It’s been more than three decades since Charles and Patsy Metcalf moved their family from Houston to New Orleans where Charles worked for Nilo Barge Line as a barge representative. This decision to leave the Texas area and settle in Louisiana would eventually open the doors to a series of profitable opportunities and the creation of a successful family business. This was also the time when two entrepreneurial individuals, Charles Metcalf and Sammy Zito, would share their dreams and hopes and form a friendship that would last a lifetime.
In 1976, Charles Metcalf, an industrious and outgoing individual, began the first of numerous business ventures with Sammy Zito. His knowledge of cleaning and repair business was a definite asset to the new company, Zito/Metcalf Marine Repairs. More than his expertise, however, it was his unique salesmanship and genuine likability that Sammy truly prized. Eventually, their association would lead to the development of other companies. At the heart of each undertaking was a trust and bond that would last
three decades.
From these early beginnings, St. John Fleeting would emerge in 1983 as a diversified company, equipped to handle fleeting, shifting, barge repairs and cleaning.
In the years to come, the company would install two ship anchorages and built its own barge to truck dock facility at its Garyville, La location.
Charlie and Patsy believed that quality workmanship, timely service, and uncompromising honesty creates success in any endeavor. We still adhere to these philosophies today and believe they are what make St. John Fleeting’s success possible.