Management Team

Chief Executive Officer

Mark Smith

Mr. Smith is a third generation owner/ operator of an Alaska marine transportation business. He began as a deckhand with Smith Lighterage in 1973 and eventually purchased the family business in 1987. In the following 10 years, revenues increased by more than ten times as the business expanded its fleet and geographic service area. After several acquisitions, the company was merged with Yukon Fuel Company in 1999. Mr. Smith served as its president from 2002 through 2005 when the company was sold to Crowley Maritime Corporation. Prior to leaving Crowley in 2009, Mr. Smith served as VP of Marketing and Sales. Mr. Smith has an Executive MBA from the University of Washington.

Chief Strategic Officer

Justin Charon

Chief Financial Officer

Terry Smith

Mr. Smith brings 20+ years of experience blending operations, technology, corporate finance and entrepreneurial solutions to help the company deliver on key objectives. From 1998 to 2007, he served as VP with KeyBank NA in Anchorage with their Corporate and Investment Banking Division. While there, he managed large corporate and government relationships raising capital while delivering customer treasury, investment and risk management solutions. In May of 2007, he joined Carlile as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Treasurer and in June of 2013, Mr. Smith retired to start his own company, Unified Operations, LLC. At Unified Ops, he provided contract CFO solutions to a variety of middle market firms on the West Coast across a variety of industries. Mr. Smith earned his BBA in Management from the University of Alaska, Anchorage and currently serves as the president of Commonwealth North. He is active in a number of Alaskan non-profits.

Director of Sales

Mike Poston

Mr. Poston began work in the Alaska Fuel industry in 1984 with a start-up company that later became Delta Western. Over the next 25 years, he filled a variety of roles as company revenue grew to over 40 times the starting level. Mr. Poston left Delta Western in 2009 as Vice President for Western Alaska. During his tenure, he helped fuel the success of customers from a broad cross-section of Alaska industries including fisheries, marine, mining, aviation, construction, village corporations, electrical generation, school districts and more. Mr. Poston has called Alaska home since 1971. He has both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s Degree in Business from the University of Alaska.

Director of Marine Operations

Luther Bartholomew

Mr. Bartholomew has worked in the maritime petroleum /dry bulk cargo/operations integrity industry for over 35 years. His career started on vessels as a Tankerman eventually ascending to Captain. He transitioned from the vessel to the office in the role of Port Captain followed by Manager of Marine Operations and then Manager of Operations Integrity. Most recently Mr. Bartholomew served as General Manager for a prominent Alaska Marine freight distribution company. Mr. Bartholomew has depth and breadth in marine operations experience related to employee, customer, commercial transactions, and expertise in navigating State and Federal government regulatory policies (ISO/ISM 9000/14000/Sub Chapter M/OCIMF/SIRE).

Safety and Environmental Manager

Kevin O’Shea

Director, Supply & Product Tanker, Chartering & Operations

Ingo Rose

Mr. Rose has nearly 20 years of work experience in the maritime industry with a specialty in tank ships. His career started in the North Atlantic as an apprentice in a shipping company operating general and petroleum carriers. After graduation from the apprenticeship program, he continued to work for the same organization in the capacity of Operations Manager before taking up his academic studies. He graduated with a Master’s of Science degree with a concentration in Marine Transportation and Port Management from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. He subsequently assumed the role of Fleet Manager for a medium-sized container ship company. He left Germany at the end of 2001 to join a Vancouver-based firm, focusing on new shipbuilding projects in the Far East. Since 2003 he has held commercial/operational/technical positions with chemical parcel tanker owners and operators.

Inventory Manager

Charlotte Long

Mrs. Long has over 25 years of experience in Logistics and Inventory Management, with 12 years in the Alaska fuel industry. Mrs. Long came to Vitus from JB Gottstein, where she was the sales representative and handled their logistics for the bypass system. Before that, she was responsible for Inventory Management, Procurement, Logistics, and Fuel Inventory Management for a prominent Alaska freight distribution company. She has a proven track record for increased profit margin and increased sales and extensive experience in Logistics and Inventory Management. Mrs. Long has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Global Logistics Management from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Senior Shoreside Manager, Western Alaska

Joseph Steward

Mr. Steward has over 30 years of experience in Alaska transportation, logistics, supply chain, and operations management within the energy and freight industries. He is the Senior Shoreside Manager and comes to Vitus Energy from a prominent Alaska fuel transportation, distribution, and sales company where he was responsible for transporting fuels throughout the Alaska road system. Before that, Mr. Steward was the Terminal Manager for Chevron Corporation, where he managed terminal operations relating to bulk delivery of gasoline and diesel products to approximately 200 stations. Mr. Steward holds a Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Global Logistics Management.

Facilities Manager

Douglas Peoples

Mr. Peoples comes to Vitus Energy with over 25 years of experience in Facilities Management. Before Vitus Energy, Mr. Peoples worked for Liquor Stores North. He managed over 20 facilities and oversaw five stores’ renovation, where he was responsible for directing crews of subcontractors and direct hire maintenance workers. Mr. Peoples worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers as a QC Management and Safety Professional and was an OSHA 30 trainer for five years.

Senior Retail Operations Manager

Cliff Brown

Mr. Brown has over 20 years of high-level management experience. He possesses vital planning, organizational development, office technology, and general management qualifications. Before Vitus Energy, Mr. Brown was a Regional Field Trainer & Recruiter and a District Manager for Holiday Station stores. He supported management in the development and implementation of personnel policies and procedures. Mr. Brown has a Dr. of Business Administration from Northcentral University, a Master’s Degree in Business Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Management from National American University.

Financial Analyst

Nolan McBryde

Mr. McBryde comes to Vitus Energy with over 10 years of accounting and financial analysis experience. Nolan spent most of his career analyzing finance and operating business units in the energy and utility construction industries for several subsidiaries of Bristol Bay Native Corporation. In his free time, he plays guitar in a band around Anchorage and enjoys fishing on his boat out of Homer. Nolan earned his undergraduate degree in Energy Management from the University of Oklahoma and his MBA from the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

Customer Service Manager

Clint Seegers

Mr. Seegers began his career with Vitus Energy in 2016 as a Receivables and Customer Service Professional. He was responsible for invoicing and accounts receivable records for Vitus’ Bethel location. From there he was promoted to Account Administrator for the Bethel location and is now the Customer Service Manager responsible for coordinating communication, marketing, and sales with potential customers in new service areas throughout the state of Alaska. Mr. Seegers has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Ottawa University and has over 15 years’ related experience.

Human Resources Manager

Trent Piland, EJD

Mr. Piland brings 11+ years of human resources experience from various roles of increasing responsibility and complexity to Vitus Energy. He relocated to Alaska in 2011 from California and started working as the Recruiting & Retention Coordinator for an in-home senior care service-provider. In 2015, Trent served as the HR Director for Furniture Enterprises of Alaska, Inc. followed by a move to Alsco, Inc. in 2020. Mr. Piland held roles in recruitment, employee relations, benefit administration, training and development, payroll and others. He worked with companies of many sizes and industries giving him insight into the unique challenges and opportunities their teams and people face. Mr. Piland served as a Forward Observer in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany. He has earned his BSB in Human Resource Management from the University of Phoenix and an Executive Juris Doctorate degree with a concentration in business law from Concord Law School. Trent and his family live in Anchorage and enjoy sledding in the winter, camping in the summer, and movies and games on the weekends.

Systems Manger

James Porcelli

Mr. Porcelli has over 20 years of experience in data communications and enterprise-level networking. He is Microsoft Certified System Engineer and has a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education with an emphasis in Information Technology and Management. Mr. Porcelli comes to Vitus Energy from an Alaska Native Corporation where he implemented network security and established IT standards for hardware, software, and network infrastructure.