Our Team

James R. Barker, Chairman

A recognized expert and industry leader in marine transportation, Mr. Barker has skillfully steered The Interlake Steamship Company as its Chairman since taking the company private in 1987. He is also Vice Chairman of Moran Towing Corp. and Mormac Marine Group, Inc. and Chairman of SeaStreak, LLC. 

Prior to the purchase of Interlake, Mr. Barker was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Moore McCormack Resources, a position he held since joining the company in 1971. During the period from 1971-88, Moore McCormack grew from $50 million to more than $800 million in revenues. In 1975, Mr. Barker was named Outstanding Chief Executive for Transportation by Financial World.  Before joining Moore McCormack, Mr. Barker was Executive Vice President of Temple, Barker & Sloane, Inc., a management consulting firm that he co-founded in 1969.  

During the Reagan Administration, Mr. Barker served as a member of the Services Policy Advisory Committee of the United States Trade Representative. He also served on the Business Advisory Committee of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University, on the Board of Visitors of Columbia College, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School from 1982 to 1992. Mr. Barker has served on various Boards of Directors, including the boards of  GTE (1976-2000), Verizon (2000-2007) and Brink’s (2000-2007).  

Mr. Barker received a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. with distinction, from Harvard Business School. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Science from the Maine Maritime Academy and also served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard.  

Paul R. Tregurtha, Vice-Chairman

Since joining forces with James R. Barker to purchase and reinvigorate The Interlake Steamship Company in 1987, Mr. Tregurtha has actively served as Vice Chairman. In addition, he has been Chairman of Moran Towing Corp. since 1994 and Chief Executive Officer since 1998. He has served as Chairman of Mormac Marine Group, Inc., since 1998.

Prior to the purchase of this group of companies, Mr. Tregurtha was Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer of Moore McCormack Resources Inc., a natural resources and marine transportation company. 

Mr. Tregurtha has served on the Board of Directors of Nextera (Florida Power & Light), Fleet Financial Group, and TIAA/CREF. He serves as Director Emeritus of Cornell University. 

He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He also served three years in the U.S. Air Force. 

Mark W. Barker, President

Mark Barker is President of The Interlake Steamship Company, the largest privately held shipping company on the Great Lakes.

Before taking the helm as Interlake’s President in April 2007, Mark held various appointments of ascending leadership moving from Fleet Engineer to Vice President and Treasurer. Prior to joining Interlake, he sailed aboard numerous vessels in the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico and trans-Atlantic trades. 

A graduate of SUNY Maritime College with a degree in Marine Engineering and an Unlimited Third Assistant Engineer License, Mark holds an MBA from the Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

Mark is a strong leader with a clear voice on industry issues at the state and national level. Mark is past Chairman of the board for Lake Carriers’ Association and he serves on the board of Moran Towing Corporation. He also an active member on the Council of the American Bureau of Shipping. 

Thomas Wynne, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary

Thomas Wynne is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of The Interlake Steamship Company, the largest privately held shipping company on the Great Lakes.

Since joining Interlake’s executive team in January 2008, Tom has leveraged his vast expertise in the areas of admiralty and maritime law to represent the company’s interests on all legal issues, contract negotiations and crisis management.  Tom is an active member of Interlake’s Incident Response and Management Team, in which he serves critical legal and operations roles, is a Qualified Individual (OPA ’90) and is trained as an Incident Commander/On-scene Coordinator. 

Following graduation from SUNY Maritime College with a BS in Marine Transportation Management and an Unlimited Third Mate Open Oceans License, Tom sailed as an officer aboard merchant vessels before attending law school. After receiving his Juris Doctorate from The University of Toledo College of Law, Tom worked for the boutique Cleveland, Ohio admiralty and maritime law firm of Ray, Robinson, Carle & Davies, P.L.L. for nearly fifteen years, first as an associate and then as a full partner.  In 2015, Tom was recognized and honored by Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of the outstanding legal minds in Northeast Ohio. 

William M. Thornton, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

William M. Thornton is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Interlake Steamship Company, the largest privately held shipping company on the Great Lakes.  

Since assuming the leadership role of Chief Financial Officer in the fall of 2014, Bill has brought his extensive financial acumen to The Interlake Steamship Company. As Chief Financial Officer, Bill manages Interlake’s financial and banking relationships, and analyzes all financial aspects and drivers of the organization using his comprehensive understanding of operational processes. 

Prior to his current position with Interlake, Bill was a Senior Director and Business Unit Controller at Cliffs Natural Resources, an international mining and minerals focused company. During his six years at Cliffs, he was responsible for financial oversight of the North American Coal business unit as well as various non-business unit projects that included oil & gas, South American iron ore, Iron Nuggets, renewaFUEL, mergers & acquisitions, and union negotiations.

Bill graduated from The Ohio State University in 1992 with a BSBA in accounting.  

Brendan P. O’Connor, Vice President, Marketing & Marine Traffic

Brendan P. O’Connor is Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic at The Interlake Steamship Company, the largest privately held shipping company on the Great Lakes.

A native of Worcester, Mass., Brendan has been a respected member of the maritime industry since graduating from The Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1993 earning a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and an Unlimited Third Mate Open Oceans License and a commission as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve. Brendan also holds an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Following graduation from Massachusetts Maritime, Brendan utilized his United States Coast Guard license, spending several years aboard U.S.-flag vessels before transitioning shoreside and joining Mormac Marine Group, Inc.’s marine division and shortly thereafter the Interlake Steamship Company team in 1996. 

As Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic, Brendan leads and manages customer relations, contract administration and revenue for the fleet. His previous roles with the company include vice president of Industrial Relations and Government Affairs, Director of Human Resources & Industrial Relations and Director of Marine Personnel. Brendan is part of Interlake’s Incident Response and Management Team, and is a Qualified Individual (OPA ’90) and is trained as an Incident Commander/On-scene Coordinator.

Brendan is also the Chairman of Board of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Foundation, where he has served as an Officer and Trustee since 1999. 

Phil Moore, Vice President of Engineering

Phil Moore is Vice President of Engineering at The Interlake Steamship Company, the largest privately held shipping company on the Great Lakes.

Phil joined Interlake in 2004 as a Fleet Engineer and was later promoted to Fleet Superintendent. In November 2016, he assumed his current management role. Before coming to Interlake, Phil utilized his United States Coast Guard issued license, holding chief engineer positions with Andrie Inc., Grand River Navigation, and Great Lakes Towing.

As Interlake’s Vice President of Engineering, Phil oversees all of the day-to-day engineering processes for the fleet and the associated fleet maintenance, repairs and upgrades, dry-docking, as well as regulatory compliance, engineering budgets and general oversight of engineering personnel both aboard ship and shore side.  

In addition to his license, Phil holds many certifications including hazardous materials management and fire-fighting training. He is the Chairman of Lake Carriers’ Association Fleet Engineers Committee.