James Marine, Inc. strives to be the leading full-service inland river repair company. Our teams of professionals are committed to setting the standard in innovation, safety & development, using green technology whenever possible. Our goal is to exceed customer expectation in production and turn-around time, always with the highest regards to safety.

Our History

James Marine, Inc was founded by C. Ronald James in 1986. The family owned company began with 25 employees & has a proud history of extraordinary service & growth to the inland waterways. Walker Towing Corporation was purchased in 1994 and the two companies were merged under James Marine, Inc.

Paducah River Fuel Services, purchased in 1995, included additional midstream fueling & grocery supply service. Employing over 300, JMI expanded services to include tug service; barge fleeting; diesel engine repairs and parts; wheel shop; machine shop; fabrication shop; electric shop; barge and boat repairs.                                                                                                    

Paducah River Painting was added in 2000 giving JMI painting and transfer facilities. In 2005, JMI completed a new facility for blasting and painting barges on land via a proprietary automated system & in 2010 was awarded Patent No 7,837,410 for its automated blast and paint system for barges.                                                                                                                                                               

Walker Boat Yard doubled the company’s capacity for shipyard boat & barge repair with its purchase in 2004.

In 2006, JMI acquired assets of Tennessee Valley Towing (TVT) giving the company barge delivery to all points on the Tennessee & Ohio River systems.

James Built Specialty Vessel Construction began offering new construction of deck & tank barges, towboats, dry-docks & specialty vessels in 2007.

JMI Wickliffe, the company’s third shipyard, opened in 2008 giving increased service capacity to the Mississippi River.

Brownwater Plastics opened in 2010 offering a new concept in barge cover production.

JMI Hahnville was opened in 2011 expanding boat & barge repair services to Hahnville, Louisiana.

JMI Elmwood Repair & Maintenance, LLC was established in 2016 expanding James’ Louisiana boat & barge repair services to Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

 


 

JMI Executive Team

C. Ronald James – Chairman of the Board

Jeff James – President, CEO

Brandon Buchanan – Chief Financial Officer

Eric Crabtree – Sr. Vice President of Operations

Barry Gipson – Executive Vice President

Management Team

Joe Brantley – Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing

Tom RogersVice President of Gulf Coast Operations

Eric HaneyVice President of Jamesbuilt & Paducah River Painting

Tom Freeman – Vice President Safety and Environmental Services

Sarah McGee – General Counsel

Hope Doughty – HR Inquiries

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Marine Main Office
4500 Clarks River Rd
P.O. Box 2305
Paducah KY 42003
270.898.7392