Ships of the Sea host Molly Taylor interviews Dave Manns, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Port City Logistics, about the essential role of third-party logistics providers in moving goods through the Port of Savannah and connecting global supply chains to consumers.

Manns explains how Port City Logistics supports customers through drayage, warehousing, transportation, and distribution, including its 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse and the thousands of containers moving through its operations. He discusses the complexity behind everyday products reaching store shelves, the importance of efficiency and cost savings, and how logistics companies balance technology, automation, and hands-on expertise to meet the needs of diverse customers.

The conversation also explores Manns’s career journey across technology, automotive manufacturing, aerospace, and logistics, along with the lessons that have shaped his approach to leadership. He shares the importance of building trust, asking questions, continuing to learn, and creating a workplace culture where employees are encouraged to contribute ideas and understand how their work impacts the business. Manns also highlights career opportunities in supply chain management, from warehouse operations and forklift driving to data analytics, engineering, and specialized certifications.

Looking ahead, Manns discusses innovations that could reshape the logistics industry, including Port City Logistics’ work on linking containers for more efficient transportation, the potential of autonomous trucks, and the growing role of AI in analyzing data and reducing waste. He also emphasizes workforce development, mentorship, and the value of listening to employees on the warehouse floor. Throughout the conversation, Manns shares why Savannah’s maritime industry offers exciting career possibilities and encourages listeners to keep learning, asking questions, and finding ways to make a positive difference.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:42 What Dave Does

01:40 3PL And 4PL Basics

02:20 Port Centric Logistics

03:11 Drayage Explained

04:17 Warehouse Scale And Goods

05:53 Truck Types Breakdown

07:21 Warehouse Efficiency Hacks

08:06 People And Culture

10:18 Robots And AI Reality

12:53 Career Journey Origins

18:05 Mentors Trust And Questions

20:09 Wins Lows And Leadership

23:29 Logistics Through History

23:57 3PL Then and Now

25:05 Sears Pillow Airlift

26:46 Careers in Logistics

30:12 Systems and Data Wins

31:29 Engineering Better Work

33:01 Certs and Networking

35:44 Industry Complexity Today

37:34 Culture and Great Game

40:12 Future Tech and IREX

44:00 Parting Advice and Support

Ships of the Sea host Molly Taylor interviews Griff Lynch, outgoing CEO of the Georgia Ports Authority, and Kevin Price, incoming CEO, about the scale, impact, and future of Georgia’s maritime industry and the Port of Savannah.

Lynch and Price discuss the Georgia Ports Authority’s role in supporting Georgia’s economy, including its network of coastal and inland terminals, $1.8 billion in annual economic impact, and support of more than 605,000 jobs. They explore the strategic investments that have helped Savannah become the nation’s third-largest container port and the largest single container terminal in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the importance of rail, trucking, distribution, manufacturing, and agriculture to the region’s supply chain.

The conversation also focuses on careers in the maritime industry and the many paths available beyond traditional port operations. Lynch and Price share their own unconventional career journeys, discuss the value of gaining experience across different jobs and departments, and highlight workforce development programs that give young people opportunities to build careers at the Port, including positions such as crane operators and other skilled roles.

Looking ahead, they discuss the next generation of infrastructure at the Port of Savannah, including the planned expansion of Ocean Terminal, the future container terminal on Hutchinson Island, continued rail and highway connectivity, and the potential for a second Savannah River deepening project. Lynch and Price also share what makes working at the Port rewarding, the importance of thoughtful long-term planning, and why Savannah’s maritime industry offers an exciting career path for young people.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST:

Griff Lynch CEO

Kevin Price President

Georgia Ports Authority

https://georgia.gov/organization/georgia-ports-authority

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome to Ships of the Sea

00:38 What Georgia Ports Does

02:24 Savannah’s Strategic Advantage

03:11 Griff Lynch Role

04:18 Investing Billions Ahead

05:26 Kevin Price New CEO

07:19 Why the Long Transition

08:04 Ports Careers for Students

09:55 Griff Education Path

12:21 Kevin Career Switch

13:24 Virginia and Terminal Ops

14:13 Why Port Work Hooks You

15:14 Port Scorekeeping Culture

15:50 Leading Thoughtful Change

16:35 Next River Dredging Plans

18:39 Environmental Mitigation Costs

19:55 Life Working Waterfront

20:23 Rail Yard and Trains

22:22 Port Careers for Kids

25:30 Savannah Terminal Expansion

27:14 Passing the Torch

28:24 Museum Support and Wrap

Ships of the Sea host Molly Taylor interviews Frank Peeples Jr., president of Peeples Industries, about his vertically integrated Savannah-based port operations, including East Coast Terminal Company, Industrial Marine Services, Atlantic Marine Warehouse Company, and Atlantic Marine Logistics.

Peeples explains how owning land and facilities enables long-term planning, flexible labor, and turnkey service for customers, with East Savannah handling bulk and breakbulk cargo and West Savannah supporting container logistics near the Georgia Ports Authority with truck- and rail-served warehousing. He discusses logistics shifts driven by containerization, rail-to-container commodity transloading, and key exports such as wood pellets, including a lightning-triggered conveyor fire and the industry’s fire-prevention focus.

Peeples highlights his father’s patented wood-chip “densifier” that increased ship-loading efficiency, shares his mechanical engineering background, describes industry consolidation since the 1960s, and notes how tariffs and changing trade create new opportunities, global partnerships, and careers in maritime logistics.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome to Ships of the Sea

00:27 Meet Frank Peoples

01:11 Vertical Integration Strategy

03:49 East and West Savannah Operations

05:27 Rail Served Container Logistics

08:33 Key Commodities Wood Pellets

09:55 Warehouse Fire and Safety

11:27 Stevedoring Innovation Densifier

14:28 Frank's Path Into the Business

16:17 Savannah Port History and Containers

20:24 Georgia Exports and Empty Boxes

21:44 Best Days Building Supply Chains

24:34 Making Wood Pellets Work

25:11 Always Watching Markets

26:53 Tariffs Mean Opportunity

28:13 Unexpected Cargo Stories

28:57 How Peoples Began

31:57 Family Legacy Next Gen

33:41 Ports Are a Symphony

36:28 Partners Beyond Savannah

37:26 Ship Owners Trading Firms

40:22 Trade Shows Associations

42:33 Careers in Maritime

44:54 Closing Thanks Support

Host Molly Taylor sits down inside the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum to chat with landscape designer John McEllen about creating and maintaining the Scarbrough Garden and North Garden at Ships of the Sea in Savannah.

McEllen traces his path from studying history at the University of Georgia to nursery work, running a design business, and completing an early historic landscape program at the University of Connecticut under Rudy Fabrizi, with exposure to sites like Monticello. He describes being recruited by director Jeff Fulton and working with founder Mills Lane IV, who favored “green on green,” leading to a compromise using seasonal color in large pots.

McEllen explains the parlor-garden layout, historically appropriate plant choices, key surviving elements from a 1970s planting, and the later North Garden design with architect Dan Snyder, including roses tied to Godfrey Barnsley and plants introduced during Oglethorpe’s era. The episode also previews a Michael Gibson topiary “wave” installation opening May 14, 2027, and highlights the museum bylaws that protect the gardens as an equal partner with the house and collection.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

00:42 John’s Career Origins

01:53 Historic Landscape Studies

03:39 Moving to Savannah

05:34 Designer vs Architect

06:12 Joining Ships of the Sea

07:53 Mills and Garden Color

10:29 Was There an Original Garden

11:43 Scarborough Garden Layout

14:48 1819 Plant Palette

16:35 North Garden Expansion

18:39 Arbor and Wedding Space

20:28 Sisters Garden and Roses

21:37 Oglethorpe Era Plants

22:02 Tea and Camellias

22:44 People Behind the Project

23:24 Why the Gardens Matter

24:02 Ancient Fig Cutting

25:09 Dream Gardener Journey

26:19 Mills Live Oak Lesson

28:32 Natchez Crape Myrtle

30:00 Fruit Trees Corner

30:42 Camellias And History

34:10 Tours And Recognition

35:46 Protecting Gardens By Law

37:36 Topiary Waves Project

40:47 Letting Go And Growth

43:02 Topiary Tradition Worldwide

46:14 Support The Museum

Ships of the Sea Podcast host Molly Taylor interviews Lynn Brennan retired assistant port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Savannah, about her 33-year career and the port’s growth to nearly 6 million TEU.

Brennan explains CBP’s seaport responsibilities, working with importers, exporters, terminal operators, and enforcing rules for about 40 agencies, plus using technology and trusted-shipper programs to target high-risk cargo. She shares seizure stories involving counterfeit luxury goods and pharmaceuticals, dangerous consumer products (hoverboards, Aqua Dots), narcotics hidden in tuna cans, cement mixers, and wood, smuggled gold coins, endangered-species items like a tortoiseshell-inlaid piano, and a 1999 case of 132 smuggled Chinese immigrants.

Brennan outlines CBP career paths, CBP’s origins in 1789, the Savannah Custom House history, and her post-retirement volunteering and maritime networking through the Propeller Club and SERAC.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome to Ships of the Sea

00:20 Meet Lynn Brennan

01:21 From Import Specialist Up

02:55 College and Career Pivot

05:06 What Port Directors Do

07:26 Inside Cargo Exams

08:10 Wild Seizure Stories

12:51 Stress and Mission Shift

13:44 Careers Across CBP

16:04 Tariffs and Classification

18:06 Customs History 1789

22:25 Tech and Trusted Trade

24:28 Supply Chain Trust

24:53 Human Smuggling Bust

26:53 Creative Drug Concealment

29:18 Endangered Piano Seizure

31:40 Savannah Customs House History

34:48 Tours and Modern CBP

36:51 Careers and Entry Paths

39:40 Life After Retirement

40:26 SERAC and Relationships

42:43 Museum Support Outro

Ships of the Seas podcast Host Molly Taylor interviews maritime archaeologist and Georgia Southern University history teacher Kurt Knoerl, who is moving to the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater to teach public, digital, maritime history.

Knoerl explains maritime archaeology as studying water-related sites—shipwrecks, wharves, shoreline and inundated sites—and describes student fieldwork in Savannah using mapping, GIS, and recording methods. He recounts entering the field after an archaeology elective, attending a Savannah conference, getting scuba certified, and studying at East Carolina University; he notes career paths via CRM firms and agencies like NOAA.

He emphasizes researching before diving, documenting sites before removal, and the high costs and risks of artifact conservation. Knoerl discusses his online Museum of Underwater Archaeology, salvage law and ethical concerns (including war graves and Titanic), permitting challenges, interest in Civil War wrecks like CSS Savannah, AI limitations in research, and sea-level rise threats to coastal heritage.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:51 What Maritime Archaeologists Do

01:37 Teaching In The Field

03:49 Finding The Career Path

04:55 Diving Requirements

06:46 Degrees And CRM Work

07:57 Favorite Finds And Sites

09:41 How Wrecks Are Documented

11:35 Conservation Costs And Risks

12:13 Museum Of Underwater Archaeology

14:33 Ownership Salvage And Laws

15:54 Shipwreck Ownership Battles

16:34 Titanic Museums Debate

17:51 Profit Versus Preservation

19:00 Wrecks as Gravesites

20:08 Why Context Matters

20:55 Maritime Archaeology Careers

22:03 Teaching Fieldwork Logistics

23:08 Sharing Finds With Public

24:31 Dream Savannah Wrecks

26:25 Advice for New Archaeologists

27:38 Technology and AI Challenges

30:54 Future Threat Sea Levels

31:38 Closing Thanks

Ships of the Sea Podcast host Molly Taylor interviews Trey Thompson, Master Pilot and President of the Savannah Pilots Association, about what harbor/river pilots do and how Savannah’s 20 pilots guide ships in and out of the Port of Savannah along a 35-mile channel using helm orders, buoys, and range markers.

Thompson describes training and licensing, the week-on/week-off schedule, dispatching and coordination with tugboats, docking pilots, and ship crews, and the growing use of larger container ships despite fewer ship calls. He emphasizes that the most dangerous part is boarding via Jacob’s ladder, recounting incidents including a ladder breaking and a serious injury from a heaving line, leading to helmet use.

They discuss simulations in Baltimore for larger ships and dredging studies, right whale regulations that reshaped pilot boats, the association’s 1864 formation, and plans to move the pilot base from Fort Pulaski to Lazaretto.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:52 What Harbor Pilots Do

01:48 Learning the Savannah River

03:04 Schedules and Pilot Boats

05:00 Boarding Dangers and Safety

07:23 Trey’s Path to Piloting

08:02 Training and Multitasking

09:33 Docking Pilots and Tug Coordination

10:59 Weather Traffic and Holiday Ops

12:25 Bigger Ships Simulators and Dredging

14:32 Leadership and Whale Regulations

15:24 Whale Encounters

15:53 Community Leadership Roles

16:25 Pilot Staffing Numbers

17:07 Apprentices and COVID

17:54 Captains and Conferences

18:47 Right Whale Boat Rules

19:28 Rough Runs to Ships

20:12 Savannah Pilots History

21:00 Master Pilot Selection

22:28 Moving to Lazaretto Base

23:49 Funding and Wake Concerns

25:25 Future Bigger Ships

26:46 Closing and Support

Host Molly Taylor interviews Savannah maritime attorneys David Sipple and Colin McRae of HunterMaclean about admiralty/maritime law, explaining that admiralty concerns ships, shipping, and navigable waters, while “maritime” is broader and laws seek international uniformity.

They discuss key doctrines including the Jones Act for injured seamen and the Limitation of Liability Act, plus collision vs. allision and the narrow channel rule. Case stories include the African Neptune allision with Brunswick’s old Sidney Lanier Bridge causing 10 deaths, the Golden Ray ro-ro capsizing near St. Simons with four crew rescued after 36 hours, the Archangel G collision that cut a shrimp boat in half, and the Sun Sapphire allision with an LNG dock.

They describe P&I Clubs, shipboard investigations, Coast Guard inquiries, “magic pipe” pollution cases, stowaways, and the practice’s 24/7 demands and collegial network.

The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.

CONNECT WITH US:

A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Museum EVENTS

Education and Group Programs

Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media

CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS:

HunterMaclean

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome and Guests

01:15 What Is Maritime Law

02:22 Key Maritime Statutes

04:17 Allision vs Collision

04:57 Bridge Disaster Lessons

07:04 How They Got Started

09:52 Admiralty Schools and Training

11:27 African Neptune Case

12:53 P&I Clubs Explained

14:43 Life Aboard Cargo Ships

17:33 Golden Ray Capsize

22:21 Salvage and Environmental Claims

26:28 Advice for New Maritime Lawyers

27:45 Archangel G Collision Story

29:50 Wheel Tied Off Crash

30:50 Lawsuit And Channel Rules

32:18 Danger Signal And Evidence

34:10 Coast Guard Oil Spill Call

36:33 Magic Pipe Pollution Cases

39:32 Bunkering And Big Spills

41:30 NRDA And Wildlife Costs

42:53 Territory And Inland Barges

44:54 LNG Dock Allision

48:22 First Onboard Fire

50:32 Lost At Sea In Brazil

52:08 Shipboard Meals And Culture

54:45 Stowaways And Repatriation

59:49 Maritime Lawyer Network

01:00:47 Museum Support Outro