‘Know No Bounds'

Capt. Ed Montgomery's great grandfather, grandfather and uncle sailed out of Maine and into the maritime industry. Ed's mother, not impressed, advised: "Stay ashore, son, and meet a nice girl." So he tried to work in anything but the maritime industry. He worked in radio. He sold top of the line automobiles from Germany. He tried to deny his destiny. Not that you'd know it today. For these days Ed Montgomery is fully immersed, so to speak, in the commercial side of the yacht and shipping industry - past, present and future.

Consider:

* Ed and his wife, Jeanne Montgomery, live in Superior in what was once the mansion of famed Capt. Charles Barker, one of the early business giants of the Twin Ports.

* They are painstakingly restoring the turn-of-the-century Barker home to its former Victorian splendor.

* Their dog is named Captain. (He's a barker, too, you know.)

* And their lives are consumed by the affairs of Ed's businesses - Northern Seas Associates, Inc., (NSA) and NSA's wholly owned subsidiary, Sea Service, L.L.C.

NSA began in 1984 and initially was limited to yacht and ship inspection. In 1989, seeing the need for working vessels on small harbor construction projects, he added a tug boat, barge and related equipment and began with jobs such as repairing bridge lighting and providing support for marine contractors.

In 1996 Sea Service proposed a long-term contract with the Western Great Lakes Pilots and now is the exclusive provider of water shuttle service for pilots to and from ships arriving at Duluth-Superior, Chicago, South Chicago and Burns and Indiana Harbors. Sea Service also provides transport for agents and inspectors, crew changes and supplies.

Together, Northern Seas Associates and Sea Service provide what Ed called a respectable niche of marine services. "While these are all variations of a theme, all are within the traditional business of the maritime trades," he said.

Ed is a graduate of the Chapman's School of Seamanship and has worked on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. He enjoys remaining a seaman and pilots his company's tugs, skiffs and pilot boats when time allows. During the shipping season, he and Jeanne acknowledged, the business runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and home life is a "hi and bye" existence.

In Duluth-Superior, the Sea Service pilot boat is the Arvid Morken, named for a Superiorite who was a maritime artist, historian, newspaper reporter and, at the time of his death in 1989, chief dispatcher in U.S.-Canadian Pilotage District 3.

The other NSA/Sea Service craft are: the 47-foot pilot boat Sea Pilot, the 41-foot tug Sea Colt, the chase tender Sea Bee, the chase tender Sea Nymph, the barge Sea Ox and the work boat Fred Beatty.

Ed is president of the company. Jeanne is vice president and office manager and "the glue" that holds the works together in hectic times. In addition, the business has 28 employees. Its clients, in addition to the pilots, have included the U.S. Navy, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Steel, the Coast Guard and many other companies and agencies.

Ed is determined to grow - the business's motto is "Know No Bounds."

"I come from a blue-collar but entrepreneurial family," he said. "My dad is an inspiration. He rose up out of the Kentucky hills to be a steelworker foreman with an incredible work ethic."

But at the same time, he is cautious and conservative as he expands his business. He's selective in seeking jobs, acquiring equipment and hiring employees. That discretion has paid off. "The Duluth-Superior marine community is very tight-knit, and one's reputation can make or break him quickly," he said. "When lives and livelihoods are at stake, no one wants to deal with a risky operator. With our continued emphasis on safety, regular training and vessel maintenance, we are now considered one of the safest and most competent operators in the Great Lakes."

Some things you just can't deny.