Armstrong Training Solutions, LLC - Contact us today at 502-741-1355
Our Team
Mr. James S. Armstrong, MEP
Mr. James S. (Jim) Armstrong is the principal of Armstrong Training Solutions, LLC. He has over 45 years of experience working in the maritime safety and security field. Jim is a retired Coast Guard (CG) officer who served on active duty for over 22 years with assignments at three Marine Safety Offices, two assignments as a Instructor teaching maritime safety and security at the CG’s Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia and his final assignment was as a Training and Preparedness Officer with the CG National Strike Force. Upon his retirement in 1998, Jim established his own company to provide Incident Command System (ICS) training and emergency preparedness exercises with the maritime industry. Jim is certified by the CG as a National Incident Management System (NIMS) ICS Instructor, and he is certified as Type 3 Planning Section Chief, Situation Unit Leader and Resources Unit Leader. Jim has received formal training in the conduct of Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) exercises and drills, and he holds the professional certification as a Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Jim is a 1983 graduate of St. Leo College, and a 1984 graduate of the CG’s Officer Candidate School. In 2018 and 2019, Jim provided ICS training and conducted maritime safety exercises in Manila, Philippines, a US State Department initiative providing emergency response training and exercises to senior representatives from the Philippine CG, National Police, Philippine Bureau of Customs Enforcement, and senior representatives from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Mr. Barry Whitton
Mr. Barry Whitton, an associate with Armstrong Training Solutions, LLC, is the principal at RiverCity Security Consultants, LLC. Barry is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1981, majoring in criminal justice. Barry joined the Cincinnati Police Department’s Communications Center as a 911 Operator/Dispatcher in 1979. During his tenure at the 911 Center, he managed the center’s computer aided dispatch (CAD) system and oversaw the 800 MHz radio program for the police department. During the last twelve years of his 41-year career with the Cincinnati Police Department, he supervised the citywide neighborhood public safety camera project and Ohio River port security camera system. As manager, he oversaw the implementation, deployment, installation, and maintenance of those camera networks. The Ohio River port camera network is comprised of multiple cameras covering approximately 25 miles of the Ohio River in the port of Cincinnati, Ohio and northern Kentucky.
After retiring from Cincinnati Police in December of 2020, Barry started RiverCity Security Consultants LLC and has continued his work in port security and Ohio River operations. He currently serves in a leadership role in two subcommittees for the Port of Cincinnati Area Maritime Security Committee and is on the Executive Board for the Central Ohio River Business Association. He is also a member of the Greater Cincinnati Harbor & Maritime Cooperative Committee oil spill cooperative.
Mr. Neil Shoemaker
Neil Shoemaker is an associate with Armstrong Training Solutions, LLC, and a retired Coast Guard (CG) officer, retiring in 2004 with over 25 years of active service. While in the CG, Neil was stationed at 3 Marine Safety Offices in Charleston, SC, Toledo, OH, and Memphis, TN, serving as Environmental Response Officer, Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), Contingency Planning Officer, Senior Inspector Personnel, the Drug and Alcohol Program Inspector for the CG 9th District. He has in-depth training and experience in the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP), participating in exercises and drills with the maritime industry, and he is well versed in the Incident Command System (ICS), serving in various positions during actual incidents.
Following retirement from the Coast Guard, Neil held numerous environmental, health, safety, and security senior management positions for various companies in the maritime, oil and gas, aerospace, steel, manufacturing, and food industries. He has in-depth experience serving as a Facility and Vessel Security Officer working with the MTSA regulations.
Neil has several graduate degrees, including a master's degree in human resource management, a master's in business administration, and a bachelor's degree in organization management. He is an instructor for OSHA, instructing the 10 hours & 30 hours general industry courses, for the OSHA Training Institute, and he is a certified CPR and first aid instructor.
Mrs. Rebecca Armstrong
Rebecca (Becky) Armstrong, Jim’s wife of 50 years, is an active member of Armstrong Training Solutions, LLC, serving as administrative assistant during larger more complex exercises and Incident Command System training evolutions. Becky served for seven years in the Coast Guard (CG) Reserve, and she has extensive experience with maritime safety and port security. In the 1980s, she served at CG Marine Safety Office Puget Sound, where she conducted port safety inspections of commercial foreign flag vessels entering the Port of Seattle. Additionally, she served at CG Training Center Yorktown, working in port security, leading up to the first Gulf War. When not working with ATS, Becky is the owner and principal of Wee Group Tours, an international travel agency, specializing in tours throughout the Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England area.
Mr. Christopher Armstrong
Mr. Christopher (Chris) Armstrong, Jim’s son, develops Armstrong Training Solutions, LLC video productions, serving ATS, as Vice President, Videography. Chris attended East Tennesse State University, where he studied music, sound, and video production. He has been developing videos professionally for the past 10 years, and he develops video-based training for ATS clients, specifically tailored to your company operations. In the 1990s, Chris served on active duty in the US Coast Guard, serving in the Port of Seattle. Give us a call today, to speak with Chris about your specific training needs. Our video-based training offers an opportunity for your personnel to learn at their own pace, and without attending a formal classroom session. Video-based training offers an affordable option to companies, allowing a large number of personnel, working different shifts, to be trained, without holding multiple classroom sessions.