Clark Buffam
Building teams that let small maritime companies compete hard
A working partner for owners of small maritime and maritime-adjacent businesses. Together we build the people and the operation it takes to win work from much larger competitors.
The work starts inside your business. I sit with the owner and the team, see how the work really gets done, and find where it gets stuck. Then we build what's missing together: the right people in the key seats, procedures the crew will actually follow, compliance that holds up, and systems that keep the numbers honest. When your team can run it without me, I step back. Behind it are nearly 20 years in customs, shipping and marine operations, and in building companies. Today I'm Chairman & CEO of TLR – Total Logistics Resource, Inc.
- Since 2007customs, shipping and marine operations
- Licensed U.S. Customs Brokersince 2008
Who this is for
Owners and founders of small and mid-sized firms in ship agency, ports and terminals, vessel operations and technical management, government contracting and maritime software.
Usually the company is growing faster than its structure. Sometimes a family business is handing off to the next generation. Sometimes a lender, a bad contract or a stalled project means things have to change this quarter. Your customers stay yours. The point is a stronger team on your side of the table.
Where we work together
Team building and leadership
Hiring for the seats that matter, training people into them, and developing the managers who will run the place next.
Capital, family business and special situations
Getting ready to raise money or recapitalize, working out succession and governance in a family company, or steadying a business under pressure with a plan to stabilize, restructure or sell.
Compliance and trade execution
Customs, import/export, tariff exposure, Jones Act and USCG requirements built into the daily work, so your team gets it right the first time.
Operations and project cargo
Procedures, safety, vendors and staffing for agency, terminal, shore-base and vessel operations, plus the planning that heavy and oversized cargo needs.
Government contracting
Getting a smaller firm ready to bid on, win and perform federal and defense logistics work.
Software and agentic workflows
Choosing or building the tools that let a small team carry a big workload, and AI workflows where the software proposes and a person confirms.
Running a small maritime business and ready to build the team behind it? Send a note about where things stand.
More on the project page.