TowBoatU.S. Ft Lauderdale Celebrates Their 20th Anniversary
As 2009 starts, so does the celebration of TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale's 20th year of service to the boating community in South Florida!
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was founded as Offshore Marine Towing Inc. in 1989 by Captain Larry Acheson after several years of towing and salvage experience gained on the west coast of Florida. The initial operation was based in Oakland Park, FL with a single 24' Privateer providing towing services to the North Broward County marine community. Over the past 20 years the company has grown exponentially under the leadership of Acheson.
- 1989 - The company is established and is one of the first operations in the nation to become a contracted towing company for BoatU.S.
- 1990 - The base of operations moves to Lighthouse Point Marina
- 1992 - A second base is established at Lauderdale Marina and new boats are added to the fleet.
- 1993 – Offshore Marine Towing becomes TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale, remaining an independently owned company while taking advantage of the nationally branded name, logo and colors of the TowBoatU.S. program.
- 1998 - The company purchases a 96' Offshore Supply Vessel to help fill the local need for a charter vessel in this size range. She is named the M/V Richard L. Becker in remembrance of a longtime friend of Larry Acheson. Rick Becker was a marine surveyor who lived and worked in the Ft. Lauderdale area for many years. Larry shared his belief in finding ways to help with the growth and development of the marine industry.
- 2003 - TowBoatU.S. Launch division is created to provide reliable transportation for cargo, supplies, spare parts and personnel to ships transiting South Florida.
- 2005 – TowBoatU.S. New River division is created to provide professional yacht towing and docking assistance to the yachting community
- 2006 – The company made several major leaps forward including
- Tug Shillelagh is added to the fleet to compliment the company's yacht towing capabilities
- A 46' Aluminum hulled launch boat is added to the fleet; equipped with a crane and an air conditioned cabin, it immediately improves the service quality to launch customers
- The company begins offering containment boom service for ships in South Florida's ports as well as emergency boom service for spills.
When asked about the unprecedented growth and diversification of his company in the past 20 years, Captain Larry Acheson had this to say. "I can still clearly remember when I would trailer my 24' Privateer to the boat ramp in Pompano every morning and stay up all night to work in the office paying the bills. The industry has changed substantially since my first tow in 1989 but the fact that we work hard everyday to provide perfect service to each of our customers has not. We are very fortunate to have so many customers that have become friends; I can truly say that these friends and our dedicated staff are responsible for the company's success over the past 20 years and I can't thank them enough"
The company currently owns and operates 11 boats from 4 Ports in Broward County and employs a full time staff of 27. Through its continuing growth, TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale will be there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing valuable services to the marine industry for years to come.
