Back to News
Missoula, MT – The Washington Companies today announced that Frank Butzelaar will retire as Chief Operating Officer after a distinguished 31-year tenure. The Board has appointed Derek Ollmann, President of Seaspan Marine Transportation, to the new role of Chief Executive Officer, Transportation of the Washington Companies.
Mark Lamarre, President & CEO of the Washington Companies, said: “We are so grateful to have benefitted from Frank’s insightful leadership and commitment to continuous improvement throughout his tenure with us. Frank has served as President and CEO at both Southern Railway of BC and Seaspan Marine Transportation and mostly recently as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team. Having started his journey at the Washington Companies as part of the railroad business and later moving in the marine transportation space, he has been instrumental in building trust with a wide and varied range of customers on the West Coast. Throughout his career Frank has mentored teams across the enterprise, helping develop the strong leadership pipeline we have in place. He has also worked tirelessly in the community through his unwavering support of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. On behalf of everyone at the Washington Companies, we wish Frank all the best in his retirement.”
Following Frank’s retirement, Derek Ollmann will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of Transportation for the Washington Companies.
Mark Lamarre continued: “We are pleased to appoint Derek Ollmann, a proven leader with over two decades of experience within the transportation sector across Montana Rail Link, Southern Railway of BC, and Seaspan Marine Transportation, as the new CEO, Transportation. Our decision to promote from within highlights our dedication to developing internal talent and is a testament to the strength of our team and our focus on building a robust leadership pipeline.”
Ian McIver, President of Seaspan Energy, is also retiring after more than seven years in various leadership roles from Seaspan Ferries to Seaspan Marine Transportation and most recently with Seaspan Energy.
Mark Lamarre said: “Ian had the opportunity to launch Seaspan Energy in his last several years with us and we are grateful that our newest business venture was formed under Ian’s leadership and that he paved the way for its future success as the global LNG market develops.”
To support the succession planning process, the Washington Companies also announced today additional senior leadership changes, including:
- Jordan Pechie, currently Senior Vice President, Seaspan Marine Transportation, will assume the President, Seaspan Marine Transportation role, succeeding Derek Ollmann.
- Harly Penner, currently Senior Vice President, Seaspan Energy, will assume the role of President, Seaspan Energy, succeeding Ian McIver.
About Derek Ollmann
Derek Ollmann began his transportation career in 1999 and most recently served as President of Seaspan Marine Transportation. Prior to that, Derek served as President of Montana Rail Link and President of Southern Railway, where he first joined The Washington Companies. Over his 25 years in the transportation industry, Derek has held progressively senior roles overseeing all aspects of marketing and sales, operations, maintenance and engineering.
About Jordan Pechie
Jordan Pechie is a Master Mariner with more than 19 years of experience in the maritime industry, and a wealth of knowledge from around the world. Having joined the Seaspan organization in 2020, he has been an integral part of the senior leadership team at Seaspan Marine since April 2023. Jordan currently serves as Senior Vice President of Marine Transportation at Seaspan Marine, where he has successfully overseen a period of transformation focused on revitalizing the marine division. Prior to that, he led HaiSea Marine, where he played a pivotal role in developing one of the greenest tugboat fleets in the world.
About Harly Penner
Harly Penner is an innovative, strategic leader in maritime operations and fleet development with a Marine Engineering background and over 25 years of experience in the maritime industry. In his current role as Senior Vice President, Seaspan Energy, Harly is responsible for the commercial development and startup of their LNG bunkering business as well as the execution of Seaspan’s alternative fuels program. Prior to that, Harly led Seaspan Ferries Corporation and was responsible for a shift to alternate fuels and electrification.
About the Washington Companies
The Washington Companies are a group of privately held companies headquartered throughout the United States and western Canada and conducting business internationally. Holdings include Montana Resources, Montana Rail Link, Seaspan Marine and Seaspan Shipyards and Southern Railway. The construction entities include Modern Machinery and Envirocon. Our customer focus on reliably delivering commodities, ships, transportation, service, equipment, and technology, as the safe, low-cost operator earns us the reputation as a desired counterparty.
With over a half-century of experience in our focus industries, The Washington Companies have established a reputation for fulfilling their founding principles of integrity, performance, passion and vision. As part of giving back within our local communities, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation gives a boost to local charities in the communities where our employees live and work as well as support for prestigious national programs.