Our Consultants
The World’s Trusted Team of Marine Consultants
James F. Pritchard
President - Marine Surveyor-NAMS, CMS
James F. Pritchard, President and co-founder of North American Marine Consultants, LLC, has worked 40+ years in the marine industry. He, along with Keith Weber, established North American Marine consultants to meet worldwide client demand for expert surveys, appraisals and brokerage of marine assets. Mr. Pritchard is a Certified Marine Surveyor with the National Association of Marine Surveyors, and an accredited member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). He has served as an expert witness for vessel valuation issues in federal court in Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Previously, Mr. Pritchard was employed by Merrill Marine Services for 30 years. During that time, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Operations, and as a marine surveyor, appraiser and consultant. Prior to that, Mr. Pritchard worked for Marine Loss Control Inc. as a marine surveyor, appraiser and consultant.
Mr. Pritchard has significant onboard vessel experience, having worked as a first mate, second mate and deck hand for Valley Line Company, Mid America Transportation Co., Union Mechling Barge Lines, Cardinal Carriers and Midwest Towing Company.
During his career, Mr. Pritchard has developed extensive knowledge and skill in the following areas:
- Steel hull construction for all types of commercial marine vessels
- Vessel propulsion and associated systems
- Operations of virtually all types of commercial marine vessels
- Function and equipment requirements of wharves, docks, terminals, shipyards and stevedoring operations
- Valuation of inland and ocean-going commercial marine vessels
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.
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.
Director of New Business Development And Marine Surveyor
North American Marine Consultants, LLC
Lee A. Rohlfing is Director of New Business Development and Marine Surveying at North American Marine Consultants Inc. He is responsible for developing new business opportunities, conducting surveys on marine vessels, structures, terminals and cargo, and monitoring new construction, conversion and repair processes for our clients.
Prior to joining North American Marine Consultants, Mr. Rohlfing was a Marine Science Technician in the United States Coasts Guard for 12 plus years, specializing in marine inspections with a focus on foreign and domestic laws and regulations. More specifically, his United States Coast Guard Career included:
- Marine Inspector – Staten Island, New York – Petty officer 1st Class – where he managed a fleet of approximately 300 towing vessels in the Port of NY/NJ in the transition to Subchapter M compliance. He also inspected barges, drydocks, commercial fishing vessels, foreign freight, tank ships and chemical bulk carriers.
- Facility Inspector – Tampa, Florida – Petty Officer 1st Class – where he managed federally regulated waterfront facilities in the Port of Tampa, focused on safe transfer practices of Oil/HAZMAT to and from foreign ships to USCG regulated facilities, and conducted approvals for Regulated Facility Security Plans, Operations Plans and Facility Response plans.
- Boarding Officer – Manama, Bahrain – Petty Officer 2nd Class – where he served as Engineer of the Watch for 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, Wisconsin – Petty Officer 3rd Class – where he served as a qualified pollution inspector for the western shore of Lake Michigan and supervised ballast water collection and inspection of foreign vessels entering U.S. water jurisdiction.
Mr. Rohlfing has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American Military University. While in the Coast Guard, he earned the following certifications: Marine Inspector Course, Shipyard Competent Person, Commercial Fishing Vessel Course, Uninspected Towing Vessel Course, Seaport Security/Antiterrorism Course and Marine Science “A” School.
