Dear Loadstar Employees:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!    

We are winding up a fantastic year at Loadstar.  I thought you might enjoy a brief look back, and a peek at what we see coming in 2026. 

I will start as always with safety.  Everything we do promotes our efforts to achieve incident-free performance.  Let me say that again.  Everything we do promotes our efforts to achieve incident-free performance.  Nothing matters more.

Our safety performance in 2025 was very strong.  Zero tankerman spills to the water.  Zero derailments.   Only one recordable injury, an ankle sprain on a barge this past weekend.  We continue to effectively use Stop Work Authority and Near Miss reporting.  There is room to improve, but we are headed in the right direction.  Please remember to stay safety-focused every minute, every hour, every day. 

Growth-wise, despite some headwinds in the economy, we had a solid year.  We started in January with the launch of tankerman operations in Corpus Christi.  Jorge Echeverria and his team have done an outstanding job.  In July we commenced operations at ExxonMobil in Baton Rouge with 34 operators loading railcars and trucks.  It would be hard to overstate the significance of ExxonMobil choosing Loadstar for such a high-profile operation.  Our team led by Nick Colligan has exceeded expectations, earning praise and the confidence of ExxonMobil management. 

Last summer we acquired Atlas Marine, a tankerman service based in Houma.  Atlas has brought new customers and talent including former owner John Breaux, supervisor Ritchie Bourg, dispatchers Andrew Aucoin and Scott LeBouef, and tankermen in Louisiana and Texas.  The acquisition improved the diversity of our customer base, which has been helpful during a somewhat slower year for the tank barge industry.  Work has picked up lately and customers are predicting a better 2026.

We achieved a significant milestone in 2025 when Loadstar became one of the first Certified Evergreen® companies.  The “7 P’s” of the Evergreen model are Purpose, Perseverance, People First, Private, Profit, Paced Growth, and Pragmatic Innovation.  In 2026 we will talk more about the advantages of being an Evergreen company, including the consistency and stability that comes with long-term growth and private ownership.

In November we received major recognition when Loadstar was named a finalist for the inaugural Louisiana Energy Company of the Year Award.  We joined ExxonMobil, Entergy, Cheniere LNG, Placid Refining, and Atlas Engineering as finalists.  While we did not win, being nominated alongside these outstanding companies was a huge achievement.

We also strengthened our leadership hiring Ben Russell in September from Dow Chemical as Vice President of Plant Operations.  Ben spent his first few weeks getting to know our operations and is already making a positive impact. Also, this year we launched our Emerging Leaders program.  Developing leaders from within remains an important part of our long-term success.  The inaugural Emerging Leaders class includes: Louis Brown (IMTT Geismar), Jarell Kinsey (IMTT St Rose), Logan Justison (Marine), Brandon Williams (IMTT Geismar), Khalon Dennie (Marine Houston), Paul Leonard (Exxon BRCX), Connor Burns (Exxon BRCX), Jaynise Navarre (Exxon BRCX), and Clarence Batiste (Marine River).  Congratulations to each of these outstanding leaders! 

We renewed our medical insurance in November. Despite national headlines about soaring health care costs, we were pleased to see only a modest increase in premiums.  We also introduced a Health Savings Account (HSA) option with one of our medical plans, giving you another way to manage health care expenses with added flexibility and tax advantages.  Information on the many benefits of an HSA was shared during enrollment.

Yesterday you received a text message about our new Loadstar store where you can order uniforms and purchase Loadstar swag and merch online.  Please take a minute to create your account at  www.myloadstarmerch.com.  We will continue to add new items so let us know what you would like to see!

Looking ahead to 2026, we start January 1 with new work for CITGO in Corpus Christi Texas, providing air watch as part of the refinery’s operations.  This is our first work for CITGO, which is very exciting.  Hats off to John Breaux and Jorge Echeverria for their leadership on this important new opportunity.  Also in January, we will add 14 people at IMTT in St. Rose, Louisiana to perform rail loading work.  This represents another vote of confidence from an existing customer, which is very gratifying.

This February will mark 5 years since Loadstar launched operations.  In that short time, we have built a reputation as a top-flight company that competes at the highest level.  There is abundant opportunity before us, but only if we continue to deliver excellent service for our current customers.     

Recently we hung a large display in our offices with the names of the First 100 employees.  I look at that sign every day with pride and gratitude.  I think about the people, many of whom are still here, but some like our dispatcher LaTasha Geason who passed away in October, who are not.  We will always honor our employees, past and present, by building a company that makes them and their families proud.

Thank you for the pride, professionalism, and commitment you bring to Loadstar.  I wish you and your families a safe, joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Brian