Former Federal Maritime Chairman Louis Sola Joins Thorn Run Partners

[By Thorn Run Partners]

Thorn Run Partners (“TRP”), one of the nation’s leading government affairs firms, announced today the addition of Louis Sola as a Partner. Lou is the third new partner to join TRP this month.

Over the past six years at the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), Louis Sola played a pivotal role in overseeing and enforcing policy governing more than $5 trillion in annual U.S. oceanborne trade, serving under three different presidential administrations.

As Chairman of the FMC, Sola led high-impact initiatives such as Fact Finding 30 during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the safe resumption of cruise operations and reinforcing supply chain resilience. He was a strong advocate for LNG port development, promoted greater transparency in international shipping, and worked to expand U.S. exports through strategic collaboration with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM). Notably, he was among the first federal officials to formally expose foreign influence in Latin America, particularly in critical maritime infrastructure.

Chairman Sola has also been a consistent and early voice in defending U.S. national security interests against strategic encroachment at global shipping chokepoints.

Prior to his Senate confirmation in 2019, Sola served for over a decade as a U.S. Army counterintelligence officer, with deployments in post-Cold War Germany, the 1994 Cuban refugee crisis, and counter-narcotics operations in Panama. Following his military service, he founded Evermarine, a global yacht and ship brokerage, and later consulted for the Inter-American Development Bank on Latin American port and infrastructure finance.

Lou’s deep expertise in maritime policy, national security, and international trade will be invaluable as Thorn Run Partners continues to expand its capabilities across key sectors.

“Lou Sola will add a unique and important capability to our firm,” said TRP Co-Founder Chris Lamond. “His experience and extensive network of relationships in the area of maritime trade and tariff policy will help us address a growing area of client need.”

TRP Co-Founder Andrew Rosenberg added, “We are excited at the prospect of bolstering our firm’s offerings in such an important area as international trade. Coupled with our current team of experts, Lou is going to instantly establish TRP as the leader in maritime and trade lobbying.”

The addition of Louis grows TRP’s roster of professionals to 57.