Our Consultants
The World’s Most Trusted Team of Marine Consultants
On June 27, 2020, we lost our President and co-founder, James "Pritch" Pritchard. Pritch worked nearly 40 years in the marine industry and in 2009, followed his lifelong dream to establish North American Marine Consultants, LLC with partner Keith Weber. He was proud to watch that dream grow over the years.
Pritch was more than a boss, more than a co-worker; he was a beloved friend, father and mentor, and his loss is felt profoundly within our company and throughout the marine industry. We will miss him greatly, and will continually strive to honor his legacy by nurturing his dream according to his principles and vision.
KEITH J. WEBER, A.S.A.
Executive Vice President - A.S.A.
Keith J. Weber co-founded North American Marine Consultants, LLC to fulfill an industry need for knowledge-based marine surveying, professional appraisal analyses and brokerage of inland and ocean-going marine assets.
Since establishing North American Marine Consultants in 2009, Mr. Weber has authored appraisals for customers including Bank of America, BB&T Equipment Finance, Crowley Marine, The Dutra Group, SunTrust, Wells Fargo, PNC Bank, People’s Capital, Firth Third Leasing, Regions Equipment Finance, AIG Financial, and many more clients in the financial, insurance and private sectors.
Mr. Weber was previously employed at Merrill Marine Services, Inc. as the Director of Appraisal Operations. Prior to that, he worked as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at ADVANSWERS (a $500 million, multi-state division of Omnicom), and Vice President and Finance Director at D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc.
Mr. Weber holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from Washington and Jefferson College, and a Masters in Business Administration from Washington University. He is an accredited member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), and a member of Financial Executives International and Financial Executives Networking Group.
Steven J. Bahnsen
Vice President West Coast Operations and Marine Surveyors - NAMS-CMS-Merchant Marine Captain
Steven J. Bahnsen is Vice President of West Coast Operations for North American Marine Consultants, LLC. Mr. Bahnsen is a marine surveyor who has worked in the industry since graduating from the California Maritime Academy in 1981 with a degree in Nautical Industrial Technology. He has conducted surveys of marine assets in major port worldwide, including North and South America, West Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia. He is currently the primary surveyor on the Columbia River, for the Port of Portland and throughout the Northwest Coastal area of the United States.
Prior to joining North American Marine Consultants, Mr. Bahnsen worked as a marine surveyor and consultant for Merrill Marine Service, Inc. in the Mississippi Delta and along the North American west coast. From 1983 to 1998, he worked for The Dutra Group in various positions including Captain of the tugs “Harry B” and “Sarah Reed”, and Port Captain at The Dutra Group’s Oakland, California facility, where he was responsible for maintenance of USCG and ABS inspected / classed vessels.
Early in his marine career, Mr. Bahnsen honed his marine equipment operating skills working for the Masters, Mates and Pilots Union as a ship’s officer on ocean-going vessels.
Mr. Bahnsen is certified by the National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS), and is a member of the Propeller Club and Stockton Sailing Club.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
NORTH AMERICAN MARINE CONSULTANTS, LLC
Capt. Casey M. Herschler first joined North American Marine Consultants in 2011 as a marine surveyor, and has since been involved in numerous marine consulting, surveying and appraisal projects for a variety of clients in the operational, financial, insurance and private sectors.
Mr. Herschler concurrently works in government regulations and relations for a small, regional towing company on the Mid-Mississippi River. Previous employment includes positions as Director of Engineering at SCF Marine and as an architect with Clayco Construction in St. Louis, Missouri.
Mr. Herschler holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Southern Illinois University. He is a licensed mariner, with Master of Steam and Motor Vessels and Master of Towing Vessel licenses upon Western Rivers. He is a candidate member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and Co-Chairman of River Industry Action Committee.
VICE PRESIDENT of MIDWEST AND EASTER OPERATIONS
NORTH AMERICAN MARINE CONSULTANTS, LLC
Lee Rohlfing, a Certified Marine Surveyor with the National Association of Marine Surveyors, currently serves as Vice President of Midwest and Eastern Operations for North American Marine Consultants. He joined the company in 2018 after a 12-year career as a Marine Science Technician in the United States Coast Guard, where his positions included:
• Marine Inspector – Staten Island, NY , where he managed a fleet of approximately 300 towing vessels. He regularly inspected barges, towing vessels, commercial fishing boats, foreign freight vessels, tank ships and chemical bulk carriers, with particular emphasis on the transition to Subchapter M compliance, and conducted multiple investigations into marine casualties.
• Facility Inspector – Tampa, FL, where he managed federally regulated waterfront facilities in the Port of Tampa. Here he also implemented the Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC) program, conducted approvals for Regulated Facility Security Plans, Operations Plans and Facility Response plans, and was responsible for safe transfer practices of oil and hazardous materials between foreign ships and regulated facilities.
• Boarding Officer – Manama, Bahrain, where he served as Engineer of the Watch and primary Boarding Officer on a 110 fast response patrol boat, managed and overhauled the Hazardous Waste Operations program for ships stationed in the area, and educated Iraqi Marines in vessel boarding practices and security protocols.
• Pollution Inspector – Milwaukee, WI, where he served as a pollution investigator on the western shores of Lake Michigan and supervised ballast water collection and inspection of foreign vessels entering U.S. water jurisdiction.
• Fireman – St. Petersburg, FL, where he served as a member of the Engineering Department aboard a 210’ cutter engaged in counterdrug and counterterrorism operations in the Caribbean Sea.
Mr. Rohlfing holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American Military University. While in the Coast Guard, he earned certifications in Marine Inspector Course, Shipyard Competent Person, Commercial Fishing Vessel Course, Uninspected Towing Vessel Course, Seaport Security/Antiterrorism Course, Marine Science “A” School, and was accepted to the US Navy Deep Draft Sea Marshalling Team.
Timothy C. Johnston
Director of Appraisal Services
North American Marine Consultants, LLC
Timothy C. Johnston, an Accredited Member of the American Society of Appraisers, is the Director of Appraisal Services for North American Marine Consultants, LLC. Since joining North American Marine in 2018, his responsibilities in completing professional appraisals for our clients have included the following:
- Computing final estimation of the value of marine assets taking into account depreciation, replacement costs, comparisons of similar properties and income potential.
- Preparing written reports that estimate asset values, outline methods by which the estimates were determined and meet appraisal standards.
- Researching public records for transactions such as sales leases and assessments.
- Collecting and analyzing relevant data to identify market trends.
- Evaluating construction, current condition, special features and functional design.
- Communicating with clients to establish a scope of work.
Mr. Johnston has authored appraisals for numerous North American Marine clients including: Wintrust fleet of vessels; Key Bank new build tugboats; PNC Bank new build pushboats; Frost Bank 10,000 and 30,000 BBL, tank barges and pushboats; BB&T offshore supply vessels, tractor tugs and tank barges; Bank of America inland hopper barges, tank and deck barges, ATBs and tugboats; Iberia Bank inland hopper barges and tugboats; Regions Bank inland hopper barges, tank barges, oversized hopper barges and pushboats; and portfolio reviews for PacWest, BB&T, Bank of America and RVI.
Previously, Mr. Johnston was employed at Merrill Marine Services, Inc. where he was also the Director of Appraisal Services and developed a considerable knowledge and understanding of marine assets. Prior to that, he served in financial and operational management at a large hotel chain where his duties included oversight of financial statements, sales and activity reports and performance data to measure productivity and goal achievement.
Mr. Johnston earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University in December 2006.
VICE PRESIDENT of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
NORTH AMERICAN MARINE CONSULTANTS, LLC
Nora A. Naes began with North American Marine Consultants at its inception in 2009 after previously working with its founding partners at Merrill Marine Services. She has over 20 years of experience in the marine industry, both in the office and in the field.
Ms. Naes authors and edits Survey Reports, Appraisals and Market Reports for clients in multiple sectors of the industry, and she tracks, researches, maintains and analyzes market and valuation data to ensure our reports are as accurate and informative as possible. Her responsibilities include the development of bid specifications and requests for proposals, as well as various site inspections.
Previous employment included positions as an Account Associate with AON Risk Services – Mergers and Acquisitions Group, and in process safety development for multi-national clients at Process Safety Management, Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida.
Ms. Naes holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from the University of Missouri – Columbia and is a candidate member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA).
MARINE SURVEYOR
NORTH AMERICAN MARINE CONSULTANTS - HOUSTON
Mitchell Pulatie joined North American Marine Consultants as a marine surveyor in July 2021 and currently heads our Gulf Coast operations.
Prior to joining NAMC, Mr. Pulatie retired as a Lieutenant from the U.S. Coast Guard after 22 years of service. Over the course of his career, he served as a Damage Controlman, Repair Division Supervisor, Marine Casualty Investigator, Advanced Journeyman Marine Inspector and Inspector instructor, in addition to other positions.
During his service, Mr. Pulatie was trained in welding, firefighting, vessel construction and stability, and plumbing. As a Casualty Investigator, he conducted numerous investigations to determine the cause of marine casualties and developed recommendations for improved safety. As a Marine Inspector, he conducted inspections on a wide variety of marine assets including towboats, barges, cargo vessel, small passenger vessels, ferries, drydocks and dockside structures. Qualifications earned were as follows:
• Diesel machinery inspector
• Dry dock inspector
• Barge inspector
• T-boat inspector
• Inspected towing vessel examiner
• Foreign cargo vessel examiner
• Foreign cruise ship examiner
Mr. Pulatie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia Southern University.
MARINE SURVEYOR
NAMC - WEST COAST
Neal J. Feustel joined North American Marine Services in 2021 as a marine surveyor in our West Coast division.
Prior to joining NAMC, Mr. Feustel retired from the U.S. Coast Guard after 25 years of service. During his tenure, he served as Captain of three ships, the USCGC “JOSHUA APPLEBY”, USCGC “VISE” and USCGC “HENRY BLAKE”, and as an officer aboard several additional vessels.
Throughout his US Coast Guard Career, Mr. Feustel oversaw vessel maintenance and repair, crew training and management, and multi-million dollar vessel refurbishment and modernization projects. He conducted operations in Alaska, Hawaii and along the US west and east coasts, and was further responsible for the establishment, construction and maintenance of Aids to Navigation systems along the east and west coasts of Florida and in the Florida Keys.
Mr. Feustel holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Keiser University in Sarasota, Florida.
