Recreation / Sports Safety Consultants: 6

George Zeitler, MSc, has over 30 years of experience in the Marine Industry in various regulatory, management, and consulting roles. He is an Accredited Marine Surveyor (Y&SC) by the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors and a Member of the International Institute of Marine Surveying.

Background Experience - Mr. Zeitler served 18 years as a USCG Marine Inspector / Casualty Investigator, and 7 years as a Class Society principal surveyor (DNV).  He then spent 1 year as VP of Operations for a niche cruise line. Mr. Zeitler went on to serve 5 years as a technical consultant for various segments of the marine industry, including 2 years as third party environmental auditor for criminal pollution cases. He has been an Accredited Yacht and Small Craft Surveyor for over 15 years. 

In 2002, Mr. Zeitler formed Zeitler Marine Services (ZMS), using his experience and knowledge to offer condition and valuation (pre-purchase and insurance) and damage survey services to the yachting and recreational boating communities in south Florida. He is currently the Director of the Chapman School of Seamanship Yacht and Small Craft survey course.

Litigation Support - Mr. Zeitler uses his vast experience verifying Compliance with Applicable Maritime Laws / Regulations through on site surveys and audits of client's vessels. His years of operational and regulatory enforcement help provide clients with a unique perspective that is key in identifying vulnerabilities onboard vessels as well as gaps in policies and procedures. He functions as a Court Appointed Monitor in situations where vessel operators are negotiating a plea agreement for a DOJ-approved Environmental Compliance Programs.

Areas of Expertise:

• Vessel Design and Construction
• Vessel Compliance with International and US Laws and Regulations
• Compliance with Federal and Voluntary (ABYC) Standards for Yachts and Small Craft
• Casualty Investigation
• Vessel Operations
• Cruise Ship Management, Operation, and Safety
• Environmental Compliance and Auditing

Swenson Consulting offers Snow Removal Services and developed its own proprietary snow operations software and can help business owners who desire to build or maintain a software package to assist their snow operations. They offer general business advice for many different types of situations including:

• Growth Development and Strategy for Snow Removal Businesses
• Diversification of Snow Removal Business Services
• Effective Collection of Invoicing for Snow Removal Businesses

Principal, Jeremy Swenson, CSP, has satisfied requirements by SIMA (largest nationally recognized snow and ice trade organization-Snow and Ice Management Association) to become a Certified Snow Professional. There are less than 250 CSP’s in the USA.

Mr. Swenson owned and operated Snowmen, one of the largest snow and ice management companies in North America for over 20 years. He has obtained Security Clearance and is trained for onsite snow operations at the IRS Regional Headquarters, FBI Headquarters, Department Of Treasury Buildings, and many types of Airport, Railroad, Organ Transplant Centers, and Medical facilities. He stays current with the modern methods and systems used today in snow and ice removal operations, procedures, equipment, contracts, and is very familiar with the types of de-icers used in the snow removal industry today. He has successfully navigated hundreds of slip and fall accidents and snow removal-related incidents. After overseeing thousands of commercial accounts over the years, he has worked through almost every issue that is relevant to a snow removal operation in the industry.

View Jeremy Swenson's Expert Witness Profile.

SPORTFIT LAB is the premier Triathlon shop and performance center in Northern Virginia, providing a full range of training services and products to suit any athlete, whether you are a triathlete, runner, bicyclist, or swimmer. With more than 40 years of experience, they offer a level of personal attention and expertise unmatched in the region.

SPORTFIT LAB uses scientific fitness assessments to develop personalized training programs that meet individual needs. They teach techniques for training and racing, and monitor progress whether training for a first race, or a 10th Ironman event. They understand busy lifestyles, and tailor each program to fit around preferred training schedules, work schedules, and family schedules.

Testing and Coaching Services:

Douglas Baumgarten, M.S., Principal at SPORTFIT LAB offers consulting services related to Fitness, Health Clubs, Exercise Equipment, Personal Training and Sports. Mr. Baumgarten is a graduate of Harvard University and California University of Penna. (M.S. Exercise Science). He is a certified Health / Fitness Director (Amer. Coll. of Sports Medicine), Performance Enhancement Specialist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Bike Fitter, cycling coach, and baseball/softball official. 

Mr. Baumgarten has over 40 years in the fitness industry, as personal trainer, manager, consultant, equipment dealer, President of a large fitness company, and owner of SportFit Consulting. He has contributed to Fitness Management magazine, Boardroom magazine, Club Management magazine, and other publications.

View Douglas Baumgarten's Expert Witness Profile.

Trevor A. Sherwood, II, Owner of Pool Operation Management (POM), provides consulting services pertaining to all aspects of Swimming Pool Regulations, Maintenance, and Training. Mr. Sherwood offers services for swimming pool marketing and promotion, safety and health issues, general maintenance, pool troubleshooting, and liability and risk management as well as swimming pool problems and pool-related emergencies. POM has provided professional consulting for commercial aquatic facilities nationwide and as well as a myriad of state-centered advisory committees. They are also winners of the NSPF® Special Achievement and NSPF® Top Instructor awards. Mr. Sherwood and his team at POM provide consulting, training, and services for pools throughout the entire Northeast, the Southeast, Hawaii, Caribbean and South Pacific. Their clients include engineers, maintenance staff, service technicians, property managers, attorneys, health departments and homeowners in the areas of inspections, plan review, contract review, code interpretation, safety requirements, and management issues. Selected Achievements:

• Personally trained over 11,000 Certified Pool Operators® as of 2020.
• Lead instructor for the Northeast Spa and Pool Association to the VGB training team to provide training services on compliance with the Pool and Spa Safety Act to health and building code officials in NJ, PA, CT and NY
• Pool seminars for NJAA, PRPS, NJRPA, NJ ALPHI, NJ DOH
• Only CPO® certification presenter at the Atlantic City Pool and Spa Show, the largest pool trade show in the pool industry annually

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Katherine Starr is an Athlete Welfare and Standard of Care Consultant who works with clients to understand the needs of the organization, review current infrastructure, and make recommendations to address School and Amateur Sport-related, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment.

Consulting Areas:

• Work with Schools, National Governing Bodies (NGB’s) and Athletic Departments to implement comprehensive policies addressing all forms of abuse, bullying and harassment.
• Develop customized programs and policies for collegiate athletic departments. 
• Educated leadership with a comprehensive program addressing sexual abuse, bullying and harassment.
• Consult on national cases involving coach-athlete relationships.
• Developed sexual abuse, harassment and bullying policies for all types of environment with a predominate focus in sports. 
• Train and/or oversee investigations involving issues of sexual abuse and bullying.
• Mediate issue involved with sexual abuse, bullying in harassment in the workplace or sports programs.
• Train & educate parents, coaches and athletes on such topics as sexual harassment, abuse and bullying for sports, religious and corporate environments.
• Lead group education program with a focus on sexual harassment and bullying for coaches, minors and parents.
• Develop “Code of Conduct” policies for coaches, trainers, doctors and all participants engaged with athletes.
• Develop customized complaint response and monitoring systems for sport and school related environments to reduce abuse, bullying and harassment issues in the sports program or workplace.

View Katherine Starr's Expert Witness Profile.

Capt. David G. Bacon, is a Maritime Consultant with over 30 years of experience providing exceptional customer service to clients from around globe. He has a United States Coast Guard Captains License (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel - unlimited tonnage). Capt. Bacon is the owner, operator, and captain of Wavewalker Charters. His vessel charters include fishing, cruising, eco-tours, whale watching, diving, kayaking, photography, oil seeps, and oil spills. He has decades of vessel operations experience with zero accidents and zero injuries. As the Founder and Executive Director of Softin, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing at-sea educational adventures for special-needs children and adults, Capt. Bacon has extensive knowledge of passenger safety orientation and creating/maintaining a safe environment for passengers, including special-needs passengers in for-profit and nonprofit (501c3) ventures. As the owner of two retail stores: Hook, Line, & Sinker Fishing Center and Guns of Santa Barbara, Capt. Bacon understands the value and importance of customer service.

Background - Capt. Bacon worked in corporate management with AT&T for nearly 20 years, serving as Manager of Technical Operations and Customer Support. He also served as President and CEO of Sea Cubed, Inc., developing, publishing, selling, and distributing quality nautical products and displays.

Freelance Writer - Capt. Bacon has published over 2,000 articles for various periodicals (both print and on-line) and continues as an active writer. His areas of editorial responsibilities (past and present) encompass technical, educational, advocacy, and entertainment. He has written for such publications as Pacific Coast Sportfishing, Western Outdoor News, www.noozhawk.com On-line News, and Fishing and Hunting News among many others.

Public speaking - Capt. Bacon has participated in approximately 85 engagements. He is a teacher at Santa Barbara Community college. He has over 15 years of experience hosting seminars, informational/motivational lectures, and presentations for civic organizations, trade shows, and clubs. He has been a speaker at the Parks and Recreation Department of Santa Barbara, and made radio guest appearances on Fish Talk Radio.

View Capt. Bacon's Expert Witness Profile.