Michael J. "Mike" Kennelly, senior vice president of liquid cargo at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), died September 25 at the age of 55. Kennelly spent more than 30 years — his entire career — in the inland marine industry. He joined ACBL in 2020 after previously serving in leadership roles at Kirby Corp., Savage Marine, Settoon Towing, and Florida Marine Transporters.
And while Kennelly was instrumental in building ACBL's liquid cargo division, his colleagues spoke most about the relationships he built over the years.
"Mike was the architect of our liquids business and a cornerstone of our industry," said Peter Coxon, CEO of ACBL, "but his impact went far beyond what he accomplished professionally. He was a remarkable person who genuinely cared about people and always seemed to have a kind word for everyone he met. Mike made a difference in the lives of so many across ACBL and throughout the industry."
One of those colleagues and friends was Alex Pucheu, senior vice president of fleets, terminals, and real estate at ACBL. Pucheu recalled Kennelly keeping a whiteboard in his truck, which he would use to solve logistics problems.
"Mike has been a dear friend, colleague, and mentor of mine for the past 14 years," Pucheu said. "He knew more about the inland barge business than anyone I’ve come across over that time span. He had a God-given gift to be able piece together a logistics puzzle at the blink of an eye.
"He was a logistics genius, in my opinion," Pucheu added. "I’ll never forget him showing up for meetings or events with his logistics 'whiteboard' that he carried around with him in his truck back in the Settoon/Savage days."
That logistics acumen and strong reputation was what led Mike Ellis, former CEO of ACBL and now founder of Maritime Advisory and Investment Group, to reach out to Kennelly around 2008 about joining his team at Settoon Towing. When the two first met, Kennelly asked Ellis how many 30,000-barrel tank barges Settoon had at the time.
“I’m like, ‘Well, we have four, but we have six in the shipyard,’” Ellis recalled. “He goes, ‘That sounds like more of a hobby than a business. I tell you what, why don’t you call me in a year and let’s talk again.’”
A year later, Ellis reached out to Kennelly again.
“He said, ‘Well, how many barges do you have now?’” Ellis said. “I said, ‘Well, we have about 16, and we have another eight being built. We’re thinking about doing another 20.’ And Kennelly tells me, 'You’re starting to spark my interest, but it still doesn’t sound like a real business to me.’ And once again, Kennelly said, ‘Call me in a year.’”
By the time Ellis called Kennelly in 2010, Kennelly saw the growth at Settoon and agreed to come on board.
Over the years that followed, Ellis and Kennelly became more than just work colleagues, Ellis said.
“We became really good friends,” he said. “He really did have an uncanny ability to have a large number of close friends. Some people may think that’s kind of an oxymoron, ‘a large number of close friends,’ but he was an individual who could do that. He listened, he cared, and that’s what made him so great at what he did. He was a problem solver, and he was the greatest logistics guy I’ve ever met.”
Ellis, recalling his remarks at the January 4, 2024, christening of the ACBL towboat Michael J. Kennelly, honored Kennelly for his five years of fighting cancer “like cancer had never been fought before.” At the christening, Ellis quoted from the book of Romans, chapter five, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.”
“We’ve talked about that before, Mike and I, because it was so true and fitting for the battle he fought with cancer,” Ellis said.
The day Kennelly died, Ellis said his “verse of the day” came from the book of Exodus, “The Lord replied, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”
“I found out he had passed just a few minutes after I read that,” Ellis said. “I felt like that was pretty fitting.”
And while Kennelly’s name will endure on the waterways through his namesake vessel, his legacy continues through the many people he mentored, recruited, and impacted throughout the maritime industry, Ellis said.
Kennelly is survived by his two sons, Andrew Michael Kennelly and Christian Sumner Kennelly, and his daughter, Olivia Grace Kennelly, along with his mother, a sister, a brother, and extended family.
In the official obituary for Kennelly, his family extended thanks to the doctors and staff at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“Your kindness brought Michael so much comfort, and it gave our family great peace of mind knowing he was in such loving hands,” his family said.
A funeral Mass for Kennelly was held at St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear, Texas, October 7.
