Management Staff

Michael H. James

Michael H. James began his work career in the oilfield in 1980, working internationally as a Hydrogen Sulfide consultant and EMT. In 1987, he founded COAST, a safety consulting firm for oil drilling and production companies. He joined LoVac Environmental, a vacuum truck company, in 1990 as Safety Director, but soon migrated into sales, where he secured contracts with several petrochemical companies. He recognized that most vacuum jobs did not require a huge, expensive vacuum truck, and that insight led to his founding of Triton Industries in 1997. Over the years, he perfected his design for high performance portable vacuum systems. Mike has received patents and industry recognition for his innovations, including the Kraken continuous flow vacuum technology, and Brahman Systems
hose and cable protection.

In 2007, Mike formed Triton Farms, LLC, where he breeds registered Brahman cattle with superior genetics. Triton Farms sells both semen and cattle.

Mike grew up in Lafayette, LA, and has a B.S. in Natural Science from USL. He has served on the False River Academy School Board, and is an active member of ABBA, the American Brahman Breeder’s Association. He and his wife Lisa have three children.

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Lisa B. James

Lisa was on the ground floor of just about every company she worked for, which prepared her for the leap to start Triton. She was one of the first employees of Aggressor Fleet Limited, a live-aboard recreational dive boat company. Lisa worked with Aggressor Fleet from 1986 – 1990 as a booking agent. She booked recreational dive trips all over the world. Her customers were also very diverse, even including Christopher Cross as a guest. After leaving Aggressor Fleet she worked in the finance business with TransAmerica Mortgage in Orlando, FL from 1990 – 1992. She learned about discounting financial notes of any form. TransAmerica sold “paper” from used car dealers to investors who could make very nice return on their investments. After returning to Louisiana in 1992 she began working with Petsec Energy, an Australian oil and gas company. Lisa was the 3rd employee hired by Petsec. She started off as office manager and eventually moved into the operations department as an oil & gas accountant. By the time she left, Petsec had over 30 employees. She worked with Petsec from 1990 until she and Mike began their own company, Triton Industries, in 1997. Lisa and Mike also started one of the most important ventures of their life in 1996 with the arrival of their first child, Kendall. The addition of Konner (1997) and Kohl (1999) expanded the James family at the same time that the Triton family was growing….and all survived the growing pains of the early years.
After Triton, Lisa and Mike started 3 more companies: Triton Farms, Brahman Systems, and the most recent company, Waterline Tank Technologies.

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Tucker LaVergne

Tucker began his professional career with Marathon Protectors, an oilfield supply company that distributes products internationally.  Following a three-year tenure as Marathon’s general manager, Tucker founded Supreme Thread Protection and Supply.  After establishing clientele in all major US shale plays, Supreme quickly became an attractive acquisition target and was purchased by a company based in Houston, TX.  Declining an opportunity to stay on board, he worked for a private equity firm in Lafayette, LA for two years before being introduced to Mike James.  Mike’s vision for Triton was a perfect match and Tucker joined the team in 2016 with a focus on accomplishing Triton’s long-term goals without compromising its proud reputation for service and ingenuity.  Tucker and his wife, Paige, live in Lafayette, LA.  They have one child, Clyde Andrews LaVergne.

Tucker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

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Mike Noel

Mike Noel has 39 years of experience in the chemical industry, many of those years were spent with DSM Copolymer. Mike operated synthetic rubber plants in both the domestic and international markets; including Europe, South America, and the United States. The principal markets served during his tenure were the automotive industry and the polymer based, oil additive market. Mike’s areas of responsibility and expertise included production, maintenance, and technical management. He spent many years in the Louisiana capitol region, including Addis and Baton Rouge area plant facilities. Mike joined Triton Industries in June 2011 as Sales and Business Development Manager, where he is responsible for our sales in the North American market and expanding international sales.

Mike and his wife, Robin, live in Plaquemine, La. They have five children and eight grandchildren.

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