As he forged his way through the company in operations, CJ worked as a crane operator and then production supervisor before he eventually made the transition into the maintenance ranks in 2001. CJ’s innovative approach and creative problem solving skills have placed him in the lead role of our maintenance team. CJ served as the point man responsible for putting together not only the first ever barge mounted Gottwald crane but five subsequent Gottwalds for SJS.