Executive Director for the Marine Exchange of Southern California to Retire

First announced in October of last year, the retirement of Captain M.H.K. “Manny” Aschemeyer from his position of Executive Director for the Marine Exchange of Southern California is now rapidly approaching. But when it comes time for Manny to finally swallow the hook at the end of March, his departure will signal the end of an era for Southern California marine businesses. And, although Aschemeyer leaves the Marine Exchange in an enviable position, it is also true that he is largely responsible for bringing it to where it now resides. Without a doubt, the Marine Exchange of Southern California has become, under Manny’s guiding hand, the model from which all other exchanges are measured, as well as the one which most end up copying.

On March 31, Aschemeyer will conclude the final chapter of 47 years of continuous service to the maritime industry, stretching all the way back to his time as a midshipman at the California Maritime Academy, starting in 1960, and winding up in 1993 at the Marine Exchange of Southern California. Along the way, there is little he hasn’t done within the industry. First sailing on his license and eventually rising to the position of Master in less than five years, he then returned to his alma mater at the California Maritime Academy to serve as an instructor from 1969 to 1971. After that, he embarked on a shore-side career path that led him to work for several steamship lines in executive and leadership positions over a 14-year span and then as a stevedore/terminal contractor for another ten years. In 1993, he finally ended up at the Marine Exchange of Southern California. Manny characterizes his time spent at the Marine Exchange as, “The best job of my entire career.”

As Executive Director for the Marine Exchange of Southern California, Aschemeyer was a primary moving force in establishing the now well-known and successful Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) program for Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor. The sophisticated VTS system was brought online in record time and under budget. Beyond this, the cutting-edge system is the first (and only) government/private sector “partnership operation” among the U.S. Coast Guard, the State of California, the two local port authorities, the pilot organizations, and the various key stakeholders that use the coastal and harbor waterways. As a result, the VTS program has become a “national model” for other ports to study and emulate.

Under Captain Aschemeyer’s leadership, the Marine Exchange has come to be known as the “honest broker” and premier provider of maritime information and data for the region. As Southern California's most respected “Maritime Information Clearinghouse,” the Marine Exchange’s reach extends all the way to the ports of San Diego, Port Hueneme, El Segundo, and Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor. Along the way, and during Aschemeyer’s tenure, the Marine Exchange of Southern California has expanded and improved its services and reports to the maritime industry and waterfront business communities in many ways and on many occasions.

Clearly, Aschemeyer will be missed, not only by the local maritime community that he served for so long, but also by countless industry stakeholders -- this writer included -- who came to depend on him for his honest and accurate advice, information and in general, his generous sharing of nearly a half century of sweat equity in the maritime industry. Later on this spring, when Manny settles back into a quiet routine at his desert ranch near San Diego, he will have a lot more time to spend with his wife, Floy Ann, his three children, 10 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandsons. It is, nevertheless, hard to imagine a time when Manny won’t be in touch with the maritime industry he loves so much. It is also unlikely that the end of the “Manny-Grams” will signal the end of his involvement with the maritime industry.

At the Marine Exchange of Southern California, Manny’s innovative thinking and inclusive management style changed the way local businesses, labor unions and regulatory bodies collaborated with one another, obtained critical information and generally formed the basis for the local supply chain to function more efficiently. Along the way, the concept of a “marine exchange” came to mean not only the exchange of information, but also the exchange of ideas. If this ultimately turns out to be Manny’s real legacy, well, then that’s a great way to be remembered.

From The Maritime Executive, our best wishes to Captain Aschemeyer as he approaches his well deserved retirement. -- MarEx