From deck­hand to tug cap­tain, Chris Foll­mar has worked in the mar­itime indus­try for over 28 years, this year mark­ing the 21st year as an employ­ee of The Tow­ing Com­pa­ny. Join­ing the world of mar­itime on a whim, Chris says that after his first day on a tug in 1987, he’s “nev­er got­ten off of a boat since.”

Cur­rent­ly work­ing in the Port of Burns Har­bor, Indi­ana and Port of South Chica­go, Illi­nois on The Tow­ing Company’s tugs, Chris believes that the best part of the job is two-fold, work­ing in a role that is out-of-the-norm, that not many peo­ple can do, and col­lab­o­rat­ing with the crew to get the job done right. For Chris, team­work is every­thing, “with­out my deck­hands and engi­neers, I couldn’t do my job prop­er­ly. I’ve nev­er con­sid­ered myself a cap­tain, but rather a part of a team.”

Chris con­sid­ers The Tow­ing Com­pa­ny a part of his extend­ed fam­i­ly and an orga­ni­za­tion he is hon­ored to be a part of. “I have been most proud on the job are when I’ve had a cap­tain or pilot say ‘great work, this is why we hired you, because you are the best.’ I am proud to work for The Tow­ing Company.”

To Chris, there is no doubt that The Great Lakes Tow­ing Com­pa­ny is the best in the indus­try, a trust­ed resource that not only deliv­ers world-class cus­tomer ser­vice but 116 years of expertise.

Safe­ty pays, and uti­liz­ing a Full-Ser­vice Lakes-Wide Tow­ing Con­tract with the Tow­ing Com­pa­ny pro­vides added insur­ance. It’s an added lev­el of safe­ty and sea­man­ship to pro­tect your crew, equip­ment, and the envi­ron­ment; wher­ev­er your ves­sel may call on the Great Lakes.