Contact: Kate Cwiek
PR & Marketing Manager
kate@pride2.org
410-539-1170
PRIDE OF BALTIMORE, INC. WELCOMES SIX NEW TRUSTEES TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BALTIMORE, MD – Pride of Baltimore, Inc. welcomes six executives and community leaders to its Board of Directors. Albert Grimes, Jim Hilyard, Paul Mauritz, Michael McDaniel, Luke Ritter, and Richard Wiklund join a dynamic board of 21 led by Chairman of the Board, Stuart R. Amos of FLAVORx.
“We are delighted to be able to strengthen and broaden the Board with the addition of these new members. We look forward to them continuing to help the fine mission of this beautiful ship. With the Pride now in charitable hands we rely on our Board and the community to help keep her sailing,” said Chairman of the Board, Stuart R. Amos.
Albert Grimes | Owner and President, Curtis Engine & Equipment Co., Inc.
Albert Grimes is the President and Co-Owner of Curtis Engine & Equipment Co., Inc., a Baltimore-based power generation company. Past positions include Founder and President of Resource Tower Company, Founder and President of Microcell Management, President and Co-Founder of First Cellular Group, consultant work for Sprint Corporation, and President of Cellular One. Mr. Grimes previously served in the Maryland Army Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve. An avid boater, he is past founder and past Commodore of the Baltimore City Yacht Racing Organization.
Jim Hilyard | Retired President, Roofing Products Group, CertainTeed Corporation
Jim Hilyard is a retired President of CertainTeed Corporation’s Roofing Products Group. He has also served as President and Chairman of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, member of three international committees on health and the environment, and Chairman of the annual fund of the Cleveland chapter of the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association. At Cast Western Reserve University he serves as advisor to the Office of International Affairs, member of the Alumni Advisory Board, Co-Chair of the Weatherhead School of Management, and received the 2011 Distinguished Alumni of the Year award. Having participated in 13 overnight guest crew passages and sailed over 5,000 miles aboard Pride, in 2013 Mr. Hilyard was honored as a “Honorary Crew Member.”
Paul Mauritz | CEO, Chesapeake NetCraftsmen
Paul Mauritz is the CEO of Chesapeake NetCraftsmen, an engineering firm focused on designing, deploying, and operating IT solutions that drive business for its customers. Prior to NetCraftsmen, Mr. Mauritz was a Vice President at BAE Systems, where he was on the executive team for the IT and Cyber business. He has more than thirty years of experience in operations, corporate and business development, sales, and marketing, and has led companies through all phases of the business life cycle. Mr. Mauritz is active in the Maryland community as Chair of the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, and past Chair of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council.
Michael McDaniel | President & CEO, Harbor Boating, Inc., MD
Michael McDaniel is the President and CEO for the maritime company doing business as “Baltimore Water Taxi”. Working with the Board of Directors and Executive Management Team, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the company, establishing long-range goals, strategies, plans, and policies. Prior to that, he was a Marine Corps Infantry Officer who served as a Platoon Commander and Executive Officer in support of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Mr. McDaniel also served as an Anti-terrorism Force Protection Officer and Operations Officer for Marine Corps Forces Pacific. He currently sits on the board of the American Red Cross Chesapeake Region, Frank J. Battaglia Signal 13 Foundation, Sail Baltimore, and Baltimore Heritage Area Association.
Luke Ritter | Executive Vice President, Ridge Global
Luke Ritter is Executive Vice President at Ridge Global, the strategic consulting firm founded by Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of Homeland Security and 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania. As a member of the senior management team, Mr. Ritter leads the Transportation Security and Risk Management practice areas. Prior to joining Ridge Global, Mr. Ritter was the founder and CEO of Trident Global Partners. He is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Surface Warfare Officer. Mr. Ritter holds an M.B.A from Old Dominion University, and is a board certified Transportation and Logistics Professional (American Society of Transportation and Logistics). He is the co-author of Securing Global Transportation Networks (McGraw Hill), and has been recently published or quoted in: Journal of Commerce, Security Management, Directors Monthly, and Cargo Security International. Mr. Ritter currently serves on the Advisory Boards of: iJET International, Inc., Decision Sciences International Corporation, and HALO Maritime Defense.
Richard Wiklund | CEO, Avideon Corporation and Founder, Atlantic MobileApps
As President and Founder of Baltimore-based AvideonCRM LLC and AtlanticMobileApps LLC, Richard Wiklund has over 20 years of experience in technology marketing and sales. A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Wiklund founded AtlanticMobileApps.com in 2014, offering low-cost mobile apps to businesses. Prior to Avideon, Mr. Wiklund held positions as Vice President of Business Development and Vice President of E-DOC at Cadmus Communications. He is an active boardmember of the Maryland Family Network, supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project and Ducks Unlimited, and a member of the Board of Governors of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
“Preserving and promoting America’s maritime heritage is a sacred trust,” said Luke Ritter. “As a Maryland resident, a former Naval Officer, and an avid Chesapeake Bay sailor, it is truly an honor, and a privilege to be joining this committed team of maritime professionals.”
About the Pride of Baltimore
Pride of Baltimore II is a reconstruction of an early 19th century Baltimore Clipper. These sleek, fast, and maneuverable vessels became famous as privateers during the War of 1812. Their success in capturing British merchant ships inspired the Royal Navy’s attack on Baltimore in 1814. When Francis Scott Key saw the American flag still flying after the all-night bombardment of Fort McHenry, he was inspired to pen the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
2014 is the first year in many that Pride will remain in local waters – traveling to as many Maryland ports as possible throughout the Star-Spangled Summer of 2014, celebrating the 200th anniversary of our National Anthem. Since her commissioning in October of 1988, Pride has traveled over 250,000 nautical miles, visited 40 countries, and docked in over 200 ports of call. For more information on Pride’s 2014 sailing schedule, education initiatives, or membership program, please visit www.pride2.org
