Tilford (Till) Kulp has been part of the Cooper/T. Smith team for more than 33 years, and part of the Crescent Towing family for even longer. As the son of Crescent’s former Senior Vice President, Arthur Kulp, Till grew up in the midst of the maritime industry.
“My Father played a big role in getting me interested in the industry,” Till recalled. “I remember being a kid and visiting his work place, getting to see what he did. He gave me lots of good advice over the years.”
Arthur’s career with Crescent Towing stretched from 1963 to 2008. Beginning as a deckhand and oiler, he rose in the ranks to dispatcher, chief dispatcher, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and finally Senior Vice President. Arthur helped open Crescent’s satellite offices in Mobile, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia, before retiring in 2008 after 45 years of dedicated service. Arthur passed away on January 20, 2015, at the age of 69.
Till, on the other hand, started out as a storeroom assistant for Crescent in 1987. “That was a very rewarding experience,” he reminisced. “I got to meet a lot of people from different areas of the company, learn a variety of skills, and take on many different responsibilities.”
In 2000 Till moved into the role of Dispatcher for Cooper/T. Smith (CTS) Mooring. One of the largest providers of vessel mooring services on the Mississippi River, CTS Mooring is based out of Algiers Point in New Orleans. From this central location, its crews cater to ships sailing from the mouth of the Mississippi to the port of Greater Baton Rouge 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“As Dispatcher, I take calls and messages from various shipping agents all the way from Baton Rouge down to Venice, Louisiana,” Till explained. “They tell me what they need and place a job order. Then I plan out the work before assigning it to our linemen.” Once assigned, a line crew is dispatched to complete the job, which can be anything from tying up or releasing a vessel from dock to running mooring lines from a ship to midstream buoys.
“It’s thrilling to see our crews at work,” Till said. Noting the hazards of working on the water, he continued, “Every day presents a different challenge, and we focus on having a safe work environment for our team. They do such a fine job, which makes the work I do very rewarding.”