Crowley Maritime Corp. announced today that Ray Fitzgerald, who began his career with Crowley and most recently served as president and chief operating officer of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions, and chairman of American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC), will rejoin the company March 1 as chief operating officer reporting to Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.
Fitzgerald will lead the team of Crowley’s four senior vice presidents and general managers: Rocky Smith, Crowley Fuels; Rob Grune, Crowley Shipping; Steve Collar, Crowley Logistics; and Shiju Zacharia, Crowley Solutions.
Bill Pennella, executive vice president and vice chairman, will continue to report to Crowley. Senior vice presidents Dan Warner, treasurer; Michael Roberts, government relations; John Calvin, controller; Parker Harrison, general counsel; Carl Fox, corporate services; Ira Douglas, vice president, labor relations; and Arthur LaMoureaux, vice president, internal audit, ethics and compliance, will continue to report to Pennella.
“I am extremely pleased to add Ray to our team to help me with our growth and development of talent,” said Crowley. “Ray brings CEO-level experience from a family-owned company that has experienced a similar business transformation, and he is a strong believer in our culture and values.”
While the corporate reporting structure is changing within the company, responsibilities are not.
“I am not going anywhere or changing my role,” said Crowley. “Rather I am looking to augment my leadership with additional insights, experiences and outside perspectives. I'm going to remain highly engaged while growing the company.”
Fitzgerald joined Crowley in 1987 and spent 13 years with the company – many of them in a vice-presidential commercial role within the liner services group. He then joined the Wallenius Wilhelmsen organization and over the past 20 years served in a variety of senior leadership roles, including CEO, President and COO, and executive vice president for various Wallenius brands, including Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, ARC Shipping, American Shipping & Logistics Group, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions. In addition, he has served as chairman of the ARC Group (American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier, LLC), a U.S.-based Wallenius Wilhelmsen company, since 2015.
Fitzgerald was recognized by United Seamen’s Service in 2018 with the prestigious Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) award. He graduated from Saint Francis University with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and business management and has completed continuing executive education courses at the University of Chicago and The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
