Ingram Re-christens Four Towboats

September 8, 2021

Honorees James Hamilton, Adolpho Birch, III, Kent Freeman and YS Chi (Photo: Ingram Marine Group)

Ingram Marine Group held a re-christening ceremony on August 30 for four towboats that are part of its inland waterways fleet.

"At Ingram, we name our vessels after Ingram associates and affiliates who have made a huge difference to our business, which makes these events an incredibly special time for all of us," said Orrin Ingram, Chairman of Ingram Barge Company and CEO of Ingram Industries. "I thank the four men being honored for all that they’ve done for Ingram and the marine industry at large, and I look forward to seeing their namesake vessels on the rivers."

The M/V Youngsuk "YS" Chi, M/V James "Jim" Hamilton, M/V Kent Freeman and M/V Adolpho A. Birch III are each named after a marine transportation or Ingram professional who has shown excellence through their work.

The 6,140-horsepower, 170- by 45-foot A. A. Birch III was built by St. Louis Ship in 1980 and acquired by Ingram in 2002 as part of the Midland acquisition. Adolpho A. Birch III serves on the Ingram Industries Board of Directors and is also the Senior Vice President, Business Affairs & Chief Legal Officer for the Tennessee Titans. Prior to joining the Titans, he had a storied 23-year career with the National Football League in New York City.

The 6,500-horsepower, 170- by 40-foot Youngsuk Chi was built by Jeffboat in 1966 and acquired from ACBL in 2012. The vessel completed refurbishment and repower in 2019 with EPA Tier IV GE engines. Youngsuk "YS" Chi is a member of the Ingram Industries Board of Directors, and a longstanding leader in the media and technology sector. YS began working with Ingram in 1992 at Ingram Micro, and then joined Ingram Book Group LLC before co-founding and becoming Chairman of Lightning Source LLC. He has since moved on to serve as non-executive Chairman of Elsevier.

The 7,200-horsepower, 66-feet by 45-feet Kent W. Freeman was built by St. Louis Ship in 1972 and acquired as part of the Midland acquisition. Kent Freeman worked for 30+ years for Ingram Content Group and now serves as the President of VitalSource Technologies, LLC – an educational technology company Ingram recently sold. Over the years, Freeman worked in a number of different capacities, including serving as the Chief Strategy and Development Officer for seven years. He then went on to lead VitalSource through a critical transition to becoming one of the country’s leading education technology companies.

The 6,140-horsepower, 138- by 44-foot James L. Hamilton was built by St. Louis Ship in 1976 and acquired in the Midland acquisition. James "Jim" Hamilton is a member of the Ingram Industries Board of Directors and the retired Global Head of Transportation for JP Morgan. He led Global Transportation investment banking teams for over 34 years and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 12 years. Hamilton is an active community member, involved with a variety of marine industry boards.