TVIB News Industry Press

The Mike Rushing Legacy Service Award: Honoring a Life of Service

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In the spring of 2023, the maritime industry said goodbye to a river industry icon with the passing of Mike Rushing. While the fingerprints of Mike’s passion and commitment can be seen throughout the river system what many may not know is how Mike lived a life of quietly serving others without seeking recognition. Mike served far and wide from his local church community, years of leadership with the Boy Scouts and Soap Box Derby, to his mentorship to the men in the Breaking Bonds Addiction Recovery Ministry. Mike was also a founding member of TVIB in 2009. He served on the TVIB Board of Directors for 10 years, leading as its first Chairman in 2012, and remaining active as the Audit Committee chairman until his death.

Shortly after Mike’s passing the TVIB Board of Directors discussed creating a recognition award to honor the spirit of the man who was integral to TVIB’s establishment and success. The board reflected on the values that defined Mike – dedication, perseverance, and a selfless commitment to serving others.

While working on the foundation of this award with a small group of TVIB’s founders and earliest supporters, Todd Rushing, Mike’s son, said of Mike “Everything he did, he did for someone else.” This sentiment resonated with the group and was quickly adopted into its framework.

Today, TVIB is proud to announce the establishment of the Mike Rushing Legacy Service Award, a distinguished recognition that celebrates a lifetime of commitment to serving others and outstanding contributions to the maritime industry. This award seeks to honor individuals who embody those characteristics and traits Mike modeled throughout his life. The honoree selected will serve as a role model for compassion, service, and a passion for their community both at home and within the industry.

The award is open to anyone in the towboat, tugboat, and barge industry, including members of the U.S. Coast Guard who displays the core principles of the award: community service, professional excellence, and active and engaged mentorship. Nominations are being accepted for individuals who embody Mike’s spirit of selfless leadership now through March 15th. The winner will be recognized at this year’s Waterways Journal Inland Marine Expo, and a financial contribution will be made to the Seaman’s Church Institute Ministry on the River program in honor of the recipient.

This award is not about the number of years served. It’s about the countless moments of inspiration, mentorship and leadership that have shaped the towboat, tugboat, and barge industry, and acknowledging the enduring impact that a single individual can have on an organization and countless lives of others.

For more information about the award, or to nominate an individual, please visit www.thetvib.org/mikerushing/.
Nominations are open now and must be submitted by Friday, March 15th.

To view the article published in the most recent edition of the Waterways Journal, click here. 

 

MobileOps and TVIB Announce Integration

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MobileOps, a leading provider of maritime operations software solutions, is excited to unveil its latest integration with the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau (TVIB), a Coast Guard-approved third-party organization for Subchapter M compliance. This integration is streamlining compliance management processes and significantly enhancing operational efficiency for maritime businesses. The request to integrate the two systems originated from a customer and is now getting accolades from other MobileOps customers, as they see value in the data integration and streamlined process.

TVIB, renowned for its comprehensive Subchapter M compliance services, is an invaluable resource for vessel operators navigating a complex landscape of regulations and safety requirements. TVIB has built innovative compliance systems to not only conduct required regulatory activities, but also to share the data collected back with each customer, with the goal of transparency and continuous improvement with federal regulations for every vessel operator. Through this integration, MobileOps users can now seamlessly link TVIB audit and survey findings in MobileOps, transforming the way compliance data is managed and shared across platforms.

Michael Armfield, President of MobileOps, expressed his excitement, stating, “Our collaboration with TVIB marks a significant leap in simplifying compliance management for operators. By bridging the gap between our platforms, we are enabling our users to effortlessly connect audit and survey findings, eliminate duplicate work, and achieve unparalleled efficiency within a single operational ecosystem.”

Traditionally, TVIB users faced the challenge of duplicating data entry by tracking the same findings both in TVIB’s platform and MobileOps’ compliance module. This labor-intensive process required users to resolve findings in both systems, resulting in time-consuming double-work and reduced productivity.

This powerful new integration enables the automated flow of data from TVIB’s Quickbase system directly to the MobileOps platform, where nonconformities can be created in just a few clicks using the TVIB Finding #, establishing a one-time linkage. Subsequent updates made to Nonconformity workflows in MobileOps then automatically update in TVIB’s Quickbase. This seamless flow of data not only eliminates the need for redundant data entry but also ensures that TVIB’s Quickbase findings are updated in real-time, automating the process of closing out audit and survey findings more efficiently.

“Collaborating with MobileOps was a natural step in our commitment to simplifying compliance processes. This integration empowers our users to focus on their operations rather than administrative tasks, fostering a culture of efficiency and accuracy.” -Lauren Jeppson, Executive Vice President of TVIB

The MobileOps and TVIB integration brings forth a new era of compliance management, aligning regulatory compliance and technology to drive efficiency and accuracy. As the maritime sector continues to evolve, this collaboration stands as a beacon of progress, simplifying complex processes for a brighter future.

About MobileOps:

MobileOps is a leading maritime fleet management software company, providing solutions that empower maritime companies to manage their operations with ease, efficiency, and safety. With a commitment to innovation, MobileOps delivers comprehensive tools that enable maritime professionals to streamline processes, enhance safety protocols, and drive operational excellence. For more information, visit www.mobileops.com.

About TVIB:

The Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau, or TVIB, is a non-profit, professional trade organization of marine auditors, surveyors and businesses formed in 2009. TVIB became a Coast Guard-approved third-party organization for Subchapter M compliance activities in 2017. In addition to conducting compliance activities on behalf of the Coast Guard, TVIB provides educational opportunities for the maritime industry on auditing towing safety management systems and conducting towing vessel surveys for regulatory compliance, and trains and certifies professional marine auditors and surveyors to conduct consistent, objective and independent audits and surveys of marine operators. TVIB members provide marine audit and survey services to inland, coastal and ocean-going towing operators, as well as support service operators, across the country. For more information, visit www.thetvib.org.

 

Media Contact:

Niv Yaron

Marketing Manager

niv@mobileops.co

(866) 619-915

TVIB Presenting at Marine Log’s Tugs, Towboats & Barges Conference – Sub M, Beyond COI: What Next?

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I will be moderating a panel discussion at Marine Log’s Tugs, Towboats & Barges conference on March 8th in Mobile, AL. Come out to see this panel and many more.

Following is a repost from an article Marine Log published on February 6th, 2023

Sub M, Beyond COI: What Next?

TTB 2023 has a lineup of engaging presentations from industry leaders discussing advancements in technology and design, as well as methods of meeting environmental and economic goals

On March 8, a panel of owners, operators and third-party organizations will discuss crucial aspects of Subchapter M and the Certificate of Inspection (COI) process.

Talking points will include Certificate of Inspection renewal, new construction, incident reporting, the drydock credit process, the submission of internal survey reports to the U.S. Coast Guard, buying/selling/leasing vessels, and more. The group will also discuss lessons learned as they went or continue to go through the process.

Panelists include Tava Foret of the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau; Sean Reilly from Southern Towing; Brian Khey of Marquette Transportation; Mark McManus, Lebeouf Bros. Towing; Jason Soutiere, ABS; and Robert Keister from Sabine Surveyors.

Join us for this discussion and so much more at TTB 2023. Remember, discounted registration rates end February 17!