The Upper Mississippi Waterway Association (UMWA) is proud to announce a member of the organization, JF Brennan, has been recognized for being a steadfast anchor in the maritime industry.  

The company was honored in November 2024 with the National Achievement Award by the National Rivers Hall of Fame. The award is the highest honor presented by the Hall of Fame and recognizes those making significant contributions to America’s waterways. UMWA President Jeremy Putman nominated and presented the award to JF Brennan. Putnam is also a board member of the National Rivers Hall of Fame. 

“On behalf of our entire Brennan team throughout North America, we are honored to accept the National Achievement Award from the National Rivers Hall of Fame,” JF Brennan President and CEO Matt Binsfeld said. “During our 105-year history, we’ve had the good fortune to be involved with a great deal of significant water resource related work throughout this country, all of which has made a positive impact on commerce, our economy and the communities in which we’ve worked.” 

As a longtime beacon of the waterways, JF Brennan has provided serves to America’s waterways for over a century through bridgework, commercial diving, environmental remediation and marine and dam construction.  

Founded in the early 1900s by two brothers, Jim and Gene Brennan, JF Brennan quickly took shape as a pillar of the waterways industry, filling several infrastructure and marine construction needs in the Midwest by the 1990s.  

“JF Brennan’s tireless advocacy for our waterways is truly an inspiration to all of us in the maritime industry,” Putman said. “We are proud to have a waterways leader like JF Brennan as a member of UMWA and we can’t wait to see how much we can accomplish together.” 

Binsfeld received the National Rivers Hall of Fame award Nov. 1 on behalf of JF Brennan at the 2024 Captain’s Ball at the Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa.