Intermarine boss Kavanagh dies
Roger P. Kavanagh, who built New Orleans-based Intermarine into a leading company in the project cargo business, died at his home Monday after a long battle with cancer.
Kavanagh, 54, founded Intermarine in 1990. The group has expanded to include U S- flagged vessels, its own ocean terminal in Houston and offers fully-integrated logistics service for transporting cargo from fabrication site to construction site. It has offices in New Orleans, Houston, Shanghai, Buenos Aires and Caracas.
Kavanagh created the company after a career in the project cargo business that included stints as a shipper, forwarder, and ship operators.
He gained the perspective of the shipper with McDermott Inc., where he managed its shipping and warehouse group and all heavy-lift shipments. While there he also conducted a study that recommended the company outsource most of its shipping activities to third parties.
He gained the carrier’s perspective working at Dock Express Inc., where he was the vice president of the commercial department and was responsible for marketing the services of a fleet of foreign and U.S.-flagged heavy-lift ships.
He learned the role of a project forwarder with two separate postings at Transoceanic Shipping Co. in New Orleans, where for five years he served as president, and doubled the company’s revenues.
Immediately prior to forming Intermarine, Kavanagh was president of the ocean carrier Gulfship Marine in New Orleans, where he initiated a turnaround at the company by discontinuing its unprofitable semi-liner operations and expanding into project cargo.
Kavanagh was born in Greensboro, N.C. and was a 1975 graduate of Princeton University where he earned a BA in history.
In 1996, Ernst and Young recognized Roger’s business achievements by presenting him with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
He is survived by his wife, Danielle, his sons, Zackary and Dylan, and his daughter, Sophie.